Premier League 2018/19: Winners, losers and team of the week from the opening weekend 

Losers

Rafa Benitez will rue his teams missed chances against Tottenham

Newcastle

An opening game against an extremely tired Spurs team who signed no players during the transfer window should have represented an opportunity for Newcastle. Instead, they fell to a 2-1 defeat, missing countless chances in what has been a theme at St.James' Park for many years now.

Rafa Benitez notoriously has a very stringent budget to work within and locks horns with Mike Ashley over available funds regularly. However, Newcastle should have expected to get more from this fixture and based on opportunities created were the better side.

They will need to improve significantly in front of goal if they don't want to find themselves in a relegation scrap this season.

Fulham

Fulham began this season as many people's favourites as the surprise team to look out for. Having gained promotion by playing some thrilling football and bringing in a great mix of experience and skillful youth players during the transfer window, it looked as if Fulham could make a push for the top half this season.

However, an extremely disappointing home defeat to Crystal Palace is not how they would have wanted to start the season. Perhaps the many new signings just need time to gel, but this is the sort of match the Cottagers will need to win if they want to fulfill their potential as a top half Premier League team.

Unai Emery

The new Arsenal manager had a baptism of fire by playing Man City in his opening Premier League match. The gap between the champions and sixth-place Arsenal last season remains as big as ever and Emery is going to have to learn to adapt his style of play quickly if he wants to challenge for a top 4 position this season.

Things don't get better for the Spaniard as he plays Chelsea at Stamford Bridge next. A defeat in that game and he will be under immense pressure at this early stage in his tenure as manager.

Pellegrini's High Back Line

Manuel Pellegrini loves using a high back line and has implemented this system throughout his managerial career. However, his inability to change the formation led to a crushing defeat for West Ham at Anfield. His defense was caught sleeping time and again as they stepped up to play an offside trap, leaving Liverpool's players in tons of space to tap in easy goals.

While the third goal was clearly offside, the suicidal tactics were responsible for such a heavy defeat. Pellegrini will need to learn how to change his philosophy quickly and adapt to his opponents if he wants to see out the full season with an impatient and expectant West Ham.

The Gulf Between the Top 6 and the Rest

New season, same mini-league at the top. The gulf between the top 6 and the rest seems larger than ever following the opening weekend. The only top 6 team not to record a victory was Arsenal who lost to a top 6 opponent. It feels like this year the chasm between the elite teams and the rest will become more pronounced than ever.

Next up, Team of the Week