A goal couldn't give Blackburn the win they wanted
Blackburn Rovers 1-2 Arsenal
Fabio Capello will look back at his World Cup campaign with England and regret not playing Walcott after the 21 year old has had a dream start to the 2010-2011 season. Having already scored a hat trick against Blackpool, Walcott seems to be emerging as one of the Premier League’s top wingers after a fourth screamer against Blackburn yesterday. Blackburn managed to bring themselves level with the Gunners after Mame Biram Diouf slotted one into the back of the net during the 20th minute, but Arshavin sealed the win for the away team with a great rebound shot after Fabregas failed to score on his first attempt.
Rodallega's goal earned Wigan a solid win
Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Wigan Athletic
Tottenham suffered a shock defeat to the minnows after Hugo Rodallega tapped in a decent cross from Wigan’s right winger. Tottenham went into the home match with high hopes after defeating Young Boys earlier in the week, securing them a spot in the Champions League group stages. Ali Al Habsi, Wigan’s goalkeeper had a few outstanding saves, denying Tottenham with what could have been their second win in three Premier League matches so far this season. The Spurs will hope to regain the points next week when they head West to play West Brom.
Zamora netted the first goal for Fulham
Blackpool 2-2 Fulham
Bobby Zamora boosted his chances of playing for England in the European Championships after he nodded home a decent chip from Moussa Dembele. Blackpool had a goal in the 18th minute disallowed for being offside, but soon responded with some very good shooting that gave David Stockdale something to do. An own goal by John Pantsil in the 71st minute brought Blackpool back into the game. The defending was sloppy, and after the two centre-backs failed to clear the ball, Pantsil went for a sliding clearance but couldn’t manage to make full contact with the ball, causing it to deflect into the goal. Luke Varney slotted home what looked like the winner 14 minutes to go, but Fulham replied with a late 87th minute chip by Dickson Etuhu. After Blackpool’s first two Premier League matches, the minnows and their fans can look forward to a good first year in the top flight.
Drogba on the mark for Chelsea
Chelsea 2-0 Stoke City
Elsewhere, Chelsea continued their winning streak with a 2-0 win over Stoke City. Didier Drogba was brought down in the box after just 11 minutes of play, but Lampard failed to convert the penalty with a sloppy attempt. 11 minutes later, Florent Malouda finished off a perfect through-ball, giving the home side the lead. Sorensen made a desperate attempt to prevent Anelka from doubling the score-line with a rash tackle which resulted in a penalty. Drogba took the penalty and scored, giving the Blues 14 goals in three matches.
Rooney finally scores for United
Manchester United 3-0 West Ham United
Wayne Rooney was back in action with his first goal since May, after Giggs was brought down hard in the box. It was an intense moment as the striker blasted the ball down the centre, giving Robert Green no chance to save it. Just after the break, Nani made his way past two defenders before having a shot which fizzed straight into the top right corner. Just 19 minutes later, Berbatov sealed the win with an unbelievable scissor-kick in the air after Nani chipped the ball up into the air.
Johnson sinks it for Birmingham
Bolton Wanderers 2-2 Birmingham
Bolton played out a tense match with Birmingham, ending with the scoreline of 2-2. It took just 4 minutes for Roger Johnson to come sliding in, giving Birmingham a surprise lead. Jaaskelainen got into a tangle with Roger Johnson, causing the Finn goalkeeper to hit Johnson which resulted in his sending off. Birmingham then doubled their lead after Gardener tapped in a weak ball in the air. The match looked to be over until Bolton were awarded a penalty, which Kevin Davies then converted into the home side’s first goal. Robbie Blake then scored a late free kick, putting both teams on level playing fields again. After a heated match, full of emotion, the teams earned a point each.
Torres: back in action
Liverpool 1-0 West Brom
Liverpool went into their third match of the League having drawn against Arsenal and losing to Manchester City. After a disappointing first half, the Reds seemed to pick up their game and created a few chances for Fernando Torres up front. New signing Poulsen also featured in the match, playing just behind Torres. Some good play by Liverpool and then a pass from Dirk Kuyt allowed Torres to finish a beautiful volley in the 65th minute. Other than the goal, neither side created too many chances, and overall it was a disappointing match for Roy’s men, but the vital three points were picked up.
Former Tottenham man Bent sinks City with penalty
Sunderland 1-0 Manchester City
Manchester City were expected to win the match after handily beating Liverpool 3-0 last week, but the team that had been doing so well just couldn’t pull it off against Sunderland. Aside from a shocking miss by Tevez earlier in the match, the game was pretty much dead-locked, with neither team creating too many chances. An injury time penalty gave Sunderland a late win, giving City little to celebrate after getting only one win in three matches.
Young gets his first goal in two years
Aston Villa 1-0 Everton
9 minutes in, Luke Young scored his first Villa goal in two years with a great chip into the the top left corner. Aston Villa created a few chances after that, but not much came between the two teams. Everton definitely had the possession advantage, but considering the amount of goals that the home team had conceded this season, they did quite a good job in keeping a clean sheet.
