Manchester United have set a new Premier League record after being handed a home clash against Brighton for their first game of the upcoming season.
The Red Devils will begin their new era under the management of Erik ten Hag, who took over as boss over the summer. The Dutchman will be hoping to get his reign off to the best possible start when his new side host the Seagulls on the 7th August.
Curiously, he will be following a line of United managers when he first takes to the Old Trafford dugout for a Premier League game. That is because, this is the sixth successive year that the Red Devils will open the curtain to their campaign with a home game.
That is a new top-flight record for the teams who are currently members of the Premier League and the longest active run. United last started a season with an away game in the 2016/2017 campaign, when they travelled to Dean Court to face Bournemouth.
Since then, they have always hosted other teams on the opening day, starting with West Ham in 2017. Goals from Romelu Lukaku, Anthony Martial and Paul Pogba secured a 4-0 thrashing of the Hammers, though none of those players are likely to feature at Old Trafford in two months' time.
The following year, Pogba was on the scoresheet again, this time alongside Luke Shaw, as the Red Devils claimed a 2-1 win over Leicester City. The winning record at Old Trafford on the opening day continued in 2019 when Chelsea came to Manchester.
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It was the first game of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's permanent reign and the Norwegian started it in style. United claimed a statement win, with Marcus Rashford scoring twice, while Martial and Dan James notched a goal apiece to hammer Frank Lampard's Blues.
That winning run came to a crashing halt in September 2020 though when Crystal Palace visited Old Trafford. Andros Townsend opened the scoring early on, with former United flop Wilfred Zaha adding two of his own to condemn the hosts to defeat.
Donny van de Beek did score on what was his debut, but Solskjaer's men were unable to overturn Palace's lead. That is the last time United lost on the opening day and was just the third they had been defeated in their first home match of a Premier League season.
Things got back on track last season, when the Red Devils hosted bitter rivals Leeds United. A man of the match display from Pogba powered United to a dominant win, with the Frenchman notching four assists in a 5-1 victory.
Bruno Fernandes scored a hat-trick, something that Ten Hag will hope the Portugese midfielder can recreate against the Seagulls. The Dutchman has previously admitted that he is relishing the opportunity to get his reign underway.
"I've made an analysis and I think we are in the lead of the process now, with this start. Before the season starts we have now a couple of weeks break. So I'll make an analysis, I observe, and I set conclusions, of course. But I keep it now for myself," he said.
"I already met big coaches, big teams from the Premier League [in European competition], so I know how to deal with that. But it is clear that the Premier League is the biggest league in the world. I am really looking forward to battling with them."
