After the first round of the 1996/97 English Premier League concluded, Manchester City's away match against Newcastle United stirred a sensational response.
Okocha, especially, making his top-flight debut, delivered a performance brimming with vision and flair—scoring a sublime free-kick and assisting Henrik Larsson's clinical finish.
People and media alike focused unanimously on this game as the headline story. While tabloids had a field day, major newspapers such as The Times, The Daily Telegraph, and The Guardian all featured prominent front-page articles about the match.
The Times, headline: "Okocha Orchestrates as City Signal Intentions with Ruthless Debut Win"By Jonathan Northcroft
The Daily Telegraph, headline: "Jay-Jay's Dream Debut Powers City Past Newcastle"By Simon Bajkowski
The Guardian, headline: "City's New Era Begins in Style as Okocha Inspires Dominant Win"By Barney Ronay
Newcastle looked startled; City looked settled—already.
