28 August 2011
Newcastle 2 (Best 48, 66)
Fulham 1 (Dempsey 88)
Newcastle collected a narrow win over Fulham to record their best start to a season for 16 years. Leon Best netted both goals for the hosts, firstly with a tap in from close range after Yohan Cabaye's shot was pushed onto the bar by Mark Schwarzer although the keeper really should have stopped the initial effort. He doubled matters midway through the second half as collected a cross from Demba before turning and thumping the ball in. Fulham grabbed a late consolation as Clint Dempsey headed in Danny Murphy's free kick but they couldn't find a leveller.
Attendance : 42,684
Assists : m/a, Demba Ba, Murphy (fk)
Tottenham 1 (Kaboul 68)
Manchester City 5 (Dzeko 34, 41, 55, 90(+3), Aguero 60)
Man City top the table after they blitzed Spurs at White Hart Lane, helped hugely by four goals from Edin Dzeko. Spurs, who pipped City to a Champions League place two seasons ago, were up against it at the interval after Samir Nasri set up Dzeko to slide in the opener and then the same pair combined again and although Nasri's cross was behind the
striker, he managed to get his head to the ball and nod in. Little changed after the break as Dzeko completed his hat trick from close range after Yaya Toure's firm cross and, on the hour, it was time for Sergio Aguero to burst through and smash in the fourth with Nasri again the supplier. Spurs pulled one back when Younes Kaboul headed in a corner from Rafael Van Der Vaart but it was fitting that Dzeko should have the final word deep into stoppage time as he netted his fourth, City's fifth, with a curling effort into the top corner after exchanging passes with Gareth Barry.
Attendance : 36,150
Assists : Nasri, Nasri, Toure, Nasri, van der Vaart (ck), Barry
West Brom 0
Stoke 1 (Shotton 89)
Stoke left it late to pick up a controversial win at West Brom. A dour game looked to be heading for a goalless draw until a lobbed ball forward from Jonathon Walters should have been dealt with by either Gabriel Tamas or keeper Ben Foster however as the latter went to grab the ball, Ryan Shotton nicked it away from him and with Foster and Tamas claiming a foul, Shotton rolled the ball into the empty net.
Attendance : 22,909
Assist : Walters
Manchester United 8 (Welbeck 23, Young 29, Rooney 41 fk, Rooney 64 fk, Nani 67, Park 70, Rooney 82 Pen, Young 92)
Arsenal 2 (Walcott 45, Van Persie 74)
MISSED PENALTY : Van Persie (Arsenal) 27 - Keeper Saved
SENT OFF : Jenkinson (Arsenal) 77
A Youthful Man United walloped depleted Arsenal 7-2 at Old Trafford, with Wayne Rooney scoring a hat trick, to keep in touch with local rivals Man City at the summit of the table. The hosts began well and went ahead through Danny Welbeck who nodded past the keeper as he latched onto Andersen's looped pass, ahead of three defenders. Arsenal
were handed a lifeline just minutes later as Johnny Evans hauled back Theo Walcott in the area and Robin Van Persie saw his low penalty pushed away quite comfortably by keeper David De Gea and within two minutes they were made to pay as a cross was cleared to Ashley Young who took a touch and curled in a brilliant effort from all of 25 yards which sailed
into the top corner. Welbeck then headed just wide but his day ended early when he pulled up with an apparent pulled hamstring and was replaced by Javier Hernandez. The theme of the game remained unchanged though as United added a third four minutes before the break when Rooney curled in a 20 yard free kick which the keeper did manage to get a hand to but couldn't keep out. The Gunners did pull one back with the last kick of the last as Tomas Rosicky slid Walcott in on the right and he fired in low through the keepers legs.
After the break Young forced Szczesny into a decent low save as United looked to kill the game off although De Gea was called into action at the other end to keep out Van Persie's well struck volley and then Andrey Arshavin dragged an effort wide after breaking clear. Tom Cleverley then played a lovely one-two with Hernandez but his shot was well anticipated and easily saved by the Gunners keeper as the game, surprisingly maybe, swung from end to end. Young had a firm shot saved and then drilled the rebound across goal which Nani should have converted but misskicked. The fourth goal did arrive though as Rooney provided an almost identical free kick to his first half strike to wrong foot the keeper completely three minutes later it was five as Rooney shunned the chance of a hat trick strike to find Nani totally unmarked and onside and he finished with an eye-catching, mickey-taking chip. It was amazing, free flowing football from United as Rooney chipped the keeper from 25 yards only to see the ball rebound to safety and then Ji-Sung Park exchanged passes with Young before slotting the sixth into the bottom corner. Arsenal never rolled over completely and pulled one back when Van Persie volleyed in from close range after Carl Jenkinson nodded the ball across goal however the provider shortly had an early end as he was shown a second yellow card as he bundled over Hernandez as he bore down on goal. Rooney then completed his hat trick from the penalty spot to make it seven after Patrice Evra was fouled in the area by Walcott as a quite remarkable game edged towards the final stages although United did add an eighth in stoppage time as Ryan Giggs found Young to arrow in another beauty.
