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PHOTOS: Liverpool rout Arsenal; Palace shock United

Last updated on: August 25, 2019 02:19 IST

Mohamed Salah

IMAGE: Mohamed Salah scores Liverpool's second goal from a penalty. Photograph: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

Liverpool made it three wins out of three as Mohamed Salah scored twice in a convincing 3-1 victory over Arsenal on Saturday to take control at the top of the Premier League.

 

Arsenal had won their opening two games and the Gunners' record signing, winger Nicolas Pepe, could have opened the scoring three times as he threatened on the counter-attack.

Yet four minutes before the break, the European champions, who dominated the early possession, broke the deadlock with Joel Matip rising to power home a header from a Trent Alexander-Arnold corner.

The game looked poised at the interval but Liverpool doubled their lead just four minutes after the restart as Arsenal's former Chelsea defender David Luiz blatantly pulled Salah's shirt in the box and the Egyptian hammered home the resulting spot kick.

It was an inexplicable decision from Luiz and his bad day continued when he was left for dead by Salah, who burst goalwards and then superbly buried the ball in the far bottom corner to make it 3-0.

Substitute Lucas Torreira pulled a goal back for Arsenal in the 85th minute, but by then the damage had been done.

Lampard earns first win as Chelsea boss

IMAGE: Tammy Abraham celebrates scoring Chelsea's first goal against Norwich City. Photograph: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images

Frank Lampard celebrated his first victory as Chelsea manager with Tammy Abraham's double inspiring their 3-2 win over Norwich City in a pulsating English Premier League encounter at Carrow Road on Saturday.

The 21-year-old Abraham struck on the half-volley in the third minute and, after a see-saw contest in which Norwich twice fought back from a goal down, he proved the match-winner with another superb strike in the 68th minute.

Teemu Pukki continued his dazzling start to the season by netting a league-leading fifth goal for the Canaries but it was to prove in vain as the victory provided much-needed relief for Lampard, one of Chelsea's greatest players.

IMAGE: Tammy Abraham scores Chelsea's third goal. Photograph: Julian Finney/Getty Images

Lampard finally got off the mark at the fourth attempt after a loss at Manchester United, defeat to Liverpool in the UEFA Super Cup and a draw with Leicester City.

Chelsea took the lead early when an overlapping Cesar Azpilicueta drifted a perfect cross from the right to the feet of the unmarked Abraham, who slotted the ball past goalkeeper Tim Krul.

Norwich struck back quickly, with Emiliano Buendia finding Pukki, who squared from near the left post for 21-year-old midfielder Todd Cantwell to score from close range.

IMAGE: Mason Mount celebrates after scoring Chelsea's second goal. Photograph: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images

Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount made it 2-1 with a fine 17th-minute goal but 13 minutes later Buendia's fine through ball put in the prolific Finn Pukki, who beat Kepa Arrizabalaga from a tight angle despite the Chelsea keeper getting a hand to the ball.

Chelsea looked more assured after the break and their pressure told. Mateo Kovacic found Abraham, who rounded two Norwich defenders before firing home the winner from outside the box.

Van Aanholt gives Palace shock win at Manchester United

Crystal Palace's Patrick van Aanholt scores

IMAGE: Patrick van Aanholt scores Crystal Palace's second goal. Photograph: Paul Childs/Reuters

A stoppage-time goal by defender Patrick van Aanholt gave Crystal Palace their first Premier League win at Old Trafford as they beat a toothless Manchester United 2-1 on Saturday.

Van Aanholt powered a shot past United keeper David De Gea after new signing Daniel James scored an 89th-minute equaliser to cancel out Jordan Ayew’s first-half opener for the visitors.

Marcus Rashford, who put in a forgettable performance like most of his team mates as United lacked creativity in midfield and bite up front, missed a 70th-minute penalty when his spot- kick cannoned off the post.

The result left both sides on four points from three games but while Palace manager Roy Hodgson will have been delighted with his team’s smash-and-grab victory, his counterpart Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was fuming.

“We just were not clinical enough in front of goal and they scored two very easy goals,” Solskjaer told the BBC.

“I thought we got our act together second half, we just couldn’t hit the target. We have dominated the game but we have not controlled it.

“We should have dealt with the last five minutes better. We defended poorly at times today and it cost us. Sometimes you do not find that end product and that happened today. We did not test their keeper enough. It cost us dearly today.”

