Everton 2-2 Watford, Bournemouth 0-1 Aston Villa: Premier League 2015/16 as it happened

Watford will be content with a point from a difficult trip to Everton, although they may well lament not taking all three after Layun and Ighalo had twice put them in front. Everton remain unconvincing under Roberto Martinez.

A disappointing start to their first Premier League season for Bournemouth, but Tim Sherwood will be delighted with Gestede's contribution as he looks to replace the goals lost by Christian Benteke's £32.5m move to Liverpool.

Crystal Palace can seemingly do no wrong under Pardew, who win comfortably even after starting with key man Yannick Bolasie on the bench and Murray in the team ahead of Chelsea loanee Patrick Bamford and Connor Wickham. A good debut for Cabaye too.

Robbie Brady aside, Norwich's line-up today was the same as the one used in the Championship last season. Further additions are likely needed for Alex Neil's side to mount a credible survival challenge.

Ranieri with the perfect start for Leicester. Mahrez is a fantastic talent, although he was met with preciously little resistance from a Sunderland team who will again be in the thick of a relegation scrap if they continue to perform so poorly.

That's it for our coverage of today's mid-afternoon Premier League matches, but join us here for live coverage of Chelsea's opener against Swansea at Stamford Bridge.

Full-time

Everton 2-2 Watford

Bournemouth 0-1 Aston Villa

Leicester 4-2 Sunderland

Norwich 1-3 Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace pulled off one of the signings of the summer in convincing Cabaye to swap Paris for South London and he has notched a debut goal to cap off a fine afternoon for Pardew's men.

A composed finish after being set up by James McArthur.

Goal: Norwich 1-3 Crystal Palace (Yohan Cabaye)

Frantic stuff on Merseyside.

Watford regain their lead as substitute Ighalo continues his fine run of scoring form, but Everton hit back just three minutes later as Kone capitalises on good hold-up play from Romelu Lukaku. There could be more goals in that one yet.

Goal: Everton 2-2 Watford (Arouna Kone)

Goal: Everton 1-2 Watford (Odion Ighalo)

10 minutes remaining in this afternoon's matches. Leicester bagged a fourth at the King Power through Albrighton, only for Fletcher to reduce the deficit once more.

Former Blackburn striker Gestede has risen off the bench to bag what could be a debut winner for Villa to put the spoilers on Bournemouth's opening day festivities, while Redmond pulls one back for the hosts at Carrow Road and Barkley spares Everton's blushes.

Goal: Everton 1-1 Watford (Ross Barkley)

Goal: Bournemouth 0-1 Aston Villa (Rudy Gestede)

Goal: Leicester 4-2 Sunderland (Steven Fletcher)

Goal: Norwich 1-2 Crystal Palace (Nathan Redmond)

Goal: Leicester 4-1 Sunderland (Marc Albrighton)

Have we spoken too soon? Sunderland were lucky not to be approaching double figures in terms of goals conceded this afternoon, but they have grabbed a consolation as experienced striker Defoe races onto a pass from Adam Johnson and beats Kasper Schmeichel.

Surely a comeback is out of the question?

Goal: Leicester 3-1 Sunderland (Jermain Defoe)

Further chances for Mahrez and Vardy in the East Midlands. The sooner this horror show ends for Sunderland, the better.

Leicester are inches away from extending their lead over Sunderland even further as Mahrez is denied a hat-trick by the width of a post. A difficult watch for those 3,000 travelling supporters.

Palace were hugely improved after Alan Pardew succeeded Neil Warnock at Selhurst Park in January and they have carried that momentum through to today as they edge further in front against Norwich courtesy of an unlikely source.

Zaha wins a corner that is crossed in by Puncheon towards the head of Pape Souare. His flick-on finds Delaney and the centre-back fires home convincingly.

Goal: Norwich 0-2 Crystal Palace (Damien Delaney)

We are back underway in the afternoon's 1500 BST kick-offs.

Leicester, Watford and Crystal Palace are all 45 minutes away from opening the 2015/16 season with victories while the deadlock is yet to be broken between Bournemouth and Aston Villa.

Half-time

Everton 0-1 Watford

Bournemouth 0-0 Aston Villa

Leicester 3-0 Sunderland

Norwich 0-1 Crystal Palace

Pantilimon is at full stretch to deny Leicester a fourth goal following a long-range effort from Danny Drinkwater.

Guzan also makes a strong save to deny Marc Pugh at Bournemouth, while Bradley Johnson nods wide at Alex McCarthy's back post for Norwich.

A chance for Bournemouth as King fires wide, while Watford's Layun tries his luck with another volley that this time fails to find its mark.

Norwich are the first of the three newly-promoted side to fall behind. Jason Puncheon beats Sebastian Bassong before floating in a cross that is volleyed past Ruddy by Zaha.

Goal: Norwich 0-1 Crystal Palace (Wilfried Zaha)

A real chance for Bournemouth to take the lead at Dean Court but Dan Gosling blasts over Brad Guzan's crossbar.

No goals as of yet down on the south coast at Bournemouth. Still 0-0 between Norwich and Crystal Palace at Carrow Road too, although John Ruddy has just made a smart save from Glenn Murray.

An early substitution for a shellshocked Sunderland as striker Steven Fletcher replaces Cattermole.

To say this has been a dire opening half of football for Sunderland would be something of an understatement.

Echoes of their dreadful 4-0 defeat to Aston Villa at the Stadium of Light in March that ultimately cost Gus Poyet his job as Lee Cattermole fells the marauding Mahrez in the penalty area.

