Premier League Picks Of The Week 35

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 35

The 35th week of the Premier League action saw:

28 goals - most by Everton = 4
260 shots - most by Wolves and Chelsea = 22 each
90 on target - most by Chelsea = 9
112 corners - most by Wolves = 14
185 fouls - most by Fulham = 18
28 bookings - most by Arsenal = 4
0 red cards
2 penalties - 2 scored (Mitrović for Fulham, Milner for Liverpool)

What a game! What a massive point for Brighton! Ending a run of five successive defeats! Massive thanks to their keeper Mat Ryan, Wolves had thrown everything at him at Molineux on Saturday, but he kept it goalless, just their second clean sheet of the season! The match stats say it all, 23-5 shots, 5-0 on target, 14-1 corners, 0-8 fouls, but most importantly 0-0 goals = 1-1 points! The result(s) see(s) the Seagulls three points clear of the drop zone and a relieved boss in Chris Hughton. The Wanderers have recorded 47 shots against his side this season without scoring, the most attempts against a single opponent without finding the net since Tottenham against West Ham in 2010-11 (51). But six of the past eight league meetings between the two sides at Molineux have ended in a draw, so, no surprise there really. 

It was a different kind of London derby on Sunday. Arsenal were all over the place, dominating possession but not making it count at all, against a Crystal Palace side that pounced on their errors. The Gunners ended their club record ten-match winning home streak in the Premier League, suffering their first home defeat since the 2-0 defeat against Man City on 12 August. It ended 2-3 at the Emirates, an unmarked Christian Benteke opening the scoring (17') and helping his side to the win with his first goal in over a year (taking him to 70 goals in 200 league appearances). Madness. 
And it was a mad first half at Stamford Bridge on Monday night as well, which saw four goals in 16 minutes, Burnley frustrating the hell out of Chelsea, the match ended two goals and a point each. The Blues threw everything at the Clarets, the result taking them above Arsenal and into the all-important top four, by a point. Again, the stats show the utter dominance, which the result does not reflect: 22-6 shots, 9-3 on target, 10-1 corners, 2-2 goals = 1-1 points. Hard. Life.

What a team! Fulham’s first away win of the season came at Bournemouth thanks to Aleksandar Mitrović's spot-kick, ending his own goalless run of nine games as well, recording his 11th goal of the season. The Cottagers are going down on a high then, after their second win on the trot since their relegation was confirmed, their first consecutive Premier League victory since April 2014. Eddie Howe's 500th' game as Cherries boss was spoilt of course, double-sour after watching his side thrashing Brighton away last weekend, and then this disappointment at home. It's their 18th defeat of the season, equalling their most in a single Premier League campaign (18 in 2015-16). Triple sour. 

Liverpool ended up winners at Cardiff City on Sunday thanks to Georginio Wijnaldum’s whacker (57') and James Milner’s spot kick (81'), but not without some ifs and buts and hick-ups. After a frustrating half, both goals were a great relief and saw the Reds go back to the top, two points clear, but Manchester City with a game in hand (more to their easy win against Tottenham on Saturday and that extra little derby game on Wednesday below). Jürgen Klopp's men have won each of their last 10 Premier League games against promoted sides, scoring 29 and conceding just 3. And the 88 points they're on now, is their best total in a Premier League season, with three matches to go - adjusting to three points per win, they have only earned more in a top-flight campaign in 1978-79 (98) and 1987-88 (90). Records. 

