The 2026-27 European season kicked off with mixed results for Premier League giants. Liverpool drew 1-1 at Newcastle in Andoni Iraola's managerial debut, relying on a late Dominik Szoboszlai penalty to salvage a point. Despite 36 touches in the opposition box, the performance lacked the intensity and cohesion that defined Iraola's Bournemouth sides. Key players Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak underperformed, while Newcastle impressed under new boss Matthias Jaissle despite losing Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes, and Eddie Howe over the summer.

Manchester City needed two late goals to beat Bournemouth, while Michael Carrick's permanent tenure at Manchester United began with a 2-0 loss at Hull. In La Liga, Jose Mourinho started his Real Madrid return with a physical 1-0 win over Espanyol, utilizing a brawny lineup including Denzel Dumfries, Dean Huijsen, and Ibrahima Konate. Meanwhile, a rotated Barcelona crushed Elche 5-0 with new signing Anthony Gordon shining on the wing.