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United's Phil Jones fall foul of Fernando Torres. Neal Simpson/EMPICS Sport
Round-Up

Goal Fest: looking back at Premier League Sunday

There were 16 goals scored in the Premier League this afternoon, but who took the points?

Just in case you were too busy tracking developments in Croker to keep up, we’ve got a round-up of all the results from a today’s Premier League fixtures. With the exception of Arsenal– who I’m not sure even qualify anymore– all the league’s heaviest hitters were in action.

Manchester United 3-1 Chelsea

The week’s most glamorous fixture pitted Andre Villas Boas’s new-look Chelsea against a dynamic Manchester United side.

United went ahead early on through Chris Smalling, and though their rivals went on to dominate the next half-hour, their profligacy in front of goal ensured United’s one-goal advantage remained intact.

Chelsea’s frustration began to tell towards the end of the half and United were swift to capitalise, Nani and Rooney stretching the defending champions’ lead to three.

The Londoners finally got off the mark in the second half, when a well-worked move on the left wing was capped by an impressive Fernando Torres finish. It was his first goal of the season, and the Spaniard should have had a second towards the end of the game, when, through on an open goal, he miscued spectacularly from less than six yards.

Tottenham 4-0 Liverpool

Indiscipline cost Kenny Dalglish’s side dearly when they met a fluent and in-form Tottenham at White Hart Lane.

Luka Modric set the tone for the afternoon when his sublime strike from the edge of the box found the top corner of Pepe Reina’s net.

Liverpool, unable to impede their opponent’s passing and movement, began to vent their exasperation in displays of petulance. Luis Suarez received a yellow card for sarcastically applauding the linesman, while Charlie Adam and Martin Skrtel were both dismissed for picking up a second yellow cards.

The Merseysiders’ loss of composure cleared a path for Tottenham to assert their dominance. Jermaine Defoe converted an opportunity in the 66th minute and Emmanuel Adebayor followed him in two minutes later. The ex-Togolese international secured his brace with a second strike three minutes into stoppage time.


Fulham 2-2 Manchester City

If Manchester City’s high-scoring and energetic early-season performances came as a pleasant surprise to many, today was a case of the league’s newest title challengers reverting to type.

City dominated the encounter for all of 46 minutes, with two goals from Sergio Aguero having secured a commanding, and apparently unassailable, lead for Roberto Mancini’s side.

But Fulham, liberated perhaps by the sense that the game was beyond them, began to rove forward with increasing confidence. Their breakthrough came in the 55th minute, when Bobby Zamora broke through the City defence and fired an effort past a helpless Joe Hart.

Danny Murphy added another twenty minutes later to complete the comeback.

Sunderland 4-0 Stoke

With Steve Bruce rumoured to be on the verge of redundancy and the club’s prize asset, Asamoah Gyan, currently settling in at Al-Ain, Sunderland were by no means favoured to take this tie, let alone score four goals en route to doing so.

Stoke City, who have succeeded in turning defensive resilience into a successful Premier League brand of sorts, looked at sea today. It took Titus Bramble just eight minutes to open the scoring for home side. A Jonathan Woodgate own goal stretched the lead to two, and a Craig Gardner strike made it three within before the half-hour mark.

Stoke improved in the second half, but couldn’t prevent Sebastian Larsson from killing the game with over half an hour left on the clock.

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