What a man! With just over a minute gone on the clock in the evening kickoff at St James’ Park, the handball was not given against Pierre-Emile Højbjerg as the ball banged off his arm. The ref was right next to it, it was very quick, very close, impossible to get away or avoid, although with his arm being up, we’ve all seen them given as well... Frustration for Newcastle, relief for Southampton. Double relief after James Ward-Prowse was only booked after pushing down Miguel Almirón who was clearly breaking clear on goal (24’). But it was not long after that Ayoze Pérez put the hosts ahead and at ease (27’, 31’), to Rafael Benítez’s relief. Mario Lemina pulled one back (59’) after the Magpies had hit the woodwork for an interesting last half an hour. But Pérez sealed the win with a header (86’), his hat-trick making it 3-1, bagging the three points, taking his side up to 12th! Safer than safe. 
Gerard Deulofeu’s brace (5’, 80’) was enough for Watford at Huddersfield, the three points keeping his side’s European hopes alive, before their game in hand (see below for details).

What a goal! Everton cracked, smashed and banged through Manchester United on Sunday and added another one to add salt onto the wound = 4-0 thrash at Goodison Park! Brilliant goals. Non-existent defending. And iffy keeping. Red Devils manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær was left to pick up the pieces and a steep mountain to climb to have any chance in the derby game on Wednesday and the race for the top four (see games in hand info and links below). The players were just not good enough. Always lacking and staying behind, just watching, as the Toffees were able to pounce and bounce on, off and right through them. Richarlison's acrobatic opener (13'), Gylfi Sigurðsson's low drive (28'), Lucas Digne's long-range effort (56') and former Gunner Theo Walcott's fine run and slide in (61') saw United torn to pieces, suffering their sixth defeat in the last eight games in all competitions, their fifth consecutive away defeat for the first time since 1981, David de Gea chasing shadows, including his own. Goalkeeper's nightmare.

It was a controversial finish at the London Stadium! At 2-1 and only a few minutes to go, Lucas Pérez’s fine individual run and goal was disallowed although replays showed the West Ham forward was nowhere near offside. That should have been a brace for the Spanish forward and 3-1 and three points to the Hammers. But as cruel as the football world always is, and useless referees, seconds later, Leicester got a goal back, Harvey Barnes with the leveller, 2-2, in stoppage time (90'+2') to nick a point for the Foxes. Double cruel. Who needs VAR, ey?!?!?!

What the hell?! Manchester City defender Kyle Walker knew exactly what he was doing with his arm, putting the ball out for a corner against Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli, who couldn’t believe the referee didn’t punish the handball. No penalty. Crucial at 1-0 and half an hour to go in the Saturday lunchtime kickoff at the Etihad. Again, who needs VAR, ey?!?!?! Tense end to the game, Spurs with the better chances, but the Citizens held on, 18-year-old Phil Foden’s early header off Sergio Agüero (5’) was enough in the end. The youngster's first goal for the club could prove crucial in the title race. City's tenth consecutive league win was enough to take Pep Guardiola’s side back to the top, before Liverpool's game on Sunday, see above. Could there be more twists and turns?!?!?!
(The last games in-hand added a lot of fuel to the Premier League fire! Tottenham and Man City gained and are leading the way in the top-four and title race respectively, whilst Arsenal and Man United failed miserably; Watford and Wolves are still able to dream about Europe, Southampton and Brighton left behind, reeling. See the results below for details, stats added to the respective weeks, see links for more.)

My Predictions - Actual Results
Man City 2:2 Tottenham - 1:0
Bournemouth 2:1 Fulham - 0:1
Huddersfield 0:3 Watford - 1:2
West Ham 1:2 Leicester - 2:2
Wolves 2:1 Brighton - 0:0
Newcastle 3:2 Southampton - 3:1
Everton 2:1 Man United - 4:0
Arsenal 2:1 Crystal Palace - 2:3
Cardiff 1:5 Liverpool - 0:2
Chelsea 2:0 Burnley - 2:2
(Tottenham 2:0 Brighton - 1:0)*week 33
(Watford 1:0 Southampton - 1:1)*week 31
(Wolves 1:2 Arsenal - 3:1)*week 31
(Man United 1:1 Man City - 0:2)*week 31 

Click here for last week’s Premier League Picks.

All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the BBC match reports, Twitter and RMC Sport coverage.

