Any West Ham fans hoping to see Craig Dawson kick Erling Haaland all the way to Westfield shopping centre were disappointed the moment the team sheet dropped.
No Dawson, no Angelo Ogbonna, no Issa Diop and no Nayef Aguerd, their new £30million centre back who is set to miss the first two months of this season.
With that, West Ham had only one fit central defender starting: Kurt Zouma. Beside him was Ben Johnson, a full back doing his best impression of a centre back.
It represented a mini-crisis to start the season for David Moyes, and Haaland – with a wink towards the cameras at kick off and dad, Alf-Inge, cheering him on from the away end at the London Stadium – was always going to take full advantage.