Everton FC – Manchester United 1:0
Ferguson’s £24m signing Van Persie started the evening from the bench, so all eyes were on Kagawa, Rooney and Welbeck this evening. In the 57th minute, however, was the outstanding Marouane Fellaini who headed a Darron Gibson corner past De Gea to the lead for Everton 1:0. Everton got lucky in the 66th minute when Jagielka, cleared a shot from Tom Cleverley on the line. Van Persie’s time came in the 68th minute when he came on for Danny Welbeck unable to add any significant danger to the United squad. What a great performance by the David Moyes side.
Everton: Howard, Hibbert, Jagielka, Distin, Baines, Osman (Coleman 80), Gibson, Neville, Pienaar, Fellaini (Heitinga 90), Jelavic (Naismith 90)
ManUnited: De Gea, Valencia, Carrick, Vidic, Evra, Nani (Young 78), Cleverley (Anderson 85), Scholes, Kagawa, Rooney, Welbeck (Van Persie 68)
Goals: Fellaini (57)
Fulham FC – Norwich City 5:0
First game for Fulham players Petric and Damien Duff and the expectations are high at the Craven Cottage. However, Damien Duff started off the afternoon with a great strike from the edge of the penalty area in the 25th minute – 1:0 Fulham. Right before half-time, it was Mladen Petric with a great header inside the six yard box after a corner by Damien Duff extending lead to 2:0. In the 53rd minute was it Petric again with a great shot to the top left corner – 3:0. Kacaniklic raised the lead to 4:0 after a Petric assist. The final goal was scored a late penalty by Steve Sidwell. What a performance by Fulham on the first game of the season! Player of the match was Mladen Petric with two goals in his first game for Fulham FC – very impressive performance.
Fulham: Schwarzer, Riise, Hangeland, Hughes, Riether, Duff (Kasami, 74), Kacaniklic, Diarra, Dembélé, Petric (Rodallega, 67), Ruiz (Sidwell, 81)
Norwich: Ruddy, Martin, Tierney, Bennett, Turner, Surman (Morison, 45), Howson, Johnson, Pilkington, Holt (Hoolahan, 77), Snodgrass (Bennett, 55)
Goals: Duff (26), Petric (41), Petric (54), Kacaniklic (66), Sidwell (87)
QPR – Swansea 0:5
Swansea with an impressive start into the game and some early chances to take the lead. In the 8th minute, it was Michu scored with a great shot from outside the penalty box. Michu found the back of the net again after a great touch in the 52nd minute. Nathan Dyer extended the lead to 3:0 in the 62nd minute and 4:0 in the 70th minute. Sinclair scored the last and final goal in the 80th minute. Great performances also by the new Swansea signings Flores and de Guzmán. Players of the night were Michu and Dyer, who both scored twice to secure the important victory over QPR.
QPR: Green, Onuoha, Ferdinand, Hill (Wright-Phillips 64), Da Silva, Taarabt, Park, Diakite (Derry 86), Hoilett, Mackie, Cisse (Johnson 77)
Swansea: Vorm, Rangel, Williams, Chico, Taylor, De Guzman (Augustien 70), Michu (Gower 84), Britton, Dyer (Sinclair 77), Graham, Routledge
Goals: Michu (8, 52), Dyer (62, 70), Sinclair (80)
West Bromwich – Livepool FC 3:0
Liverpool FC with high expectations this season and first game for Brendan Rodgers as Liverpool manager. Liverpool started well in the first half. However, Gera scored the opener after a Morrison corner. Agger was sent off in the 64th minute and West Brom received a penalty – 2:0 Odemwingie. In the 77th minute, it was Lukaku who headed the final score 3:0. It is going to be a tough and long season for Liverpool and Brendan Rodgers.
West Brom: Foster, Reid, McAuley, Olsson, Ridgewell, Morrison (Brunt 82), Yacob, Mulumbu, Odemwingie, Long (Lukaku 68), Gera (Fortune 68)
Liverpool: Reina, Kelly, Skrtel, Agger, Johnson, Lucas (Cole 68 (Carroll 79)), Allen, Gerrard, Downing (Carragher 60), Suarez, Borini
Goals : Gera (43), Odemwingie (64), Lukaku (77)
Manchester City – Southampton 3:2
ManCity wants to prove this year that they can regain the title and start the first game with Tevez and Aguero. However, Aguero was carried off the pitch after just 10minutes and replaced by Dzeko. After 16 minutes, Lescott fouled Rodriguez in the penalty area – penalty. Silva’s penalty, however, was saved by Kelvin Davis.It was Tevez, who scored the opener for City in the 40th minute after a breakthrough pass by Nasri. After the break, Southampton came back with an surprise equaliser. Rickie Lambert with the 1:1 in the 59th minute. 10minutes later, the lead for Southampton by youngster Steven Davis – 1:2 Southampton. What a game. However Dzeko with the equalizer after a corner in the 72nd minute and the winner in the 80th minute by Nasri. ManCity with an important victory.