Premier League Picks Of The Week 25

Sports - Football - Premier League - Week 25

The 25th week of Premier League action saw:

23 goals - most by Chelsea = 5

249 shots - most by Chelsea = 23

84 on target - most by Man City = 12

86 corners - most by Chelsea and Palace = 11 each

209 fouls - most by Cardiff = 17

30 bookings - most by Leicester and Man United = 4 each

0 red cards

5 penalties - 5 scored (Barnes for Burnley, Hazard for Chelsea, Milivojević for Palace, Neves for Wolves, Reid for Cardiff)

What a game! The early(er) Sunday kick-off saw the fifth consecutive away win for Manchester United, nine wins out of ten for Ole Gunnar Solskær, despite Leicester’s dominance in the second half. The referee didn’t cover himself in glory, but in the end, the blunders evened themselves out, more to that below. The Foxes just didn’t get there, despite all their efforts, Marcus Rashford's 10th goal of the season was enough to bank the three points for his side (9'). The Red Devils went up to fifth, before Arsenal’s Super Sunday clash at Manchester City. But the Gunners didn’t help themselves. Sergio Agüero’s hat-trick (1’, 44’, 61’), his 14th for the club, was enough to down the visitors at the Etihad after a promising first but useless second half - although one goal was offside and the other a handball! Laurent Koscielny's header (11') was the only lonely reply for the Londoners. The Citizens must have been glad watching West Ham frustrating the hell out of Liverpool, the officials’ dismal performance not helping neither side in the Monday night match either. It ended 1-1 at the London Stadium after plenty of blunders, misses, muck-ups and giveaways, sloppy stuff on both sides. Sadio Mané's goal was given despite James Milner being obviously offside in the build-up (22'), before Michail Antonio levelled the score with a low finish off the post (28'). The Reds are still top, three points clear, but Pep Guardiola’s side are five goals better off. More below...

What a team! The Huddersfield fans were brilliant at Stamford Bridge! 3-0 down against Chelsea, with just over an hour gone, they could still be heard chanting, cheering and singing over the blue lot! “We’re gonna win 4-3!” made me laugh! There was a fourth and fifth goal - but it all went to the home side, five goals and three points to take Maurizio Sarri's men above Arsenal and back into the top four, whilst the Terriers remain rock-bottom, 13 points from safety.

Crystal Palace won convincingly against Fulham thanks to captain Luka Milivojević's spot kick (pen 25') and Jeff Schlupp's late tap in (87'). The Cottagers were surprisingly flawed and condemned after their convincing comeback win against Brighton last week, but only 2 points from 13 matches on the road this season speak for themselves! 
Cardiff boss Neil Warnock was a very proud and emotional man after watching his side win their first home game since Emiliano Sala’s disappearance. It ended a crucial 2-0 win against Bournemouth thanks to Bobby Reid’s double (5’ pen, 46’). Cherries manager Eddie Howe was left down and wondering what happened after his side had thrashed Chelsea just a few days before. With the win the Bluebirds remain 18th, but five points clear of Fulham in 19th and only two points behind Burnley in 17th. 

What a man! New signing Peter Crouch came on late to make his debut for Burnley and made the difference, involved in the incident that lead to the penalty, their first in 68 games, Ashley Barnes snatching the Clarets a last-gasp goal from the spot and point against Southampton (90’+4’). Barnes was brought down in the first half by Saints keeper Alex McCarthy, it should have been a penalty then, but he was booked for simulation instead! It was an absolute howler by the ref! And what was the assistant doing?! More to the unbelievable refereeing in general above and below. Nathan Redmond gave the visitors the lead against the run of play after the break, but Sean Dyche did get some justice back. A point each it was in the end.

Watford’s keeper Ben Foster did very well with a string of top-notch saves to keep it goalless at the Falmer Stadium and deny Brighton their first win of the year. Hornets boss Javi Gracia was full of compliments for the opposition's stopper in the post-match interview, which says it all really. 

