Home Comforts: How Premier League Sides Fared In Their First Games At New Stadiums

A shiny caller stadium brings pinch it nan dream of instigating a caller section successful a club’s history. Excitement abounds arsenic thing rundown is replaced pinch a state-of-the-art arena As Everton hole for their first competitory crippled astatine nan Hill Dickinson Stadium against Brighton connected Sunday, we return a look astatine really different Premier League clubs sewage connected successful their home debuts astatine a caller home.

Sunderland 3-1 Manchester City, 15 August 1997

The Stadium of Light was named successful honour of nan section coal-mining organization and nan Davy lamp utilized by miners. It was, therefore, suitable that nan first lucifer came connected a Friday nighttime nether caller floodlights. Manchester City were nan visitors, arriving pinch optimism that they would situation Sunderland successful nan promotion title from nan 2nd tier. The Roker Park roar came pinch nan caller stadium, helped by nan City defender Tony Vaughan playing a dreadful backwards walk consecutive to Niall Quinn, who subsequently cemented his spot successful history. Alan Kernaghan helped boost nan statement ambiance by getting sent disconnected earlier Georgi Kinkladze equalised from nan punishment spot for nan 10-man visitors aft being tripped successful nan area by Kevin Ball.

Home fans had nary request to worry, however, arsenic they witnessed nan first operation of Quinn and Kevin Phillips, nan second making his Sunderland debut. A booming free-kick was headed down by nan Irishman, allowing his partner to jab home. Lee Clark, who had besides joined nan club, put nan cherry connected apical of nan housewarming cake, firing into nan area from conscionable extracurricular nan area to guarantee astir of nan 35,568 spectators successful attendance had a nighttime to retrieve astatine their caller home.

Manchester City 1-1 Portsmouth, 23 August 2003

After beating Barcelona successful a ceremonial friends and Total Network Solutions successful a European qualifier, nan City of Manchester Stadium was fresh for Premiership football. Kevin Keegan was nan man successful complaint and had amassed a glorious postulation of players. David Seaman was successful goal, while Robbie Fowler and Nicolas Anelka led nan onslaught successful a lineup that felt for illustration nan top-flight balanced of nan Traveling Wilburys.

City struggled to accommodate to their caller surroundings, which had hosted nan Commonwealth Games nan erstwhile year, helping to regenerate nan area of eastbound Manchester successful which it sat, and fell down to Yakubu’s 2fourth-minute extremity aft he capitalised connected a David Sommeil correction to springiness Harry Redknapp’s broadside nan lead. The 46,287 successful attendance astir apt expected that to beryllium that only for Sommeil to popular up pinch a 90th-minute equaliser to make amends for gifting nan opener. An yet affirmative beginning, then, but it did not commencement a glorious caller era arsenic City secured 5 location convention victories each season, yet going connected to decorativeness 16th, 2 places supra relegation.

David Sommeil celebrates scoring a last-minute equaliser against Portsmouth successful nan first convention crippled astatine nan City of Manchester Stadium successful 2003. Photograph: Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images

Arsenal 1-1 Aston Villa, 19 August 2006

A 17-year-old by nan sanction of Theo Walcott was summoned from nan chair by Arsène Wenger to thief move things astir aft Olof Mellberg had fixed Aston Villa nan lead. The scampering winger did nan trick, sprinting down nan near and uncovering Gilberto Silva successful nan mediate of nan area from wherever nan Brazilian smashed successful an 84th-minute equaliser. The hosts subsequently laid siege to nan Villa extremity but Martin O’Neill’s broadside clung connected arsenic nan Emirates Stadium was fixed nan christening coming of a solitary point.

There were 60,023 group successful attendance, 20,000 much than Highbury could hold. “The seats are large capable to fresh maine and my missus successful and we’re a brace of large units,” Arsenal instrumentality Steve told Anna Kessel aft his maiden travel to nan Emirates. The views were better, too, pinch nary pillars successful a venue that group nan modular for modern grounds. Almost 20 years on, however, it has yet to witnesser a Premier League trophy lift.

Brighton 2-1 Doncaster, 6 August 2011

It meant much for Brighton than astir to move to a caller ground. The Amex Stadium was 16 years successful nan making aft their erstwhile home, nan Goldstone Ground, had been sold off. The Seagulls were evicted successful 1997 and began a somewhat nomadic existence, ground-sharing 75 miles distant astatine Gillingham successful Kent. A move backmost to Brighton was arranged but nan Withdean Stadium was built for athletics chiefly and needed activity to go a Football League-compliant venue. Planning support delayed nan building of nan Amex but it did astatine slightest mean nan first crippled was played successful nan Championship pursuing promotion nether Gus Poyet.

Billy Sharp did his spot to make Brighton supporters mobility if it had each been worthy it, but wherever location is simply a will location is simply a way, specifically Will Buckley, who did nan business pinch 2 precocious strikes. His first was a drilled first-time changeable from nan separator of nan area while his second, scored successful nan 98th-minute, was a sublime decorativeness resulting from immoderate quick-footed play by Craig Noone. Cue a long-awaited party, contempt Poyet being sent to nan stands for over-zealous complaints to officials.

Brighton’s first lucifer astatine nan Amex Stadium successful 2011. Photograph: Back Page Images/Shutterstock

West Ham 1-0 Bournemouth, 21 August 2016

Like Manchester City earlier them, West Ham moved into a venue that had hosted a awesome sporting event. From Danny Boyle’s stunning opening ceremonial to Super Saturday, nan Olympic Stadium was nan tract of galore awesome moments during nan 2012 Games and, agelong aft it was each over, West Ham took complete nan tenancy, beating disconnected title from Tottenham and Leyton Orient in somewhat arguable circumstances.

Slovenia’s NK Domzale were nan first visitors to nan London Stadium, nan recently named caller location of nan Hammers, losing 3-0 successful a Europa League playoff, and past came nan presence of Bournemouth for nan first Premier League crippled there. Michail Antonio marked his sanction successful West Ham folklore by scoring nan only extremity of nan afternoon, leaping to meet a transverse from Gökhan Töre successful nan 85th minute.

Tottenham 2-0 Crystal Palace, 3 April 2019

Wembley had been Tottenham’s location while White Hart Lane was knocked down and replaced pinch a space-age caller version. Admittedly, contempt first suggestions, the fromagerie ne'er came to fruition. What was erected, however, was a stunning facility, glistening successful metallic and offering immoderate of nan steepest walks up a guidelines successful England.

Crystal Palace headed to northbound London for nan ribbon-cutting – arsenic good arsenic a uncommon mid-season stadium move – and pinch nan volition of ruining nan show atmosphere. But yet Roy Hodgson’s broadside grounded successful that effort arsenic Son Heung-min cemented his position arsenic a Tottenham fable by scoring nan first extremity astatine nan club’s £1bn caller home, albeit his onslaught was helped into nan area of nan nett by a Luka Milivojevic deflection. Christian Eriksen added a 2nd 10 minutes from afloat clip to springiness astir of nan 59,215 spectators coming a nighttime to remember.