Southampton –
Everton 0-3
Romelu Lukaku scored twice as Everton made light of a poor
record at Southampton to run out 3-0 winners at St Mary's Stadium.
With one victory from their previous 14 Barclays Premier
League visits, history weighed against Everton and Lukaku, who scored an own
goal on the ground last season, endured an inauspicious warm-up when his
wayward shot struck a fan, prompting the striker to head into the stands to
apologise. He proved more accurate once the action got under way, netting a
first-half double as Roberto Martinez's men demonstrated their threat on the
counter-attack.
The match turned on a fine Tim Howard save, which came less
than 60 seconds before Lukaku's headed 22nd-minute opener, while the Belgium
forward's second goal also arrived at the end of a quick break. Ross Barkley
added a third late on with a crisp finish to bring further pain to Southampton
manager Ronald Koeman, who returned to the dugout on crutches after missing the
2-2 draw at Newcastle United last weekend with a ruptured Achilles’ tendon.
Lukaku signalled his intent early on, his powerful run
halted by Matt Targett's foul just outside the area. Barkley's free-kick
clipped the wall and deflected over the crossbar.
Everton were pressed into defensive action in the 14th
minute when Graziano Pelle's downward header picked out Dusan Tadic, but his
shot was blocked and the visitors scrambled the ball clear.
Pelle, with three goals in the opening three matches of the
season, failed to connect properly with a back-post header and flicked it
harmlessly wide of Howard's right-hand upright. The hosts continued to force
the issue and Sadio Mane brought an excellent stop from Howard with a low
close-range effort, before Southampton were caught on the break.
Barkley set free Arouna Kone, who had been the visitors'
only change from the opening day after his late leveller from the bench against
Watford, down the right after a Southampton corner and the Ivorian’s superb
delivery was expertly headed in across goal by Lukaku, who was quick to
acknowledge the quality of the assist.
Martinez's men could have extended their lead just before
the half-hour, but Barkley's strike from the middle of the area was straight at
Maarten Stekelenburg and Tom Cleverley put the rebound wide.
Lukaku did make it 2-0 on the brink of half-time, stroking
his shot past Stekelenburg after gathering Barkley's pass.
Koeman introduced his new midfield signing Oriol Romeu Tadic
for the second half and Southampton started brightly, with Pelle's half-volley
stinging Howard's palms. The Italian carried his side's most potent threat,
heading another chance over the bar in the 66th minute as Southampton looked to
breach an Everton team with only one clean sheet in their last 17 away league
matches.
Mane went close, bringing a full-stretch save from Howard
from distance, but Barkley's fine right-footed finish put the result beyond
doubt in the 84th minute.
For Martinez, who has promised new arrivals, it was a
demonstration of the quality already at his disposal, while Southampton's focus
will switch to the first leg of their UEFA Europa League qualifier against FC
Midtjylland on Thursday.
West Ham
United 1-2 Leicester City
Leicester City's impressive start to life under Claudio
Ranieri continued with a 2-1 victory at West Ham United, their second win in a
row and the first time they have done so in 18 years.
Building on their emphatic 4-2 opening-day win over
Sunderland, Leicester took a deserved 27th-minute lead in east London as Japan
forward Shinji Okazaki scored his first for the club. Riyad Mahrez was a
two-goal hero for City last time out and the Algeria winger was on target once
more to give Ranieri's men breathing space at the interval.
West Ham were shock victors over Arsenal in their opening
match but rarely threatened to scale the same heights on this outing. Dimitri
Payet halved the deficit 10 minutes into the second half with his first goal
for the club but could not prevent West Ham's final league campaign at the
Boleyn Ground from getting off to an anti-climactic start, with a red card for
goalkeeper Adrian in stoppage time compounding a miserable afternoon.
Swansea City
2-0 Newcastle United
Jefferson Montero put in another dazzling display as Swansea
City cruised to a 2-0 victory over 10-man Newcastle United.
The Ecuador winger gave Branislav Ivanovic the runaround as
the Welsh club picked up a 2-2 draw at Chelsea last weekend, and he was at it
again on Saturday.
After Bafetimbi Gomis had given Swansea a ninth-minute lead,
the lively Montero drew two clumsy challenges from Daryl Janmaat that earned
the full-back a pair of bookings and a dismissal four minutes before the break.
Montero hit a post with his best chance to add his name to
the scoresheet but provided the assist as an Andre Ayew header made it 2-0
seven minutes into the second half.
Newcastle rarely threatened as Steve McClaren's decided to
play without a recognised striker for much of the second period.
Tottenham
Hotspur 2-2 Stoke City
Mame Biram Diouf and Marko Arnautovic were on target as
Stoke City stunned Tottenham Hotspur with a late fightback to draw 2-2 at White
Hart Lane.
First-half goals from Eric Dier and Nacer Chadli had put
Spurs in command and on course to avenge their two defeats by Mark Hughes' side
last season. But Stoke refused to lie down and substitutes Joselu, making his
top-flight debut, and Stephen Ireland made telling impacts as the visitors
struck twice in the last 12 minutes to salvage a point.
Arnautovic pulled a goal back from the penalty spot after
striker Joselu had been brought down by Toby Alderweireld, then Diouf headed in
an Ireland cross seven minutes from time to stun the home side, whose new
signing Clinton N'Jie watched from the stands.
Norwich City
- Sunderland 3-1
After a 4-2 defeat in last weekend's opener against
Leicester City, Dick Advocaat's woes at the back continued in front of their
home supporters, as Norwich celebrated a first win since returning to the top
flight.
Russell Martin, the Norwich captain, knew little about the
opening goal he bundled home, but there was no fortune about Steven Whittaker
making it 2-0, the full-back finishing a well-crafted move.
Nathan Redmond, who was rewarded with a start after making a
positive impact off the bench in last week's 3-1 loss to Crystal Palace, scored
his second goal in as many league matches just shy of the hour.
Substitute Duncan Watmore netted a late goal for Sunderland
on his league debut but it was little consolation on a dismal afternoon for the
Black Cats.
Watford 0-0
West Bromwich Albion
Watford missed the chance to secure their first Barclays
Premier League win since May 2007 as they were held to a 0-0 draw by West Bromwich
Albion.
Quique Sanchez Flores's side dominated their first match at
Vicarage Road this season, but were made to rue a host of missed chances, Odion
Ighalo passing up their best openings.
The Nigerian striker, along with his captain Troy Deeney,
posed a real threat in the opening 45 minutes, but Watford's neat build-up play
lacked the finishing touch.
West Brom flattered to deceive in the opening hour, although
the introduction of record signing Salomon Rondon gave them a glimmer of hope.
The Venezuela forward saw his first effort in English football fly over the
crossbar, a rare highlight for the visitors as they clung on to their first
point of the campaign.
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