3 Premier League defending champions who lost on opening weekend
It's always interesting to watch a team that won the Premier League title defend their crown the following season. Primarily, how they adapt to the added attention for an entire season and how the opposition adjust their game plans in the new campaign.
That's why defending a league title has never been an easy feat, with only one club — Manchester City — retaining the trophy since the 2008-09 season.
Here's a look at three teams that lost in their opening games as defending champions:
#3 Leicester City vs Hull City (2016-17 season)
Leicester City roared into the 2016-17 season on the back of a Premier League title and were looking to recapture the magic of their title-winning season. They were up against newly-promoted Hull City away from home in their league-opening fixture.
Their first game didn't bode well for a title defense as they lost 2-1 to the Tigers. Hull took the lead in first-half stoppage time thanks to an Adama Diomande goal. Leicester equalized with a Riyad Mahrez penalty, but Robert Snodgrass scored the decisive winner in the 57th minute to give the Tigers their first win of the season.
The Foxes won the reverse fixture at the King Power Stadium. They fought back from a goal down to win 3-1, thanks to Mahrez and Christian Fuchs finding the net and an own goal from Tom Huddlestone. Leicester went on to finish in 12th place, but the season was not all doom and gloom. They had a fun run in the UEFA Champions League, culminating in a quarterfinal exit to Atletico Madrid.