The five biggest takeaways from Premier League opening day

The new English Premier League season opened on Saturday, and to soccer fans, this joyous day is summer's answer to Christmas morning. While the first game we unwrapped from under the tree was a dud – Manchester United vs. Tottenham Hotspur – the next few presents were much better.

So with six games in the books and a mere 374 left to play, here's some stuff that we thought while we were glued to our TV sets.

1. The newcomers look solid

Sometimes, it's hard to gauge how good the three newly promoted teams are in the first few weeks, as the excitement and adrenaline of playing in the Premier League course through them. But if their first games are anything to go by, this year's batch stands a decent chance of living to fight another season.

Bournemouth looked good in their home game against Aston Villa. And it took two big Brad Guzan saves to conserve the stalemate in the first half. Ultimately, a 72nd-minute Rudy Gestede goal gave Villa the points. But the wonderfully nicknamed Cherries held their own.

"It was a really good performance from us," Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe told the press after the game. "I can't be too critical. We created chances and got into good areas. When you get those chances you have to be clinical."

Watford played to a 2-2 tie at Everton, which needed two equalizers in the final 15 minutes just to salvage the draw. "I'm very happy with the players and the result," new Norwich manager Quique Flores told the media. "We have only been working together for six weeks and we have lots of different nationalities."

Norwich, meanwhile, was controversially disallowed an equalizer that would have brought the game back to 2-2 after an early 2-0 deficit, before Yohan Cabaye made it 3-1 to Crystal Palace. Which is to say that the Canaries might well have gotten at least a point, had it not been for that call. And perhaps they deserved more.

"We dominated the game at the start and we had to take our chances," manager Alex Neil said. "But we didn't do that."

2. We got some lovely goals

Everton's first equalizer came on a Ross Barkley laser. Odion Ighalo then made coveted Toffees defender John Stones look stupid on Watford's second go-ahead goal. Cabaye's aforementioned goal was nice, too. And, finally, Willian's cross, which deflected off Federico Fernandez and looped into the top corner behind Lukasz Fabianski wasn't so much pretty as it was weird. So maybe take a look at that as well.

3. Everton could be in for a long ride

Two seasons ago, during Roberto Martinez's first campaign after succeeding David Moyes, Everton finished fifth, a well-deserved reward for a year of strong performances. Last year, however, the Toffees languished at mid-table all year and never really put it together.

Everton should be better than that, especially considering the wealth of talent in its squad. But against Watford, Martinez's men hardly gave the impression that they've shaken their sluggishness from last season. The draw, frankly, flattered them. And while the back line is loaded with three England players, it looked shaky again.

4. Claudio Ranieri might still have it

Leicester City's first season back in the top flight last year was a weird one. The Foxes lost just one of their first five games and then dropped 11 of 13 – while tying the other two. They then went unbeaten in three games and followed that up by going winless in eight, losing six of those. And then they finished the season by winning seven of nine. They had been dead last for 19 consecutive weeks but wound up placing 14th. Nigel Pearson was fired all the same.

Enter Ranieri, the "Tinker Man" who hadn't worked in England since he was succeeded by Jose Mourinho at Chelsea in 2004. He was seen as the last man to manage Chelsea before the club got big and sometimes mocked a tad for his studious ways. But upon his return, his side smashed four goals past Sunderland in a 4-2 win. Many had tipped Ranieri as the first manager to be fired this season.

"I remember my first match [in charge of Chelsea] was against Manchester United and we were losing 2-0 and ended up drawing 3-3," Ranieri said after the game. "This was better."

5. The big clubs were underwhelming

In the first game of the season, United eked by Spurs on an own goal in a most forgettable game. Neither club gave a strong account of itself, nor did they convince anybody that some sort of title challenge might lurk inside them.

In the late game, Chelsea gave up two leads to Swansea City and played much of the second half with 10 men after Thibaut Courtois got himself sent off. The defending champions had to settle for a 2-2 tie.

Jose Mourinho's men weren't very impressive, either. They got their goals on a low Oscar free kick that snuck through traffic and bounced in at the far post and on that strange deflected own goal. Swansea, meanwhile, created chances aplenty, outshooting Chelsea 10-3 in shots on goal. Andre Ayew was allowed to take two shots from up close for the first goal and Bafetimbi Gomis converted his own penalty after Courtois clumsily hacked him down at the edge of the box.