Premier League weekend: Five talking points

A 3-1 victory for Chelsea away at newly-promoted Burnley last night concluded the opening weekend of Premier League action.

It was a round of fixtures that had promised much entertainment and by and large, they didn't disappoint.

Here, Sports Mole has looked back over the 10 encounters to pick out five of the major talking points.

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While publicly admitting a mistake may not be Louis van Gaal's style, his reported decision not to pursue Cesc Fabregas looks even more confusing following the Spaniard's debut for Chelsea. He played a key role in all three of Chelsea's goals at Turf Moor - a contribution that included one of the best assists that is likely to be produced this term.

In short, the former Arsenal skipper produced the type of performance that has been badly lacking from Manchester United's midfield for a number of years. Their loss is Chelsea's gain, though, and while many have waxed lyrical over their signing of Diego Costa, it could well be Fabregas that proves himself to be the most crucial addition when the major prizes are handed out.

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There was an air of expectation around Old Trafford ahead of Swansea's visit, with United having gone the whole of pre-season unbeaten under the guidance of new boss Van Gaal. Yet, by the time that the final whistle was blown, United's negative form in front of their own supporters from last term had spilled over into this campaign.

The answer appears to be simple - United need new players, and quickly. Two defenders, a central midfielder and even an attacker with pace are what is needed to return the Red Devils to the force that they once were, particularly if Van Gaal is to persist with the 3-5-2 formation.

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Chelsea, with Costa and Fabregas at the forefront, may have shone, particularly during the opening 45 minutes at Burnley, but the same cannot be said of their title rivals. Nevertheless, there ware narrow wins for Arsenal and Liverpool, while champions Manchester City won through at Newcastle United.

It means that the trio have importantly not lost any early ground on Jose Mourinho's men, with plenty of scope for improvement as well.

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Harry Redknapp has stressed that there will be no repeat of the shambles that ruined QPR's chances of surviving in the Premier League during the 2012-13 campaign. Big fees and wages were spent on recruiting the likes of Djibril Cisse and Christopher Samba, but relegation was inevitable, financially crippling the club in the process.

Now they are back, but after some initial optimism, gloom has descended again following Hull City's win at Loftus Road. New players are needed and Redknapp has moved swiftly, with both Leroy Fer and Eduardo Vargas expected to sign on the dotted line shortly. If they can produce the goods, it could be just the tonic that the R's need to survive.

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Sam Allardyce looks a man on the brink right now. He was hardly a popular manager among the West Ham faithful before the season got underway and the mood will not have improved as rivals Tottenham Hotspur left Upton Park with all three points thanks to a late goal.

To make matters worse, the Hammers played against 10 men for over an hour and also missed a penalty, as well as creating a handful of other positive openings. Regardless of the quality of the performance, a couple more results like this one and Allardyce could be asked to clear his desk.