NACER CHADLI SCORED twice as Tottenham Hotspur ensured there was no happy return to White Hart Lane for Harry Redknapp as they beat their former manager’s Queens Park Rangers side 4-0 in the Premier League on Sunday.
Sunday’s other early kick-off match in the English top-flight saw 10-man Hull draw 1-1 at home to Stoke.
Manchester United will go in search of their first competitive win under manager Louis van Gaal, away to Sunderland, later on Sunday, while reigning champions Manchester City face Liverpool, last season’s runners-up, at Eastlands on Monday.
Chadli put Spurs ahead in the 12th minute when he thrashed home Emmanuel Adebayor’s cross from six yards out.
Defender Eric Dier doubled Spurs’ lead with his second goal in as many matches when he headed in Erik Lamela’s corner at the near post on the half-hour mark.
Tottenham then went 3-0 up in the 37th minute, the match all but over as contest before half-time.
Argentinian playmaker Lamela was again involved, his precise pass finding the head of Chadli, who nodded in from six yards out.
Rangers did prevent Spurs adding to their tally until the 65th minute when Togo striker Adebayor side-footed home from six yards out after a fine run and cross by Danny Rose.
Victory meant Spurs had won both their opening league games under Argentinian manager Mauricio Pochettino, formerly in charge of Southampton, following last week’s 1-0 win over another fellow London club in West Ham.
By contrast, QPR — who have Tottenham great and former England manager Glenn Hoddle working under Redknapp — have now lost two out of two following their 1-0 loss at home to Hull on the opening weekend.
(Stoke City’s Ryan Shawcross celebrates scoring his team’s first goal)
Hull had to try to beat Stoke the hard way after playing most of the match a man down when last man James Chester was sent off in the 14th minute for bringing down Jake Livermore on the edge of the box after being sold short by Jake Livermore’s poor back-pass.
But Hull still took the lead three minutes before half-time when Nikica Jelavic scored form close range after Stoke keeper Asmir Begovic failed to hold a low shot from Tom Huddlestone.
In a match where both sides were managed by former Manchester United team-mates in Steve Bruce (Hull) and Mark Hughes (Stoke), it seemed the Tigers would hold out for all three points.
But Stoke equalised six minutes from time when, after Phil Bardsley’s hit the inside of the post, defender Ryan Shawcross did just enough to bundle the ball over the line.
Saturday’s matches saw Chelsea underline their title credentials in a 2-0 win at home to newly-promoted Leicester, while Arsenal showed impressive resilience in coming from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at Everton.
Meanwhile Swansea followed up their shock 2-1 win away to Manchester United with a 1-0 victory at home to Burnley.
