Martial Scores Debut Goal As Man United Beats Liverpool 3-1
Unburdened by the baggage of being football’s most expensive teenager, Anthony Martial produced a moment of magic Saturday on his Manchester United debut to complete a 3-1 victory over Liverpool.
The 19-year-old striker, who could cost United up to 80 million euros ($90 million), scored 20 minutes after coming on, slaloming through the brittle Liverpool defense before side-footing home.
What had been a listless first half, with England’s most successful teams failing to get a shot on target, came to life four minutes after the break.
An unmarked Daley Blind put United ahead and Ander Herrera won a penalty and converted from the penalty spot in the 70th.
Christian Benteke pulled one back with an overhead kick in the 84th, but Martial’s goal a minute later was even more spectacular.
More Trouble For Mourinho As Chelsea Loses 3-1 At Everton
Steven Naismith scored a hat trick to guide Everton to a convincing 3-1 victory over Chelsea on Saturday, as the new season took another sharp turn for the worse for Jose Mourinho’s champions.
Having come on as a ninth-minute substitute for the injured Muhamed Besic, Naismith headed Everton into a 17th-minute lead at Goodison Park and quickly followed up by scoring his second with a low drive from outside the area.
Nemanja Matic pulled a goal back for Chelsea with a long-distance effort in the 36th and Mourinho’s side kept pushing for an equalizer after the break.
But Naismith put the result beyond doubt by squeezing an angled shot through the legs of Chelsea goalkeeper Asmir Begovic in the 82nd minute.
The strike sealed a second consecutive defeat for Chelsea, which went into the international break after losing a London derby 2-1 to Crystal Palace and now has just four points from its five league games.
“The results are too wrong for our quality, too wrong for our status and too wrong for what the players deserve,” Mourinho told BT Sport.
“The way they are playing is not so bad as the results, but in every game everything goes against (us), even today… We are dominant — we dominate, we dominate, we dominate — they go on a counterattack and score the third goal.”
However, Mourinho said he had faith in his players and that Chelsea’s fortunes would turn.
“Let’s wait for better days, let’s wait for better results and I trust they will do that,” he said.
The problems facing Mourinho clearly start at the back, with last season’s tightest defense in the Premier League already conceding 12 goals — compared to 32 throughout 2014-15.
Chelsea’s players showed some early intent but were caught cold by Everton’s well-worked opener.
Naismith took possession outside the area and fed the ball wide to Brendan Galloway on the left flank. His inch-perfect cross behind Chelsea’s defense was met with a powerful header from Naismith into the corner that gave Begovic no chance.
Just five minutes later, Naismith was given time and space to rifle home a low shot from outside the area.
Eden Hazard and Diego Costa tried to make life difficult for the Everton defense but they created little in the way of scoring chances — thanks to a player who could easily have been their teammate.
John Stones, who put in an off-season transfer request amid a series of Chelsea bids for the England center-half, was in superb form. Quick to intercept and calm under pressure, Stones was more than a match for Costa and the Chelsea attack.
Chelsea clearly needed a goal to get back into the match and Matic conjured one out of nothing.
Collecting the ball some 30 meters (yards) out, the Serbian international unleashed a ferocious drive that flew past a helpless Tim Howard in the Everton goal.
It wasn’t the only helping hand that Chelsea would receive.
Early in the second half, Everton’s former Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku raced through on the breakaway before being challenged by John Terry. As the ball ran loose, the Chelsea skipper gave the ball a nudge towards Begovic, who quickly smothered it — prompting protests from Everton of a back-pass.
Play was waved on by referee Andre Marriner and Chelsea kept pushing for an equalizer.
At least until the 82nd minute.
Ross Barkley threaded the ball through the right side of the area and Naismith managed to steer his shot past Begovic and into the far left corner to complete a memorable day for Everton, and a very dismal afternoon for Mourinho.
Arsenal Beats Stoke City 2-0 In Premier League
Arsenal strikers Theo Walcott and Olivier Giroud scored a goal each Saturday in a 2-0 win over Stoke in the Premier League that still highlighted the team’s inefficiency in attack.
Arsenal dominated the entire game but missed a slew of chances in its first game since failing to reinforce its attacking options in the transfer window. Walcott broke the deadlock in the 31st minute after running onto a perfect through ball from Mesut Ozil, and Giroud then came on a substitute to put the result beyond doubt in the 85th.
In between, Walcott, Ozil and Giroud all missed good chances to add to the lead, and Stoke goalkeeper Jack Butland made a string of saves to keep his team in the game.
Alexis Sanchez also hit the post twice before Walcott’s goal.
Man City Leaves It Late To Beat Crystal Palace 1-0 In Premier League
Manchester City maintained its perfect start to the season after a 90th-minute goal from Kelechi Iheanacho earned the Premier League leaders a 1-0 victory at Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Iheanacho’s close-range finish, one minute after coming on as a substitute, provided a fifth consecutive win for City.
Palace, which beat defending champion Chelsea 2-1 just before the international break, looked to have dealt with all the pressure from a City side that was missing David Silva and Raheem Sterling through injury.
City gave a debut to club record signing Kevin de Bruyne from the substitutes’ bench after striker Sergio Aguero also left the pitch injured.
Off the pitch, there was a mild altercation between the two managers, with City’s Manuel Pellegrini complaining about Alan Pardew coming into his technical area.
Watford Beats Swansea 1-0 For 1st League Win Of Season
Newly promoted Watford won its first Premier League match of the season, beating Swansea 1-0 on Saturday despite being reduced to 10 men.
Nigeria striker Odion Ighalo scored in the 59th minute with a right-footed shot into the bottom left corner. Watford went a man down less than five minutes later when Valon Behrami was sent off for a violent tackle on Andre Ayew.
It was Swansea’s first league loss this season.
Swansea has eight points from five games, two points ahead of Watford.
Berahino Goalless On West Brom Return In Southampton Draw
Saido Berahino could not find the net on his return for West Bromwich Albion in a dire 0-0 draw with Southampton in the English Premier League on Saturday.
The forward was given a mixed reception as a second-half substitute following his strike threat on transfer deadline-day this month, after failing to secure a move to Tottenham.
Berahino had played only two matches this season.
Like his teammates, Berahino struggled to create while Jay Rodriguez wasted Southampton’s best chance in the first half at the Hawthorns.
Virgil van Dijk was dominant on his debut for Southampton, while Jonny Evans was assured in defense for West Brom after joining from Manchester United.
Hoolahan Shines In Norwich’s 3-1 Victory Over Bournemouth
Wes Hoolahan inspired Norwich to a comfortable first home win of the season in the English Premier League, beating Bournemouth 3-1 to lift Alex Neil’s side into the top half of the table on Saturday.
Hoolahan provided a superb assist for Cameron Jerome to open the scoring in a largely uneventful first half at Carrow Road. Hoolahan skipped past Steve Cook before squaring to Jerome to sweep home his first goal of the season.
Bournemouth found itself two behind in the 52nd as Hoolahan finished calmly from the edge of the area.
Debutant Matt Jarvis added the third 15 minutes later as Bournemouth once again gave up possession all too easily, allowing Norwich to break three against two.
Cook headed home a consolation in the 81st.