What a goal! Newcastle worked so hard to keep a clean sheet at Tottenham in the early kick-off on Saturday, and threatened a few times on the counter, just to be broken by non-other than Son Heung-min (83’), off super-sub Fernando Llorente, who has been involved in seven goals in his last eight appearances for the side (5 goals, 2 assists). It was a calamity goal by the keeper Martin Dúbravka, who should have blocked and stopped the goal, but it somehow went through the Czech stopper. One cannot say Spurs didn’t deserve it, they dominated, and are now 29 matches without a draw, a new Premier League record. But the Magpies will still be gutted, more points dropped in the fight for survival, seeing them fall down to 15th, level on points with Southampton and Burnley in 16th and 17th, only two points away from the drop zone.

What the hell?! Everton boss Marco Silva once again watched his side fail and fall 1-3 at home against high-flying Wolves. The only highlight for the home side at Goodison Park was a cat. Yes, A CAT!!! The Toffees have lost three of their last four Premier League home games, as many defeats as in their previous 23, and just won one of their last nine league matches this season against teams starting the day higher in the table (W1 D2 L6), losing the last five in a row. No discrediting the Wanderers, who are doing brilliantly sitting comfortable four points clear in seventh.

The refs were once again absolute shambles! As already ranted above, in nearly every match and category, plenty of decisions were more than dubious, just blatantly wrong, what the hell are they doing?! Offside goals, handballs and plenty of other obvious stuff are being overlooked again and again, not just on Monday night! It's costing sides precious points, that lead to titles or relegations - can the officials be relegated or just disqualified, sent off or substituted like the teams and players when they are doing that bad?! ARGH!!!

My Predictions - Actual Results 

Tottenham 1:2 Newcastle - 1:0

Brighton 2:2 Watford - 0:0

Burnley 2:1 Southampton - 1:1

Chelsea 2:1 Huddersfield - 5:0 

Crystal Palace 3:3 Fulham - 2:0

Everton 2:2 Wolves - 1:3

Cardiff 2:1 Bournemouth - 2:0

Leicester 1:1 Man United - 0:1

Man City 4:3 Arsenal - 3:1

West Ham 1:2 Liverpool - 1:1

Click here for the previous Premier League Picks.

All pictures, facts and stats were taken from the BBC match reports, MOTD, Twitter and RMC Sports coverage.

Suarez hat-trick sinks Cardiff in 9-goal thriller

Sports - Football - Premier League - Cardiff 3:6 Liverpool

A Luis Suarez hat-trick plus Martin Skrtel double and Daniel Sturridge goal all added up to Liverpool sinking Cardiff City 3-6 in a nine-goal thriller in Wales.

The Bluebirds took the game to the Reds from kick-off and were rewarded early on, taking the lead after just nine minutes thanks to Jordon Mutch punishing former Swansea midfielder Joe Allen for his giveaway with a low, left-footed drive past Simon Mignolet.

But it didn't take long for Brendan Rodgers' men to hit back, as Glen Johnson's cross found Suarez, who made no mistake of beating David Marshall from close range to level the score 1-1 in the 16th minute.

Nine minutes later, Fraizer Campbell took advantage of a slow Red defence with loads of space from nearly the same spot as Mutch scored to make it 2-1 and turn Cardiff City on top and loud again.

However, Skrtel's clinical finish off Philippe Coutinho's cross put the scores level at 2-2 and Liverpool back in the game just before the break.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his men were left stunned eight minutes into the second half, seeing Coutinho's cross off a corner headed in by Skrtel to make it 2-3, whilst the homeside were down to nine men, with Kevin Theophile-Catherine and Mutch receiving treatment on the side-line.

The Reds took over the game from there, the SAS proving themselves as lethal once again, Sturridge sending through a pass for Suarez to net before the Uruguayan returned the favour and set up the former Chelsea striker for a simple tap-in to make it 2-5 with 15 minutes to go.

