Winner: Jose Mourinho
Mourinho, a football icon returning to the biggest and most successful club in the world, was never going to be dull. But aside from the surreal nature of Mourinho being back on the touchline for Real Madrid, there was a real possibility that Los Blancos' trip to Espanyol would disappoint after all the pre-match talk.
Those doubts were swiftly forgotten when Jude Bellingham scored the first goal of Mourinho's second stint after brilliantly directing a header from an Arda Guler free-kick past a helpless Marko Dmitrovic. But this wasn't likely to be a routine win for Mourinho, and so it proved when Espanyol equalised in the 30th minute.
The match was heading for an underwhelming 1-1 draw and far from an ideal start to the new era when super-sub Carlos Espi rounded Dmitrovic in the 90th minute before passing the ball into an empty net. The celebrations that followed were of pure joy for Espi, who had won the game for his side on debut, minutes after receiving instructions from Mourinho.
So what did Jose say to the young forward that was so inspiring? "He told me to seize this moment and make it count. He said he believes that I will contribute to the winning goal." Oh, Mourinho is back all right.
Loser: Joao Gomes
It was a truly disastrous first game in the Premier League for Gomes as an Aston Villa player, as the Villans shipped four first-half goals in a heavy defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion.
Gomes was dispossessed on the edge of his own box for Brighton’s fourth, before the Brazilian’s misery was compounded with a straight red card in the 40th minute for a petulant kick-out on Georginio Rutter.
The 25-year-old became the first player to receive a first-half red card on his Premier League debut for a club in more than 14 years (since QPR midfielder Samba Diakite).
Gomes will now serve a three-match ban, missing games against reigning champions Arsenal, newly-promoted Hull City and Nottingham Forest.
Winner: Mamadou Sangare
After a move with plenty of fanfare during the summer from Lens, much was expected of Brentford's new signing, Mamadou Sangare, and he delivered.
The Bees beat London rivals Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 at the Gtech Stadium to get their season up and running, with the Mali international at the heart of it. He assisted the first goal of the game with a precise pass into Keane Lewis-Potter, and ran the show in midfield.
He won more duels than he lost, whilst completing 80% of his passes. His new fans will undoubtedly be excited by what is to come from him as the season progresses.
Losers: Manchester United
It hasn't been a busy transfer window at Old Trafford, but after Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans were brought in to replace the departed Casemiro in a side that was in title-winning form at the end of last season, there was a certain level of pressure heading into their season opener at Hull to deliver a routine win.
Few could have expected that it would be a routine win for the newly promoted Hull, but that is exactly how it transpired. The Tigers scored both their goals in the first half from set pieces, and whilst the marking was non-existent from Carrick's men, it was the response after going 2-0 down that will worry supporters more.
United's new-look midfield looked out of ideas on the ball and slow and lethargic off it. There was a feeling that a Man United midfield post-Casemiro would finally have the athleticism and legs to win the ball back quickly and not get exposed on the counter - but Santos and Tielemans don't really fit that profile.
It was a bad day at the office and a humbling 2-0 defeat to begin their season, but addressing the midfield conundrum will be crucial to whether this was an off day or a sign of what is to come.
Winner: Dom Ballard
The 2026/27 campaign has barely begun in England’s second tier, but the Goal of the Season award might already be wrapped up after a sensational backheel volley from Bristol City’s Dom Ballard.
Facing away from goal, the young striker miraculously flicked Rio Cardines’ cross into the top corner, giving Birmingham keeper James Beadle absolutely no chance between the sticks.
Unsurprisingly, Ballard’s goal has since gone viral, with the 21-year-old admitting post-match it was a moment to remember.
"The fans were amazing - I ran straight to them when I scored, which was an incredible feeling," he said. "I won’t score many better than that - really, really happy."
Losers: Heidenheim
Second-tier Heidenheim were dumped out of the DFB-Pokal in embarrassing fashion over the weekend, as they lost 5-2 to fourth-division amateur side SSV Jeddeloh.
It was only the second time Jeddeloh had played in the first round of the German Cup after 2018/19, when they lost 5-2 to, you guessed it, Heidenheim!
Elsewhere, in the DFB-Pokal, an honourable mention to SC St. Tonis, who shipped 10 first-half goals to lose 11-0 against Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt.
Winner: Mohamed Salah
After a quiet first couple of games for Trabzonspor, Salah rolled back the years on Sunday with two goals in a hard-fought 2-1 Super Lig victory at home to Basaksehir.
The Egyptian's first goal might have been a little scrappy, but his second was a reminder of his world-class ability, as he exchanged passes with Ernest Muci before sweeping a trademark finish into the bottom corner.
With a crucial second-leg fixture against Ferencvaros to come on Thursday in the Europa League play-offs, Trabzonspor supporters will be hoping for more of the same from their new star signing.
Losers: Genk
It was a thrilling Saturday evening in the Belgian top flight, as Royal Antwerp and Genk played out an eight-goal epic at the Bosuilstadion.
While an away point might seem like a respectable result for Jess Thorup's men, they really should've been travelling home with all three after leading 4-1 with 80 minutes on the clock.
However, a dramatic collapse in the closing stages saw Eran Tuypens pull one back for Antwerp, before Michael Frey's late brace stunned the visitors to secure a share of the spoils.
Genk's collapse marks the second time in the opening three weeks they've blown a lead in the final 10 minutes, after losing 2-1 at Waregem on Matchday One.