18 year old Belgian winger Adnan Januzaj scored a wonderful double as Manchester United beat Sunderland 2-1 at the Stadium of Light.
David Moyes in his post match interview said that Januzaj was right up there with the likes of Wayne Rooney and Ross Barkley who started their first Premier League games under the former Everton manager. The hosts did not take too long to put the under fire Red Devils under pressure as they took the lead after just 5 minutes thanks to some horrible defending. Emanuele Giaccherini beat Patrice Evra with ease on the right flank and his cross was cleared by Phil Jones only up to Nemanja Vidic whose weak clearance gave Craig Gardner the chance to score with a low shot into the bottom corner leaving David De Gea no chance. Januzaj looked to be the only creative spark for an otherwise dull looking United side. Gardner then had a chance to play in Jozy Altidore but his hesitance allowed Jones to make amends for his error which allowed Gardner the opportunity in the first place. De Gea then made a great save as he managed to get his fingertips to a powerful header by Giaccherini. Kieren Westwood punched Nani’s powerful drive away with 4 minutes before the break but it was Giaccherini who missed a wonderful chance to double the lead. Adam Johnson did well to find the Italian but his effort went over the bar. Januzaj continued to be the creative impetus but was booked soon after the restart for diving inside the box. The teenager equalised on 55 minutes when he side footed Evra’s cross after having started the move himself. Westwood then did well to hold on to Robin Van Persie’s effort but was well and truly beaten by Januzaj’s volley soon after the hour mark. John O’Shea headed over Nani’s cross from the right but only up to Januzaj and he volleyed the ball home with a crisp left footed effort. Van Persie had a chance to extend the lead after having been played in by substitute Antonio Valencia but shot wide when one on one with Westwood. The defeat leaves the Black Cats at the bottom of the table with just 1 point from a possible 21.
Everton’s unbeaten run in the Premier League was brought to an end by Manchester City as they were beaten 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium. Joe Hart saw the first piece of action when he had to dive to prevent Romelu Lukaku from getting on the end of Steven Naismith’s delivery. Tim Howard then had to make a save at the other end to deny Yaya Toure and Aleksandar Kolarov came close with a free kick. The Toffees took the lead on 16 minutes when Phil Jagielka’s long ball was not dealt with properly and Lukaku finished coolly. Both Joleon Lescott and Hart could have done better as Lukaku got away from the former with ease while his shot went under the latter’s outstretched hand. City were looking for a rapid response and they got one when Toure played in Alvaro Negredo and the Spaniard’s shot went on off an onrushing Howard. James Milner had his cross deflected on to the post and Sergio Aguero missed a wonderful chance as he shot wide after having been played in by David Silva. Vincent Kompany went off after 35 minutes due to an injury but the hosts took the lead on the stroke of halftime when Silva played in Aguero and the Argentine made no mistake this time with a powerful drive from an acute angle. Aguero could have doubled his tally before the break but Jagielka made a crucial tackle. Everton looked to attack on the counter and had a chance after the restart but Kevin Mirallas failed to control Ross Barkley’s through ball allowing Hart to gather. Kolarov then had to be taken off before the hour mark due to a nasty facial injury. Seamus Coleman conceded a penalty when he brought down Pablo Zabaleta inside the box but in fairness there was minimal contact and the right back made full use of it. If Everton thought they were unlucky, the resulting spot kick was even worse for them. Howard did well to get his fingertips to Aguero’s shot but the ball ricocheted off the post and onto his head before crossing the line. Everton looked to reduce the deficit but it was City who had more chances with Howard denying Negredo and substitute Samir Nasri.
Liverpool continued their winning ways as they beat Crystal Palace 3-1 at Anfield. The Reds took the lead after 13 minutes when Victor Moses found Luis Suarez who in turn sent Jose Enrique down the left flank. Enrique passed the ball back to Suarez and he kept his composure to score despite having slipped. Liverpool doubled their lead 3 minutes later through Daniel Sturridge. Enrique’s long ball intended for Suarez found Sturridge who had a lot to do to get past Damien Delaney. The striker twisted and turned and on his third attempt he managed to create enough room to get a shot away. His shot from an acute angle had enough power and precision to beat Julian Speroni in goal. Delaney then made a decisive block to deny Sturridge his second of the evening. When Mamadou Sakho and Martin Skrtel went for the same ball, Kolo Toure had to cleanup denying Jimmy Kebe and Simon Mignolet saved Jason Puncheon’s rebound. Sakho continued to ride his luck as his sliced clearance went wide after Mignolet failed to deal with a low cross from the left. Dean Moxey pulled Raheem Sterling and a penalty was awarded. Replays however showed that the original contact was outside the box. Steven Gerrard stepped up and converted with ease. By now Palace looked like they were in for a drubbing. Liverpool seemed to have taken their foot off the gas after the restart as they failed to create any good chances. Palace were awarded a free kick and substitutes Jose Campana and Dwight Gayle combined when the latter intuitively glanced in the former’s delivery. Sturridge could have got his second but hit the post in the latter stages of the game. Liverpool enjoyed another win as they continue their terrific start to the campaign.