Poor marking from the visitors left City sub Kenwyne Jones free to head one in to make it 3-5 and give the home side some faint, if-not-false hope,

But after sub Wilfried Zaha's hesitant giveaway, Suarez selfishly ran on and clear, with all the time and space to tease keeper Marshall before beating him to make it goal number six for LFC and hat-trick number six for himself.

Thereby the Urugayan equalled Robbie Fowler's 28-goal club-record for a Premier League season, six away from Andrew Cole's and Alan Shearer's joint Premier League record of most goals in a season.

The win keeps Liverpool in second, four points behind leaders Chelsea with a game in hand and two points ahead of Manchester City, who have an extra game in hand.

And with the Reds still to play both blue sides at Anfield, the title race is wide open and will be a nail-biter-and-a-half that could grind down to the final seconds of the season!

Cardiff City 3-6 Liverpool

Cardiff City Goals: 1.: 8:28min Jorden Mutch (18), 2.: 24:52min Fraizer Campbell (10), 3.: 87:15min Jorden Mutch.

Liverpool Goals: 1.: 15:47min Luis Suarez (7), 2.&3.: 40.11 & 53:04min Martin Skrtel (37), 4.: 58:44 min Luis Suarez (7), 5.: 74:25min Daniel Sturridge (15), 6.: 95:27min Luis Suarez (7).

Cardiff City Team: 1 Marshall; 42 John (29 Daehli- 65th min), 28 Theophile-Catherine, 27 Cala (booked- 33rd min), 4 Caulker, 35 Fabio (booked- 50th min); 13 Kim (36 Zaha- 65th min), 8 Medel, 18 Mutch; 39 Bellamy (9 Jones- 70th min), 10 Campbell. 5-3-2
Subs not used: 6 Turner, 7 Whittingham, 17 Gunnarsson, 32 Lewis.

Liverpool Team: 22 Mignolet; 38 Flanagan (20 Cissokho- 73rd min), 5 Agger, 37 Skrtel (booked- 92nd min), 2Johnson; 8 Gerrard (booked- 2nd min); 24 Allen (booked- 94th min), 14 Henderson; 10 Coutinho (31 Sterling- 68th min); 7 Suarez, 15 Sturridge (17 Sakho- 92nd min). 4-1-2-1-2
Subs not used: 1 Jones, 9 Aspas, 12 Moses, 21 Lucas.

Opta Match Stats: Cardiff City-Liverpool
(Attack)
Attempts: 9-19
On target: 3-9
Blocked: 2-4
From outside the box: 2-6
From inside the box: 7-13
Shot accuracy: 42.9%-60%
(General Play)
Possession: 33.3%-66.6%
Duels won: 47.1%-52.9%
Aerials won: 37.9%-62.1%
Interceptions: 19-12
Offsides: 0-1
Corners: 4-6
(Distribution)
Total Passes: 301-650
Long Passes: 15%-8.8%
Passing Accuracy: 77.1%-87.1%
Pass. Acc. Opp. Half: 66.4%-80.1%
Total Passes: 25-15
Successful: 20%-20%
(Defence & Discipline)
Tackles: 21-22
Tackles Won: 71.4%-81.8%
Clearances: 15-28
Fouls Conceded: 14-11
Yellow Cards: 2-3
Red Cards: 0-0

Referee: Neil Swarbrick
Attendance: 28,018
Man of the match: Luis Suarez

Week 7: Premier League Action Summary

Sports - Football - Premier League - Action Summary - Week 7

The seventh week of action saw 10 games, 26 goals, 1 own goal, 12 in the first half, 14 in the second half, 0 in injury time; 196 attempts, 89 on target and 105 corners; 195 fouls, 36 bookings, 0 red cards, 1 penalty scored, 1 penalty missed.

Most scored: At the Etihad (4), by Manchester City (3), and at Anfield (4), by Liverpool (3). Top creators: Newcastle at the Cardiff City Stadium (15 shots, 10 on target).