Attendance : 75,448
Assists : Anderson, n/a, Young (won fk), Rosicky, Rooney (won fk), Rooney, Young, Jenkinson, Evra (won pen), Giggs
27 August 2011
Aston Villa 0
Wolves 0
Aston Villa and Wolves both remain unbeaten after a drab encounter at Villa Park. In a game where chances were few and far between, the scoreline could have been different had Emile Heskey's shot fizzed the other side of the post in the first half, instead of being inches wide.
Attendance : 30,766
Assists : n/a
Wigan 2 (Di Santo 41, 66)
QPR 0
Franco di Santo netted a goal in each half as Wigan saw off QPR who actually hit the woodwork on three different occasions only to come away with nothing. Rangers had the better of the first half but fell behind when Hugo Rodallega set up Di Santo who took a touch and then cracked in a volley from the edge of the area just before the break. It was wrapped
up midway through the second half as the visitors failed to clear a cross and Di Santo collected the ball 20 yards out and found the far corner aided by a deflection.
Attendance : 17,225
Assists : Rodallega, Boyce
Blackburn 0
Everton 1 (Arteta 93 Pen)
MISSED PENALTIES : Hoillet (Blackburn) 46 - Saved. Formica (Blackburn) 84 - Hit Post
A game of three penalties at Ewood Park as Blackburn somehow managed to grab defeat from the jaws of victory! The hosts missed two second half spot kicks, starting just after the break when Mauro Formica was tripped by Ross Barkley only for Junior Hoillet's penalty to be kept out by keeper Tim Howard. In a remarkable last few minutes, Formica was tripped
by Phil Jagielka and took the spot kick himself and although he sent Howard the wrong way, his shot hit the inside of the post and bounced across goal to safety. Amazingly, with time almost up, Chris Samba rose superbly to head away a throw in, however the ref ruled that he'd climbed over Marouane Fellaini in doing so and awarded the visitors a spot kick with Mikel Arteta showing his opponents how to take a penalty as he slotted into the bottom corner.
Attendance : 22,826
Assists : Fellaini (won pen)
Chelsea 3 (Bosingwa 6, Lampard 82 Pen, Mata 101)
Norwich 1 (Holt 63)
SENT OFF : Ruddy (Norwich) 80
Chelsea remain 100% at home, yet oddly fragile as they left it late to beat Norwich. They led early when Jose Bosingwa collected a square pass from Frank Lampard and unleashed a rocket shot into the far corner. Out of nothing, Norwich levelled after the hour as home keeper Henrique Hilario and defender Branislav Ivanovic collided as they went for a cross and Grant Holt lobbed the ball over his own head and into the net from the edge of the area. The game was then delayed after a serious injury to Didier Drogba. The turning point came with ten minutes left as Ramirez burst through and was brought down by keeper John Ruddy who was shown a red card and Lampard smashed the penalty home. In the 11th
minutes of stoppage time, they wrapped it up as new signing Juan Mata latched onto a poor back pass from Ritchie De Laet to slot in from a tight angle.
Attendance : 41,765
Assists : Lampard, n/a, Ramires (won pen), n/a
Swansea 0
Sunderland 0
Two home games and two goalless draws for Swansea with Sunderland the latest to go away with a point. Both club came close as John O'Shea headed against the bar early on for the visitors whilst Scott Sinclair unleashed a belter which thudded against the underside of the bar for the hosts.
Attendance : 19,938
Assists : n/a
Liverpool 3 (Henderson 15, Skrtel 52, Adam 53)
Bolton 1 (Klasnic 92)
Liverpool go top of the table ahead of the Sunday games after a comprehensive win over Bolton at Anfield. Liverpool took the lead with a goal worthy of the occasion as Luis Suarez swung in a brilliant cross with the outside of his boot which saw Stuart Downing's volley force an excellent save out of Jussi Jaaskelainen and after Dirk Kuyt collected the rebound and found Jordan Henderson, he curled a beauty into the top corner after his initial effort was blocked. Liverpool were dominating and should have doubled matters when Suarez was sent through but his confident chip beat the keeper and drifted just over the bar. It took the hosts seven minutes of the second half to double the lead with an
absolute text-book corner routine as Charlie Adam's kick was fired in and headed powerfully into the net by Martin Skrtel. Within a minute, it was three as Kuyt found Adam who beat his man and drilled a low shot into the bottom corner with his standing (right) foot! Bolton grabbed a very late consolation when Tuncay's pass was miss-controlled by Jamie
Carragher, allowing Martin Petrov to run clear and although the Liverpool man got back to tackle, the ball fell nicely to Ivan Klasnic to sweep the ball in.
Attendance : 44,725
Assists : Kuyt, Adam (ck), Kuyt, Petrov
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