Nilson Angulo became the first player since 2021–22 to score his team’s opening Premier League goal from a direct free-kick during Ipswich Town versus Sunderland.
Angulo scored Sunderland’s equaliser in the 2–1 opening-weekend defeat at Ipswich on 22 August 2026. His set piece brought Sunderland level before Jack Clarke scored Ipswich’s 90th-minute winner.
The statistic refers specifically to a club’s first goal of a Premier League season being scored directly from a free-kick. It does not mean Angulo scored the first goal of the entire league season, nor that every free-kick goal is counted in the same way.
The previous player identified in this comparison was Marcos Alonso for Chelsea in 2021–22. That historical reference makes the fact more specific than simply asking who scored Sunderland’s goal.