Few feelings in sports match the unique sense of hope and excitement that come with the beginning of a new season. One year ago, even the most diehard Leicester City supporters would have found it tough to believe their squad would end up winning the Premier League title, but that's exactly what happened.The Foxes' championship defense didn't get off to an auspicious start, however, as they suffered an away defeat to recently promoted Hull. It was one of seven matches on the schedule Saturday as the new EPL campaign got underway.Let's check out all of the results from the first day of play. That's followed by an updated look at the table and a recap of some key stories to emerge during the action.Saturday's Match ResultsPremier League TableTop StorylinesLeicester City Falters ImmediatelyLeicester were the darlings of the sports world as they finished their magical run to the title in convincing fashion during the final months of last term. Now they are the hunted champions, and it's a role that's going to take some getting used to, as the loss to Hull illustrated.While there were some promising moments on the attack and the Foxes generated 18 shots, the finishing touch was missing for a majority of the fixture. It's a problem that rarely surfaced last season as it seemed they benefited from the bounces and came up with clutch goals almost on command.After the match, manager Claudio Ranieri highlighted the reasons for optimism but also admitted on LCFC TV that the journey to staying on top is a difficult one, per the club's official site:I'm very pleased with the number of chances we created but of course I want to see a team. Our strength is as a team. Today we were better, harder, but not like a team.When I played with four strikers it was important to play with [Ahmed] Musa and Riyad [Mahrez] very wide. They wanted to score and they went very close.This season is harder. It's harder but we must compete very well. Better than today with more attitude and motivation because that is our strength.Ultimately, it's impossible to draw any definitive conclusions from a single match. Leicester will play three of their next four matches at home, starting next week against Arsenal, and still have the talent led by Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy to make a lot of noise.Perhaps in the long run this season-opening loss will even prove positive because it showed the Foxes the tougher road they're about to travel. The defending champions are going to take their opponents' best shot every week and must be ready for that challenge.Manchester City Secure Late WinManchester City are one of the clubs with a realistic shot of filling to void atop the table should Leicester City be unable to match last term's success. It wasn't easy Saturday, but they managed to emerge with all three points against a gamely Sunderland side.An own goal from Paddy McNair in the 87th minute is the difference, but City were the better side for most of the match and deserved the win. They held a significant possession advantage and generated far more pressure in the attacking third.Squawka Football provided the complete batch of match statistics:Those are exactly the type of numbers you expect to see from a Pep Guardiola squad. The Sky Blues had a lot of time on the ball in dangerous areas and were some better finishing away from a more lopsided result that wouldn't have required a late own goal to get the victory.With an attacking group that features Sergio Aguero, who scored from the penalty spot on opening day, Nolito, Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne, among others, the better execution should come as they get more comfortable with the new boss' tactics. That's troublesome news for everybody else.Everton Arrivals Show Promise In DrawEverton are a club in transition. Not only do they feature a new manager in Ronald Koeman, but the squad have seen an overhaul throughout the summer. Longtime contributors such as Tim Howard, Tony Hibbert, Leon Osman and Steven Pienaar all moved on, while rising star John Stones went to Manchester City.The high rate of turnover caused the Toffees to enter the new campaign with quite a bit of lingering uncertainty. Those questions will remain for a while until the club establishes a new identity, but they showed a high level of competitiveness during a draw with Tottenham.That included strong showings from summer arrivals Maarten Stekelenburg and Idrissa Gueye, who should both play key roles this season. Mason Holgate, who signed last year, also made his debut and didn't look out of his league despite being just 19 years old.Everton passed along post-match remarks from Koeman, including comments about the instant impact the newest assets made:Again, it's important not to jump toward any conclusions based on a single game. But the Toffees should at least be encouraged by their play against a Tottenham side expected to contend for a Champions League berth. Perhaps the turnaround at Goodison Park can happen quicker than anticipated.Read more World Football news on BleacherReport.com
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