Following another successful weekend involving Manchester’s Premier League clubs, it seems inevitable that both United and City will contest this season’s title race.
We’re also evaluating the rest of this weekend’ s Barclays Premier League action, including Chelsea’s hard-fought win against Sunderland and Arsenal’s narrow escape when Swansea City visited the Emirates.
It seems no-one is capable of stopping champions Manchester United and the inexorable rise of their local rivals, Manchester City.
United tore Bolton Wanderers apart at the Reebok Stadium on Saturday, their 5-0 victory overshadowed somewhat by an injury to midfielder Tom Cleverley after a heavy challenge from Bolton captain, Kevin Davies.
Wayne Rooney scored a hat-trick and his partner in crime, Javier Hernandez, helped himself to a brace. The fluidity that has characterised United’s swift attacking play so far this season was once again evident and the Red Devils were devastating as they swept forward.
The confidence flowing through the team was typified by Rooney’s finishing master class. The striker’s third, and United’s final goal, was an instinctive first-time shot from the edge of the penalty-area that was measured in its precision as Rooney gazed upon his handiwork, flying into the corner of the net.
At the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City named wantaway striker Carlos Tevez in their starting line-up as they set about dispatching Wigan Athletic.
Tevez was in the thick of the action, helping set-up Sergio Aguero’s first goal of the game as City ran out easy 3-0 winners. Having assisted his compatriot, the Argentine later saw his penalty-kick saved by Wigan goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi.
It was Aguero who stole the show, equalling Rooney’s feat and completing his own hat-trick with a series of well-executed finishes, following neat interplay by City’s midfield, especially from Samir Nasri and David Silva.
The ease in which City can break and punish teams in the attacking third of the pitch is comparable to the incisiveness of neighbours United and many commentators are now anxiously awaiting the first Manchester derby of the season, next month.
Chelsea are two points behind the league leaders in third position, following their 2-1 victory away at Sunderland.
On-loan striker Nicklas Bendtner should have placed his header on target for the Wearsiders, with the score still 0-0, but his effort bounced wide of the returning Petr Cech’s goal.
John Terry put the Blues ahead on 18 minutes with a sidefoot finish from a tight angle after Juan Mata’s free-kick had hit the post and Daniel Sturridge had forced the ball back into the danger zone from the rebound.
Sturridge’s cheeky back-heel crept in six minutes after the half-time break, as he latched on to debutant Raul Meireles’ long pass to divert the ball beyond Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.
Substitute Ji Dong-Won pulled a goal back for the home side in stoppage-time but another toothless display frustrated Black Cats manager Steve Bruce and the club’s fans.
The other main talking point was the omission from the starting line-up of the increasingly forlorn Fernando Torres. The arrival of fellow Spaniard, Juan Mata, was supposed to signal the injection of pace and guile needed to supply Torres and help end his barren run of just 1 goal in 18 league games since arriving in January for £50m from Liverpool.
As it turned out, Mata was replaced by Torres sixteen minutes from the end of the game, after producing a fine display of possession football and ingenuity.
Torres’ former club, Liverpool, continued their poor run at the Britannia Stadium with a 1-0 defeat to Stoke City.
The Reds have now failed to win at the Britannia in their four visits to the ground and they were undone on this occasion by Jonathan Walters’ first-half penalty after a foul by Jamie Carragher.
Stoke’s fine rearguard action after the break ensured they kept all three points, as prolific Uruguayan Luis Suarez became increasingly frustrated. His side thought they should have been awarded their own spot-kick after Suarez alleged Matthew Upson had handled his attempted cross into the penalty-area.
Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish lamented the referee’s decision-making and hinted he may have to become more vocal in his criticism of perceived ill-judgement against his side.
Were it not for the home side’s heroic defending, Liverpool could have easily claimed a point and possibly more. Their first defeat of the season leaves them trailing Tony Pulis’ Stoke, who occupy the fourth Champions League position and the Potters deserve enormous credit for their unbeaten start to the season.
Elsewhere on Saturday, as we (now rather smugly) predicted, Emmanuel Adebayor made an immediate impact on his Tottenham Hotspur debut to help his new side defeat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 at Molineux.
