Goals rained in for Manchester City and Manchester United but Jurgen Klopp’s first game as Liverpool manager was solid rather than spectacular as it drew 0-0 at Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Saturday.
Raheem Sterling’s hat-trick and a Wilfried Bony double helped leaders City to a 5-1 home win against Bournemouth while a few miles down the motorway United thumped Everton 3-0 with Wayne Rooney scoring his first away league goal for 11 months.
City has a two-point lead over United and Arsenal, which moved up to second with a 3-0 win at Watford. West Ham United, which won 3-1 at Crystal Palace, is a further two points adrift.
Liverpool’s sixth draw in seven matches in all competitions left it down in 10th place but there was reason for optimism for Klopp who replaced the sacked Brendan Rodgers this month. It was Liverpool’s first clean sheet for nine matches in all competitions.
“0-0 is not my dream result but it is okay,” former Borussia Dortmund coach Klopp said after an entertaining encounter at White Hart Lane. “Of course, our target is to have the nil on the right side and on the other side another number!”
England winger Sterling, signed by City for about £45 million from Liverpool, lit up the Etihad Stadium with all three of his goals coming before halftime.
With Sergio Aguero facing an injury lay-off, Sterling, criticised for his lack of finishing prowess since his move, seized the spotlight, poking in the opener after seven minutes, dribbling through for his second after half an hour and completing his hat-trick in first-half stoppage time.
Bony, given his chance because of Aguero’s misfortune, also got in on the scoring act — linking well with Sterling.
United will relish next weekend’s Manchester derby too after demolishing Everton at a sombre Goodison Park where fans took part in a minute’s applause for Howard Kendall, the club’s twice league-winning manager, who died on Saturday, aged 69.
Goals by Morgan Schneiderlin and Ander Herrera put United in control and Rooney completed the win at his former club with only second league goal of the season. “It was a very good performance. We were disappointed about the Arsenal game (losing 3-0), and we know coming here is difficult, but it’s a well-deserved victory and we’re delighted,” said Rooney, who now has 187 Premier League goals, second only to Alan Shearer with 260.
Arsenal, playing in the late kickoff, carried on where it left off against United before the international break, although it did not hit the stride until the second half.
Alexis Sanchez it ahead after 62 minutes and further goals followed in quick succession from Olivier Giroud and Aaron Ramsey as Watford crumbled.
Jose Mourinho’s troubled start to the season took an upturn as Chelsea steadied the ship with a 2-0 home win against struggling Aston Villa, although it was helped by a goalkeeping error from Brad Guzan and Alan Hutton’s own goal.
The results: Chelsea 2 (Costa 34, Hutton 54-og) bt Aston Villa 0; Crystal Palace 1 (Cabaye 25-pen) lost to West Ham 3 (Jenkinson 22, Lanzini 88, Payet 90); Everton 0 lost to Manchester United 3 (Schneiderlin 18, Herrera 22, Rooney 62); Manchester City 5 (Sterling 7, 29, 45+3, Bony 11, 89) bt Bournemouth 1 (Murray 22); Southampton 2 (Fonte 21, Van Dijk 37) drew with Leicester 2 (Vardy 66, 90); Tottenham 0 drew with Liverpool 0; West Brom 1 (Berahino 54) bt Sunderland 0; Watford 0 lost Arsenal 3 (Sanchez 62, Giroud 68, Ramsey 74).
