Arsenal bounced back from two successive Premier League defeats in emphatic style by thrashing Wigan Athletic 4-0 at the Emirates on
Belgian centerback Thomas Vermaelen got two for Arsenal in a one-sided affair, while Fernando Torres grabbed a double as Liverpool overcame a West Ham side who twice came from behind.
Aston Villa also gained ground on the leaders with a 2-0 home win over Portsmouth, who are still without a point after six games.
PHOTO: EPA
Promoted Burnley’s good start continued when they beat Sunderland 3-1, with two goals on debut from on-loan striker David Nugent. Birmingham City beat Hull City 1-0 away, while Bolton Wanderers and Stoke City drew 1-1.
Arsenal began the day nine points behind leaders Chelsea, but were back to their imperious best on home soil against Wigan Athletic.
Their early control was rewarded after 25 minutes when Vermaelen headed in a corner.
Vermaelen, already looking an astute summer signing, doubled the lead with a superbly taken left footed curler four minutes into the second half.
Emmanuel Eboue got the third on the hour when he diverted an Eduardo Da Silva shot after the Croatian’s initial effort came back off a post.
Cesc Fabrega backheeled the fourth in the last minute.
Liverpool went ahead after 20 minutes when Fernando Torres burst through in the area, but West Ham United, with only one win over the Reds in nine years, equalized with an Alessandro Diamanti penalty after Zavon Hines, who hit a post early on, was brought down by Jamie Carragher.
Dirk Kuyt restored their lead after 41 minutes when he diverted a Steven Gerrard header into the net, only for Carlton Cole to level again at the end of the half.
Liverpool gradually exerted more pressure and took the points when Torres nodded in Ryan Babel’s cross after 75 minutes.
Yesterday’s early kick-off:
• Manchester U 4, Manchester C 3
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With a hat-trick on Wednesday, Victor Osimhen moved atop the UEFA Champions League scoring table, with the Nigeria striker netting all three goals in Galatasaray’s 3-0 victory over Ajax in Amsterdam. Osimhen moved to six goals this season in Europe’s elite club competition, one more than Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland. The Istanbul club signed Osimhen to a permanent deal from SSC Napoli in the summer for a record transfer fee in the Turkish League reportedly worth US$86 million. The 26-year-old striker needed less than 20 minutes to complete his first hat-trick in the competition. He headed in the opener in the
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An amateur soccer league organized by farmers, students and factory workers in rural China has unexpectedly drawn millions of fans and inspired big cities to form their own, raising hopes China can grow talent from the ground up and finally become a global force. The nation of 1.4 billion people has about 200 million soccer fans, more than any other country, but it has failed to build world-class teams, partly due to a top-down approach where clubs pick players from a very small pool of prescreened candidates. The professional game is marred by a history of fixed matches, corruption, and dismal performances,
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