The Togolese striker combined with another new boy, midfielder Scott Parker, to slot the ball home and set Spurs on their way to their first win of the season. Jermain Defoe’s smart finish on 80 minutes wrapped up the points.
As Tottenham continue to welcome back long-term absentees from injury, they will undoubtedly become a stronger side and the introductions of Adebayor and Parker have given the team a boost. Niko Kranjcar is a frustratingly inconsistent talent and he had one of his better games this weekend, helping tee up Defoe for the vital second goal.
Wolves were undone in the last twenty minutes of the game but Mick McCarthy and his team can take heart from their encouraging start to the season and they will continue to improve following their last-ditch escape from relegation last term.
Tottenham’s north-London rivals, Arsenal, scraped past Swansea City at the Emirates on Saturday afternoon, courtesy of Andrei Arshavin’s smart thinking and angled finish.
Swansea goalkeeper Michel Vorm’s quick throw out of his area only succeeded in bouncing off defender Angel Rangel and into the path of the Russian who was left with the task of sweeping into an unguarded net shortly before half-time.
The Swans and striker Danny Graham in particular, had numerous chances to draw level, including an agonising miss in injury-time where the record signing blazed over the bar from close-range as the Gunners ended up 1-0 winners.
New Arsenal signing Mikel Arteta played some inviting passes early-on, including one to Aaron Ramsey that resulted in the Welshman firing high over the bar.
Another debutant, German international Per Mertesacker, was solid at the back but questions will continue to be raised about his apparently lack of mobility after he was caught out by Kemy Agustien’s cross that saw Graham denied by a fine save from Wojciech Szczesny.
In the other match played on Saturday, Everton dominated proceedings against Aston Villa but had to settle for a point after Gabriel Agbonlahor’s equaliser ensured the game finished 2-2.
Midfielder Leon Osman assumed responsibility in the absence of the departed Arteta and put the Toffees ahead after 19 minutes with a placed shot into the corner of Shay Given’s net.
The home side then had numerous chances to add to their lead, despite playing without a recognised striker.
Bulgarian international Stiliyan Petrov levelled against the run of play for Villa with a thunderous strike in off the post after he had set himself to shoot from about 30-yards-out.
Everton defender Phil Jagielka had a couple of decent headed chances in the first-half and six minutes after Villa levelled, he was brought down in the penalty box by Fabian Delph, with Leighton Baines converting the spot-kick to restore the lead.
Agbonlahor had the last word with a close-range header at the back post from Marc Albrighton’s cross, seven minutes from the end of the game.
Sunday’s action saw struggling Fulham and Blackburn Rovers contest a hard-fought 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage. In the last minutes of the game, Junior Hoilett collided with Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer as he chased a long-ball forward and required extensive treatment before finally being stretchered off the pitch.
His team-mate, Blackburn striker Ruben Rochina had given the visitors the lead with an excellent left-foot drive from outside the area that smacked in off the underside of the crossbar.
Fulham’s reliable frontman, Bobby Zamora, restored parity six minutes later to ensure the score was level before half-time. Only some resolute Blackburn defending prevented the home team from going in-front.
Ultimately, Blackburn manager Steve Kean will be pleased with his side’s first Premier League point of the season, although despite his proclamations that Rovers will achieve a top-half finish, they look set for a long and hard campaign.
Fulham, meanwhile, will need to rediscover how to successfully break teams down at home if they are to emulate last season’s success.
And finally, Norwich City gave away their fourth penalty in as many Premier League games, however it was Peter Odemwingie’s effort from open play that handed West Bromwich Albion a 1-0 victory at Carrow Road.
Ritchie De Laet’s attempted head back to goalkeeper Declan Rudd was anticipated by Albion’s top scorer last season and he snuck in to prod the ball home after just two minutes.
Rudd later saved the Nigerian’s penalty-kick after Steve Morison was adjudged to have hauled down Steven Reid.
Queens Park Rangers and former Tyneside favourite, Joey Barton, welcome Newcastle United to Loftus Road tonight in the remaining Barclays Premier League game from this round of fixtures.
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