Main offenders: At the Etihad (25 fouls, 9 bookings, 1 penalty), Manchester City (15 fouls, 5 bookings).

Click here to read more: The action summary of all ten matches of the seventh week of the Premier League 2013-14 season: http://thefootballgene.com/2013/10/premier-league-action-summary-match-week-7/

Stats & Facts Sources: BBC website & MOTD

Week 6: Premier League Action Summary

Sports - Football - Premier League - Action Summary - Week 6 

The sixth week of action saw 10 games, 29 goals, 11 in the first half, 18 in the second half, 2 in injury time; 196 attempts, 89 on target and 117 corners; 228 fouls, 36 bookings, 1 red card, 1 penalty scored. 

Most scored: At Villa Park (5), Aston Villa (3). 

Top creators: At the Stadium of Light (27 shots, 11 on target, 18 corners); Cardiff City at Craven Cottage (17 shots, 5 on target). 

Main offenders: Tottenham (5 bookings, 14 fouls) and Chelsea (1 booking, 1 sending off, 15 fouls) at White Hart Lane. 

Click here to read more: The action summary of all ten matches of the sixth week of the Premier League 2013-14 season: 
http://thefootballgene.com/2013/10/premier-league-action-summary-match-week-6/

Stats & Facts Sources: BBC website & MOTD

Week 5: Premier League Action Summary

Sports - Football - Premier League - Action Summary - Week 5

The fifth week of action saw 10 games, 29 goals, 12 in the first half, 17 in the second half, 3 in injury time; 253 attempts, 83 on target and 119 corners; 202 fouls, 23 bookings, 1 red card, 1 penalty scored, 1 penalty saved.

Most scored: Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium with 4 goals.

Top creators: Tottenham at the Cardiff City Stadium with 21 attempts, 12 on target, 12 corners and 63.7% possession.

Main offenders: West Ham at Upton Park with 17 fouls, 2 yellow cards and 1 sending off.

Norwich 0-1 Aston Villa:

Aston Villa recorded their first clean sheet in 27 league games as they beat Norwich 0-1 at Carrow Road. An action-packed first half started off with the home side on top winning a penalty after just six minutes when Cieran Clark handled the ball. But Brad Guzan made a fine save diving to his left and denying Robert Snodgrass from the spot. The Canaries saw Andreas Weimann's shot for Villa come off he post before sub Libor Kozak who replaced injured Christian Benteke scored 90 seconds after coming on just before the half-hour mark. Having missed a one-on-one chance against Norwich keeper John Ruddy, the ball came back to Gabriel Agbonlahor who was unselfish enough to cut it back to Kozak who netted it gratefully. After an entertaining end-to-end encounter, Paul Lambert can thank Guzan for some fine saves and helping his side to victory against his former employers. Norwich have only lost two of their last 12 league games at Carrow Road - both against Aston Villa.

Liverpool 0-1 Southampton:

Liverpool were denied their best ever start to a Premier League season by a defiant Southampton after losing 0-1 at Anfield despite a heroic performance by Simon Mignolet. The Belgian goalkeeper made save after save including a breath-taking triple-save denying Steven Davis. Adam Lallana and Dejan Lovren were also denied by the stopper before the latter held off Daniel Agger to head in the winner for Mauricio Pochettino's men. Saints keeper Artur Boruc denied Steven Gerrard and Daniel Sturridge with some impressive saves of his own but all in all the home side struggled to create chances and break through a stubborn back line. This was the second home defeat of 2013 for Brendan Rodgers men, both against Southampton.

Newcastle 2-3 Hull City:

A Loic Remy double was not enough for Newcastle as they fell to a stunning Sone Aluko strike losing 2-3 against Hull City at St James Park. Remy had given the hosts the lead heading in Papiss Cisse's miscued shot. Robbie Brady equalised with a low volley before Remy netted his second off Yohan Cabaye's attempt. Ahmed Elmohamady glanced in Brady's free kick to make it 2-2 after the break before Aluko smacked in the winner from 18 yards. Alan Pardew's men came into the match on the back of two wins on the trot over Fulham and Aston Villa. After an entertaining encounter Steve Bruce was delighted with his side's display, the Tigers putting an end to the home side's run picking up seven points from their opening five games in their first season back in the Premier League after three years in the Championship.

