Manchester United kicked off the first Friday night match of the season with a convincing win 2-0 against Southampton. Zlatan Ibrahimovic continued to light up the Premier League after another fine display that saw the Swede bag a brace against the Saints.
Another new United signing that has stamped his mark was Paul Pogba. The Frenchman was in fine fettle as he bossed the midfield, often attempting to put on a show for the Old Trafford faithful. The 23-year-old made his first appearance since his record-breaking move back to United.
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The Red Devils have begun well under Jose Mourinho, looking a completely different side to the one we saw last season.
The blue half of Manchester have also got off to lightning start under Pep Guardiola, beating Stoke City 4-1 at The Britannia, to register consecutive wins. Sergio Aguero looks to be matching Zlatan stride for stride after the Argentine bagged yet another brace for City, while Nolito came off the bench to also score a double. The Sky Blues themselves look like a much-improved side, as the Guardiola revolution is quickly setting in.
Also read: Stoke City 1-4 Manchester City - Tactical Analysis
The two rivals will face each other in less than a month’s time in what could prove to be a season-defining derby.
Leaving it late
A few teams left it quite late to secure the three points this week. Tottenham looked set for another disappointing draw after being frustrated by Crystal Place right until the final 10 minutes. After constant pressure on the Palace backline, Spurs did manage to break the deadlock through new signing Victor Wanyama. The midfielder had an easy task of nodding in a header from close range in the 82nd minute to give his team their first win.
Chelsea left it late to grab the winner for the second successive week, winning 2-1 against Watford. The Blues travelled to Vicarage Road, looking to add to their points tally. Although it was The Hornets who opened the scoring when Etienne Capoue slammed in his second goal of the campaign.
The Blues pushed forward in search of an equaliser as Watford sat deeper. Antonio Conte’s side were then rewarded for their hard work as substitute Michy Batshuayi tapped in from close range in the 80th minute after Heurelho Gomes parried Eden Hazard’s shot into the striker’s path. Ultimately, Diego Costa proved to be the match-winner again for Chelsea as he calmly finished past Gomes with less than three minutes left on the clock.
Hull City may be in turmoil off the pitch, but that’s not stopping The Tigers from getting the job done on it. Back-to-back victories against the Champions Leicester and Swansea ensured that they finish week 2 in the top half of the table. They did leave it late though when Shaun Maloney opened the scoring with barely 10 minutes remaining and Abel Hernandez added another in stoppage time as Hull beat The Swans 2-0
Continuing the trend of late winners was West Ham after they christened their new home ground with a 1-0 win over 10-man Bournemouth. Harry Arter saw red after being booked twice, giving Slaven Bilic’s side great motivation to go on and grab a winning goal. West Ham’s pressure paid off when Michail Antonio got on to the end of Gokhan Tore’s cross with little over five minutes left to go. A depleted Hammers side only just managed to overcome Eddie Howe’s team as they begin a new era away from Upton Park.
Contrasting ends for Merseyside clubs
Jurgen Klopp’s side had gotten off to the best possible start, beating Arsenal on the opening day but were given a reality check when they visited Burnley this week. The Reds were a goal down in the opening 2 minutes thanks to Sam Vokes who scored his first ever Premier League goal. Liverpool dominated proceedings from thereon, almost camping in Burnley’s half.
But it was The Clarets who got the decisive second goal before half-time to make it 2-0. Klopp’s team surged on but failed to conjure up an end product as newly promoted Burnley got their first points of the new campaign.
Also read: Jurgen Klopp feels Liverpool did not make most of the possession in loss to Burnley
Everton grabbed their first win of the season, despite going a goal down early on to West Brom. The Baggies took the lead through Gareth McAuley’s header but failed to see out the game. Kevin Mirallas finished off a fine Everton move to level the scores before Gareth Barry proved to be the unlikely match-winner.
The former England international latched on to a loose ball to head in from close range. With an easy set of upcoming fixtures, Ronald Koeman’s side will be hoping to push on from here.
Dubious penalty calls cost the Champions
Arsenal’s visit to Champions Leicester ended in a pulsating 0-0 draw. The Gunners would have been keen for a win, being the only team to beat Leicester at The King Power stadium last season. Both teams lost their opening games and came into the game with every intent to grab all three points.
Also read: Arsene Wenger praises his team on a "good performance" after draw against Leicester
The Foxes had a couple of good penalty appeals that Mark Clattenburg chose to wave off, as replays showed that Ranieri’s men should have had at least one clear penalty for a foul on Ahmed Musa. Even though it still very early, Arsene Wenger and Claudio Ranieri will want their teams to quickly push up the table to keep up with the remaining title contenders.
Tees-Wear derby
Middlesbrough made the short trip to Sunderland, where they registered their first win since returning to the Premier League. A brace from Uruguayan forward Cristhian Stuani ensured that Boro claimed the spoils in Sunday’s derby, the first of which is a strong contender for goal of the season. The Black Cats did manage to pull one back through Patrick van Aanholt but it was Aitor Karanka's side who saw out a deserved 2-1 victory.
Results:
Manchester United 2-0 Southampton
Stoke City 1-4 Manchester City
Burnley 2-0 Liverpool
Swansea City 0-2 Hull City
Tottenham 1-0 Crystal Palace
Watford 1-2 Chelsea
West Brom 1-2 Everton
Leicester City 0-0 Arsenal
Sunderland 1-2 Middlesbrough
West Ham United 1-0 Bournemouth