Eden Hazard and Willian scored late on as Chelsea beat Norwich City 3-1 at Carrow Road. Chelsea took the lead after 4 minutes when Demba Ba controlled Frank Lampard’s pass and laid off for Oscar to finish into the bottom corner. Ba then saw his effort saved by John Ruddy and had another blocked by Sebastien Bassong after winning an aerial duel with Ruddy. Jonny Howson had a chance to equalise for the Canaries but sent his effort wide following Ricky van Wolfswinkel’s cross. Ba had a chance to double the lead but failed to make a proper connection with Ramires’ cross. Norwich drew level through Anthony Pilkington who headed in Wolfswinkel’s cross after the Dutch striker was found by Martin Olsson with a cross from the left. Chelsea scored their 2nd on 85 minutes through a counter attack which saw Hazard scoring from Oscar’s cross field pass. Willian then made it three a minute later with a curling effort into the top corner.
Arsenal having temporarily lost their place at the summit to Liverpool regained top spot despite being held to a 1-1 draw at the Hawthorns by West Bromwich Albion. Claudio Yacob put the Baggies in front on 42 minutes when he headed in Morgan Amalfitano’s cross from the right. Nicolas Anelka then missed a couple of chances to increase the margin for the hosts. First he failed to make proper contact with a low cross and then shot wide after being played in by Liam Ridgewell. Arsenal drew level on 63 minutes through Jack Wilshere who was assisted by Tomas Rosicky and his shot took a deflection off Jonas Olsson beating Boaz Myhill in goal. Both sides looked for the winning goal but the game ended honours even.
West Ham United recorded a shock 3-0 London derby win over Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. Winston Reid scored the 1st on 66 minutes rebounding home after his goal bound header had hit Kevin Nolan. Ricardo Vaz Te then made it two to the good 6 minutes later when his initial effort was saved by Hugo Lloris but the ball ricocheted off Vaz Te into the net. Ravel Morrison made it three with a brilliant solo run and finish.
Loic Remy scored a brace as Newcastle United beat Cardiff City 2-1 at the Cardiff City Stadium with Peter Odemwingie pulling one back for the Bluebirds. Darren Bent scored late on as Fulham beat Stoke City 1-0 at Craven Cottage. Hull City’s game against Aston Villa at the KC Stadium ended goalless. Adam Lallana and Jay Rodriguez scored as Southampton beat Swansea City 2-0 at St. Mary’s.
Spanish La Liga
Alexis Sanchez scored a brace with Xavi and Neymar also getting on the score sheet as Barcelona came from behind to beat Real Valladolid 4-1 away. Alvaro Morata equalised in the 90th minute for Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo scored the winner in injury time as the Los Blancos beat Levante 3-2 away. Diego Costa scored twice as Atletico Madrid beat Celta Vigo 2-1 at home.
Villarreal beat Granada 3-0 at home while Malaga were beaten 1-0 at home by Osasuna. Sevilla beat Almeria 2-1 at home while Athletic Bilbao drew 1-1 at home against Valencia.
German Bundesliga
Toni Kroos’ goal was cancelled out by that of Sidney Sam as Bayer Leverkusen held Bayern Munich to a 1-1 draw at the Bayarena. Max Kruse and Raffael scored as Borussia Monchengladbach beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at the Borussia Park. Mats Hummels was sent off for Dortmund. Adam Szalai scored a brace with Kevin-Price Boateng and Maximilian Meyer also scoring for Schalke as they beat Augsburg 4-1 at home. Stuttgart drew 1-1 at home against Werder Bremen while struggling Hamburg thrashed Nurnberg 5-0 away.
Italian Serie A
Francesco Totti scored a brace with Alessandro Florenzi adding a third as Roma beat Inter Milan 3-0 at the San Siro. Napoli thrashed Livorno 4-0 at home while Lazio drew goalless against Fiorentina at home. Giorgio Chiellini scored the winner as champions Juventus beat AC Milan 3-2 at home. Sulley Muntari put Milan in front only for Andrea Pirlo to equalise through a free kick. Sebastian Giovinco gave the hosts the lead after which Chiellini made it three. Muntari scored again on 90 minutes but it was not enough.
French Ligue 1
Lucas Ocampos scored in the 87the minute as Monaco beat St Etienne 2-1 at the Stade Louis. Montpellier beat Lyon 5-1 at home while Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored a penalty to help Paris Saint-Germain beat Marseille 2-1 away. Andre Ayew had given Marseille the lead from the spot but Maxwell restored parity for PSG.
Dutch Eredivisie
Cambuur Leeuwarden 0-1 Twente Enschede
Ajax Amsterdam 3-0 FC Utrecht
FC Groningen 2-1 AZ Alkmaar
Vitesse Arnhem 1-2 Feyenoord Rotterdam
PSV Eindhoven 2-1 RKC Waalwijk
Sporting Lisbon 4-0 Vitoria Setubal
Arouca 1-3 FC Porto
Estoril 1-2 Benfica
CD Nacional de Madeira 3-0 Braga
Scottish Premiership
Celtic 2-0 Motherwell
Dundee United 1-0 Kilmarnock
Ross County 1-0 Aberdeen
St Johnstone 4-0 Inverness Caledonian Thistle
