They went to the stadiums for the first time, holding their precious tickets firmly. The joy on their faces was barely hidden behind the masks.
What once seemed like an everyday thing on Saturday looked like the greatest privilege: going to the stadium to see the favorite team in the English Premier League.
Some 4,000 spectators had the fortune and honor of being the first to obtain permission to watch top-flight English football matches from the stands since March, when the coronavirus pandemic struck.
“I never thought that at my age I would get so excited about a ticket to a soccer game. It’s been fantastic, ”said Chris Dixon, 71, a West Ham fan.
The fans – 2,000 from West Ham and 2,000 from Chelsea – had contrasting experiences at opposite ends of London.
West Ham imploded in the Olympic Stadium, squandering the advantage with which they went to rest. Substitutes Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford guided Manchester United to a 3-1 win in the backyard.
The Chelsea players, on the other hand, made sure that the return of their supporters to Stamford Bridge was totally happy. The Blues rallied after conceding a goal from Patrick Bamford in the fourth minute to beat Leeds 3-1 with goals from Olivier Giroud, Kurt Zouma and Christian Pulisic.
The English league is the first major league in Europe to welcome fans back, albeit in limited numbers. Teams in cities where the most severe restrictions are still in place to prevent further spread of the coronavirus are still prohibited from receiving spectators.
For that reason, Manchester City played in an empty stadium, where they beat Fulham 2-0, and Burnley also did not have an audience at Turf Moor during the 1-1 draw against Everton.
LUXURY SUBSTITUTES
Resentful of minor injuries and in the face of the saturated schedule, Fernandes and Rashford did not play at the start on the orders of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the United manager, who was confident that he would not have to resort to two of their main stars.
However, they had to enter for the second half, after West Ham dominated the first 45 minutes, in which they could well have obtained a revenue greater than the minimum advantage. Tomas Soucek scored the Hammers’ goal at 38.
Fernandes and Rashford changed the match. The former played a key role in the goals of Paul Pogba and Mason Greenwood. Rashford chased a ball leaked by Juan Mata and scored the third target in the 78th.
“When we’re down 1-0 or 2-0,” these guys keep believing, Solskjaer said. “And that character is very important.”
GIROUD BRIGHT WEEK
After scoring all of Chelsea’s goals in a 4-0 Champions League win over Sevilla, the French forward made his first start of the Premier campaign. He scored the equalizer against Leeds, who had taken the lead with a counterattack capped by Bamford.
Zouma headed in with a header off a corner kick and Pulisic slid off to deflect a Timo Werner cross on goal, completing Chelsea’s comeback in injury time.
It was the first Premier League matchup between Chelsea manager Frank Lampard and Leeds strategist Marcelo Bielsa. The two collided two seasons ago in the second division, after Bielsa admitted that he had spied on a Derby practice, then led by Lampard.
THE CITY AND ITS GRADUAL ADVANCE
The triumph over Fulham, ensured by an early shot by Raheem Sterling and a penalty by Kevin De Bruyne, allows City to glimpse the top of the table, after a poor start to the season.
Those led by Pep Guardiola are four points behind Chelsea and have played one less duel.