The Algerian gets up, dusts himself off and sends Pantilimon the wrong way from the spot to claim his second goal of the afternoon.

Goal: Leicester 3-0 Sunderland (Riyad Mahrez)

A rampant start for Ranieri and Leicester as the Foxes double their lead. Albrighton the architect once more as talented wideman Mahrez is on hand to head home.

A familiar sinking feeling for Sunderland. Dick Advocaat will be furious.

Goal: Leicester 2-0 Sunderland (Riyad Mahrez)

Speaking of ideal starts for new managers, Flores will be delighted that his new-look Watford side have already taken the lead against Everton at Goodison Park.

Versatile Mexican international Miguel Layun, who moved to English football from another Giampaolo Pozzo-owned club in Granada back in January, leaves Tim Howard with no chance thanks to a crisp half-volley.

Goal: Everton 0-1 Watford (Miguel Layun)

A dream start for new Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri on his return to the Premier League following an 11-year absence.

The Tinkerman opted to hand a first start to new striker Shinji Okazaki at the King Power Stadium, but it's Vardy who breaks the deadlock after heading past Costel Pantilimon from a Marc Albrighton free-kick.

Goal: Leicester 1-0 Sunderland (Jamie Vardy)

Not much to report across the four games in the opening five minutes of action. We'll keep you up to date as the goals go in.

Bournemouth are in the Premier League for the very first time, of course. Having sauntered to the Championship title last season with a style that was very pleasing on the eye, highly-rated manager Eddie Howe has today largely kept the faith in the players that secured promotion.

Artur Boruc retains his place in goal having joined the club on a permanent basis this summer, with new signings Adam Federici, Tyrone Mings, Sylvain Distin and Max Gradel all on the bench.

Norwegian striker Josh King does make his debut alongside Callum Wilson, however.

Tim Sherwood hands first Aston Villa starts to Micah Richards, Jordan Amavi, Jordan Veretout, Idrissa Gueye and Jordan Ayew. Scott Sinclair is back permanently from Manchester City after a successful loan spell. Rudy Gestede named among the substitutes.

To provide some context to that deluge of team news, John Stones starts for Everton despite being subject to sustained transfer interest from Chelsea and picking up a knock to his ankle during Duncan Ferguson's testimonial against Villarreal last weekend. James McCarthy and Kevin Mirallas both play after extending their respective contracts this week.

19-year-old Brendan Galloway starts at left-back in the absence of Leighton Baines.

Watford, back in the top-flight for the first time since 2007, have Quique Sanchez Flores in charge for the first time today and the Spaniard has opted to leave goalscorers Odion Ighalo and Matej Vydra on the bench.

Allan Nyom, Jose Holebas, Sebastian Prodl, Etienne Capoue, Valon Behrami and Jose Manuel Jurado all make their competitive debuts for the Hornets.

Leicester v Sunderland

Leicester: Schmeichel, De Laet, Huth, Morgan, Schlupp, Albrighton, Drinkwater, King, Mahrez, Okazaki, Vardy

Subs: Schwarzer, Hammond, Kanté, Kramarić, Ulloa, Fuchs, Benalouane

Sunderland: Pantilimon, Jones, Van Aanholt, Kaboul, Coates, Cattermole, Rodwell, Larsson, Johnson, Lens, Defoe

Subs: Mannone, O'Shea, Matthews, Bridcutt, Giaccherini, Graham, Fletcher

Norwich v Crystal Palace

Norwich: Ruddy, Whittaker, Martin, Bassong, Brady; Howson, Dorrans, Tettey, Johnson, Hoolahan, Grabban

Subs: Rudd, Wisdom, Jerome, Hooper, Redmond, R Bennett, O'Neil

Crystal Palace: McCarthy, Ward, Dann, Delaney, Souare, McArthur, Cabaye, Zaha, Mutch, Puncheon, Murray

Subs: Hennessey, Kelly, Jedinak, Bolasie, Wickham, Gayle Bamford

Bournemouth v Aston Villa

Bournemouth: Boruc, Francis, Elphick, Cook, Daniels, Ritchie, Gosling, Surman, Pugh, King, Wilson

Subs: Federici, Distin, Smith, Mings, O'Kane, Gradel, Kermorgant

Aston Villa: Guzan, Bacuna, Richards, Clark, Amavi, Westwood, Veretout, Gueye, Sinclair, Ayew, Agbonlahor

Subs: Bunn, Baker, Cole, Hutton, Sanchez, Gestede, Richardson

Everton v Watford

Everton: Howard, Galloway, Jagielka, Stones, Coleman, Barry, McCarthy, Cleverley, Barkley, Mirallas, Lukaku

Subs: Robles, Oviedo, Kone, Naismith, Osman, Browning, McAleny

Watford: Gome, Nyom, Cathcart, Prödl, Holebas, Capoue, Behrami, Anya, Jurado, Layun, Deeney

Subs: Gilmartin, Angella, Paredes, Pudil, Watson, Ighalo, Vydra

Good afternoon and welcome to IBTimes UK's continued live coverage of the opening day of the 2015/16 Premier League season.

With Manchester United and Tottenham playing in the early kick-off and champions Chelsea not starting their title defence against Swansea at Stamford Bridge until 1730 BST, the focus falls upon the promoted teams next this afternoon.

Stay tuned for team news and live updates as Bournemouth host Aston Villa, Watford travel to Everton and Norwich host Crystal Palace. Leicester are also in action against Sunderland.