Man City: Hart, Zabaleta, Kompany, Lescott, Clichy, Silva (Balotelli 72), Rodwell, Toure, Nasri, Aguero (Dzeko 14), Tevez (Kolarov 87)
Southampton: Kelvin Davis, Clyne, Fonte, Hooiveld, Fox, Ward-Prowse (Steven Davis 65), Lallana, Schneiderlin, Puncheon (Sharp 86), Rodriguez (Lambert 55), Do Prado
Goals: Tevez (40), Lambert (59), Steven Davis (68), Dzeko (72), Nasri (80)
Reading – Stoke City – 1:1
Following Reading’s return to the Premier League for the first time in four years, Brian Mcdermott’s side salvaged a late draw with an 89th minute penalty from Adam Le Fondre following the foul and dismissal of Stoke’s Dean Whitehead for an infringement on substitute Garath Mcleary. Reading had found themselves behind courtesy of an uncharacteristic mistake by goalkeeper Adam Federichi when he allowed a Michael Kightly shot to squirm through his hands as he stooped to save at his near post.
For much of the game Stoke had been the better side asserting their influence on the game after a subdued first quarter and creating several chances, but the Royals managed to rally late on securing an equaliser and looked the side most likely to claim the three points as the clock ticked towards the final whistle with Ian Harte sending a free kick over the bar. That would have been harsh on an accomplished and professional Stoke team who are now an established Premier League side. In the end a draw was probably the correct result, and both sides will be pleased with a point getting off to a solid, if not unspectacular start.
Reading: Federici, Gunter, Pearce, Gorkss, Harte, Leigertwood, Robson-Kanu (McCleary 67), Guthrie, McAnuff, Le Fondre, Pogrebnyak (Hunt 77)
Stoke: Begovic, Huth, Wilkinson, Whelan (Palacios 86), Wilson, Shawcross, Kightly (Jerome 75), Whitehead, Etherington (Delap 80), Walters, Crouch
Goals: Kightly (34), Le Fondre (pen 89)
Wigan – Chelsea – 0:2
Following the permanent appointment of Roberto Di Matteo in the summer after Chelsea’s first Champions League success in their history, the club wanted to get off to a quick start in the league following a disappointing league campaign last season following the problematic tenure of previous manager Andre Villas Boas. They managed to achieve this running out 2-0 winners at the DW Stadium on what was at times an uncomfortable afternoon for the visitors.
Following an intensive acquisition strategy over the summer in which Chelsea have tried to add some creativity and youth to their ranks to bolster the goalscoring prowess of 50m pounds Fernando Torres, only Eden Hazard made his debut, with their other big signing of the summer Oscar having to settle for a place on the bench as Chelsea look to coax him into the rigours of the Premier League slowly. As it was, Hazard provided the first real magic of the game producing a quick turn to skip away from Wigan’s debutant centre back Ivor Ramis following a ball that was fed into his feet from Frank Lampard. Utilising the space that he had worked Hazard then slipped an inch perfect pass into the path of the advancing full back, Branislav Ivanovic, who made no mistake keeping his cool and firing low at the near post past the helpless Al Habsi in the Wigan goal.
Moments later it was 2-0, and again it was Hazard who was the chief orchestrator as he received the ball on the edge of the box and danced past several Wigan defenders showcasing his dribbling skills before being tripped by the despairing Ramis who was having a debut to forget. Frank Lampard then stepped up to convert the penalty as the ball squirmed under the body of Al Habsi who guessed the right way only for the ball to slip agonisingly under his body. Following the goals, Wigan dominated most of the possession as Chelsea seemed content to protect their advantage. Moses was lively throughout and Di Santo missed an opportunity to cut the deficit but failed to get the ball out of his feet as he advanced into the area.
In the second half Wigan’s new striker Kone was brought off the bench to make his debut and headed narrowly wide, meanwhile at the other end Wigan had their other debutant to thank, Ivan Ramis, for keeping the deficit down as he cleared a shot off the line as he went one on one. In the end it was Chelsea who was smiling as they made their way back to London with all three points.
Wigan: Al Habsi, Alcaraz, Caldwell, Ramis, Boyce, McCarthy, McArthur (Ben Watson 80), Figueroa, Maloney (Gomez 49), Di Santo (Kone 67), Moses
Chelsea: Cech, Ivanovic, Luiz, Terry, Cole, Lampard, Mikel, Eden Hazard (Oscar 64), Mata (Meireles 83), Bertrand, Torres
Goals: Ivanovic (2), Lampard (7 pen.)