West Brom 3-0 Sunderland:

West Brom condemned Sunderland to their fourth Premier League defeat of the season thrashing them 3-0 at the Hawthorns. Debutant Stephane Sessegnon scored against his former side netting an easy rebound after Keiren Westwood initially denied Scott Sinclair. Liam Ridgewell doubled the score with a one-touch bang of a shot before the Black Cats were forced to play the last 15 minutes reduced to 10 men after manager Paulo Di Canio had already made all three available substitutions and then lost Steven Fletcher to injury. Morgan Amalfitano completed the Italian's miserable afternoon and run by making it 3-0 with an angled shot in injury time and making it three defeats on the trot with just one point out of five games for the visitors. The traveling fans showed their frustration at the bottom club's manager when he went to applaud them which turned out to be a peculiar encounter in front of the cameras. The bigger the worry and despair got for Di Canio, the greater the relief and celebration was for Steve Clarke after his side finally recorded their first win to see them climb out of the relegation zone and up to 15th.

West Ham 2-3 Everton:

Everton produced a perfect turnaround as they twice came from behind to beat 10-man West Ham at Upton Park. Roberto Martinez's men thereby remain the last unbeaten side in the Premier League this season in sixth place on nine points out of five games. Ravel Morrison's deflected shot from the edge of the box got the scoreboard rolling and the hosts ahead before Leighton Baines levelled the score with a spectacular free kick bending and swerving the ball across and past a helpless Jussi Jaaskelainen. The Hammers restored their lead against the run of play thanks to Mark Noble's penalty conversion after skipper Kevin Nolan drew a foul from James McCarthy after a fine build-up in the box. But the game took a decisive twist when Noble was given a second booking for a tackle from behind on Toffee midfielder Ross Barkley. Baines struck again netting another stunning free-kick in the opposite corner. Substitute Romelu Lukaku completed the perfect turnaround heading in the winner for the visitors and condemning Sam Allardyce's men to their second defeat of the season and down to 14th.

Chelsea 2-0 Fulham:

Chelsea put their worst start to a league season in 10 years behind them after beating Fulham 2-0 at Stamford Bridge going top of the table for 24 hours at least. Jose Mourinho laughed off all fears and critics in the post-match interview after watching Oscar and John Mikel Obi score two second-half goals to settle the bout and bag three points for the Blues. After a less entertaining, more hard-working first half where Darren Bent's shot at home keeper Petr Cech was the closest either team got, Oscar settled Chelsea's nerves with a fine finish from close range. Mikel doubled the score with his first league goal in 185 games to end a four-game winless run for Roman Abramovich's men. The result took Chelsea above Liverpool at the top of the table before Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester City leapfrogged them with their wins on Sunday (see summaries below).

Arsenal 3-1 Stoke City:

Arsenal recorded their seventh win on the trot after beating Stoke convincingly 3-1 at the Emirates to send them top of the table ahead of bitter London rivals Tottenham on goal difference. Aaron Ramsey opened the scoring after just five minutes netting his seventh goal in eight games for the Gunners by tapping in the rebound after Asmir Begovic had pushed Mesut Ozil's free kick straight at him. The Potters were level 20 minutes later after Geoff Cameron netted Marko Arnautovic's shot that came off the post. But Per Mertesacker put the home side back ahead and in command before the break heading in Ozil's corner with keeper Begovic all over the place again. Bacary Sagna made it three goals and three points for Arsene Wenger's men later on in the second half, heading in Ozil's free kick with a nice leap into the left corner leaving the keeper stranded yet again. Ozil had a hand in all three Arsenal goals on his home debut for the club, showing how pivotal the German has already become for the club, especially with the long injury list they still have.

