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Hello and welcome back to The Score, my weekly column on the biggest talking points of the Premier League weekend. For the new season, we’ve given it a little revamp – with a new structure and some shiny bells and whistles at the end. Please let me know your (positive) thoughts on social media: @danielstorey85
The first truly heavyweight match of this Premier League season and we should be enthused by its quality. The Emirates on Sunday was a raucous cauldron, patently furious at every decision that went against them and then full of righteous cheer by the end. As they filed pass the press box, one gentleman might have had one too many: “We’re champions – put that in your f***ing report”.
Kai Havertz was the difference maker. Scoring the Champions League final winner for Chelsea may still rank as his career zenith, a feeling not shifted by spending only 581 minutes of a title season on the pitch. But if this is his atonement season, then Havertz has started it as a ready-made champion.
The defining moment was indicative of Havertz’s rediscovered belief. In the first half, he played a dummy to Martin Odegaard that didn’t come off and the Emirates basically groaned as one. Five minutes into the second half, he did exactly the same thing – perfectly. I simply don’t believe he would done the same last season.