Palace soaked up pressure in the opening stages and Ayew scored in the 32nd minute as Jeffrey Schlupp headed on goalkeeper Vicente Guaita’s punt up-field and the Ghanaian striker steered a low shot past De Gea after taking the ball in his stride.

With Pogba missing a penalty in Monday’s 1-1 draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers, Rashford stepped up after Luka Milivojevic tripped Scott McTominay and failed to score despite sending Guaita the wrong way.

Wales winger James, who scored on his debut in the 4-0 home win over Chelsea, equalised when he curled a delightful shot into the top corner after the home side’s solitary flowing move of the afternoon.

With the Stretford End roaring United on, they threw men forward hoping to turn the match on its head but slack defending cost them dear again.

Pogba failed to collect a loose ball after Wilfried Zaha’s run and Van Aanholt pounced to beat De Gea with a stinging low shot from 12 metres. 

“There is a first time for everything,” Van Aanholt said, referring to his team’s first win at Old Trafford since 1989.

“I think we played really well. I think we deserved the three points. We dug in and luck was on our side today.

“I was gutted when that Manchester United goal went in. We had worked so hard to get the clean sheet but I am delighted that we could counter and get them back.”

Leicester City move to third

Harvey Barnes scores Leicester City's second goal.

IMAGE: Harvey Barnes scores Leicester City's second goal. Photograph: Ed Sykes/Reuters

Leicester City moved up to third place on five points after a first-half goal from Jamie Vardy and a thunderously struck winner from Harvey Barnes repelled the fightback from Sheffield United, for whom record signing Ollie McBurnie scored his first goal.

Brighton & Hove Albion's encouraging start under Graham Potter also hit the buffers after the 30th-minute sending off of Florin Andone allowed Southampton to take control and win 2-0 on the road with second-half goals from substitute Moussa Djenepo and Nathan Redmond.

Watford saw their painful, pointless start to the season continue with a 3-1 defeat at Vicarage Road to West Ham United, for whom new record French signing Sebastien Haller scored a second-half double.

Villa get first points with win over Everton

Aston Villa striker Wesley

IMAGE: Wesley scores Aston Villa's opening goal in Friday's Premier League match against Everton, at Villa Park, Birmingham. Photograph: Eddie Keogh/Reuters

Promoted Aston Villa earned their first Premier League points of the season with a 2-0 win over Everton thanks to goals from Wesley and Anwar El Ghazi at Villa Park on Friday.

Villa's Brazilian striker Wesley, signed in the close season for a club record 22 million pounds ($27.03 million), put them ahead in the 21st minute with a clinical finish after a perfectly timed through ball from Spanish midfielder Jota.

Everton, who could have claimed provisional top spot with a victory, went close to a first-half equaliser but Dominic Calvert-Lewin's strike was superbly cleared off the line by defender Bjorn Engels.

The Merseysiders, who have four points from three games, struggled to turn their pressure into chances until manager Marco Silva introduced new signings Moise Kean and Alex Iwobi just after the hour mark.

Iwobi struck the post in the 82nd minute with a low drive through a crowded penalty and then fellow substitute and another former Arsenal winger, Theo Walcott, missed a great chance - volleying wide at the back post from a Kean cross.

Villa, back in the top flight after a three-year absence, made sure of the win in stoppage time when, after a break led by Wesley, Dutch substitute El Ghazi slotted home.

Villa manager Dean Smith was delighted with the result after defeat at Tottenham Hotspur on the opening weekend and last week's home loss to Bournemouth.

"I am more pleased to get the first points in the Premier League," he said. "Our performances have been OK, Tottenham was tough first up and we were good for an hour.

"We played well against Bournemouth and from the supporters there is a lot of optimism. They stuck right behind us.

"Everton started brighter but it was a good performance to get the win," added Smith.

"We have had a bit of fortune, they have missed two big chances form inside the box and Theo Walcott shot over. But I always felt we were a threat on the counter."

Silva was left scratching his head at his team's failure to get on the scoresheet.

"It is really difficult to see how we can lose this game when we created so many chances to score. It is a tough place to play football," said the Portuguese.

"The most difficult thing is to create and when you do you have to put the ball in the net."

Source: REUTERS
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