Crystal Palace 0-2 Swansea:

Swansea bossed the game from start to finish brushing aside a poor Crystal Palace side 2-0 at Selhurst Park. Striker Miguel Michu fired the ball under Palace keeper Julian Speroni to open the scoring after just 80 seconds, producing a banging start for the Swans. Nathan Dyer doubled the home side's lead soon after the break hammering a rebound high into the net after some great work by Michu in the build-up again setting up Alvaro Vazquez whose shot was saved by Speroni. Michu had the ball in the back of the net again before the final whistle, connecting to Jonathan de Guzman's long through-ball, but the goal was disallowed for offside. It was almost like a training match for Michael Laudrup's men, dominating in possession, territory and chances, Ian Holloway admitting post-match how awful his side were.

Cardiff 0-1 Tottenham:

Welsh hearts were broken in stoppage time as Paulinho scored a stoppage-time winner for Tottenham in a tense encounter at the Cardiff City stadium. Malky Mackay's men were out to frustrate and stun Spurs as they did in their 3-2 home win against Manchester City with keeper David Marshall starring, producing one brilliant save after another. The London side dominated possession and produced plenty of chances keeping Marshall more than busy. But Cardiff's defence was finally breached in the dying seconds when Brazilian Paulinho connected onto Erik Lamela's cross with a cheeky back-heeler netting three crucial points for Andre Villas-Boas men putting them level on points with rivals Arsenal at the top of the table before their big derby clash against Chelsea next weekend.

Manchester City 4-1 Manchester United:

Manchester City thrashed bitter rivals Manchester United 4-1 in a gob-smacking derby at the Etihad Stadium. It was the first derby for both David Moyes and Manuel Pellegrini, the first time two new managers took over the derby since 1947. The energy levels were high from kick-off with end-to-end stuff before Sergio Aguero opened the scoring for the home side with a marvellous finish off a fine link between Samir Nasri and Aleksandar Kolerov. Yaya Toure doubled the lead just before the interval tapping in a deflected corner finding himself in plenty of space with the United defence totally zoned out. Whatever Moyes' team talk was at half time, it did not show much effect as seconds after the break, United were carved open again, Alvaro Negredo's clip-in finding Aguero free, completing the move with a simple left-footed finish to make it 3-0. And five minutes later City tore United apart again, Vincent Kompany running in on the right finding Nasri whose right-footed smacker made it 4-0. It was a wonderful carve-finish, from one end to the other and stunned United, leaving everyone wonder how much worse the thrash score line could get. In the end, it stayed four for City but Wayne Rooney did pull one back for United, curling a free kick into the top right corner past Joe Hart's glove, a superb jump beaten by a superb goal. It was merely a consolation goal though, as City recorded an emphatic win against the Red Devils, leaving Moyes wondering whether he can ever win a derby as he was unable to beat Liverpool in his 11 years as Everton boss.

Week 2: Premier League Action Summary

Sports - Football - Premier League - Action Summary - Week 2 

The second week of action saw 10 games, only 17 goals, 9 in the first half, 8 in the second half, 1 in injury time; 251 attempts, 81 on target and 87 corners; 221 fouls, 29 bookings, 1 red card, 2 penalties, both scored. 

Most scored: At the Cardiff City Stadium (5); by Cardiff (3) and Arsenal (3) at Craven Cottage. 

Top creators: Everton (22 attempts, 8 on target, 11 corners) at Goodison Park. 

Main offenders: Norwich (19 fouls) at the KC Stadium, Swansea (4 bookings) at White Hart Lane and Hull City (1 red + 1 yellow card) at the KC Stadium. 

Click here to read more: The action summary of all ten matches of the second week of the Premier League 2013-14 season: http://thefootballgene.com/2013/09/1337/

Stats & Facts Sources: BBC website & MOTD