Chelsea laid down the gauntlet to the challengers for their English Premier League title with a 6-0 demolition of West Bromwich Albion on the opening day of the new season.
Didier Drogba scored a hat-trick, Florent Malouda got two and Frank Lampard the other as Chelsea ran riot against a West Brom side who played attractive football but who were ruthlessly cut apart.
Newly-promoted Blackpool made a dream start to their Premier League campaign as they won 4-0 at Wigan Athletic in their first match back in the top flight for 39 years, while there were opening day wins for Aston Villa, Blackburn and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The new season kicked off with Tottenham Hotspur drawing 0-0 with Manchester City, but the opening day ended with Chelsea showing that they will not let their title go easily.
A mistake by goalkeeper Scott Carson allowed Malouda to score the first goal at a wet Stamford Bridge, but West Brom matched the home side for most of the first-half until Drogba sent a free kick through the wall to double his side’s lead at the break.
From there, there was no way back for West Brom and Drogba completed his hat-trick, sandwiched by a goal from Lampard, before Malouda completed the scoring in injury time.
At Wigan, Marlon Harewood scored twice for his new side as Ian Holloway’s Blackpool ran riot against a hapless Wigan team who barely put up any resistance.
Blackpool could have scored three inside the first 15 minutes but had to settle for one as Gary Taylor-Fletcher scored their first goal in the top flight since 1971.
Wigan were way off the pace and Harewood sent the Blackpool fans into ecstasy by scoring twice in six minutes, making it 3-0 at the break, before Alex Baptiste completed the scoring with the fourth 15 minutes from time.
Blackpool manager Holloway paid particular tribute to his new striker Harewood, whose two strikes helped his side to an early share of the lead at the top of the table.
“Marlon has signed a two-year deal and is going to be pivotal for us,” Holloway said. “I need a big, powerful unit up front and when we go to the huge places with tradition, Marlon has been there, seen it and done it. That is vital for my young lads.” In the first match of the new season, Tottenham had far the better of things but could not find the breakthrough, with Joe Hart producing a number of superb saves in the City goal.
City have spent more than 100 million pounds (155 million dollars) in the off-season but they were outplayed by Tottenham, who had a string of chances only to be denied by Hart.
The young Englishman, who saw off Shay Given for a starting spot, produced an amazing reflex save to deny Jermain Defoe early on, while Huddlestone went close and Gareth Bale slammed a shot off the post.
Defoe had another chance but was well blocked by Hart but at the start of the second-half, City burst into life and Shaun Wright-Phillips might have scored, only for Benoit Assou-Ekotto to get back and make a saving tackle.
Carlos Tevez had a shot deflected just over the bar while Micah Richards headed straight at Huerelho Gomes and in the end, both teams had to settle for a share of the points.
“I couldn’t have asked any more from the players,” Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp said. “We were determined to press all over the park and that’s what we did.
“When we won possession, I thought we moved the ball about with great style and created lots of chances. Their keeper was fantastic and some days it goes like that.” James Milner, who has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester City, scored one of Aston Villa’s goals as they cruised to a 3-0 win over West Ham United.
Nikola Kalinic scored the only goal of the game as Blackburn beat Everton 1-0, while David Jones and Steven Fletcher scored as Wolves won 2-1 against Stoke, whose new signing Kenwyne Jones was taken off through injury after just 12 minutes.
A late equaliser from Liam Ridgwell gave Birmingham a point with a 2-2 draw at Sunderland, who played the second half with 10 men after the sending-off of Lee Cattermole.
And Mark Hughes’s first game as Fulham manager ended in a goalless draw at Bolton Wanderers.
