Back with a bang
Manchester United drop Rooney, thrash champs
London, Sept. 24: Manchester United thrashed defending Premier League champions Leicester City 4-1 as they vindicated manager Jose Mourinho’s decision to drop Wayne Rooney while Manchester City maintained their perfect start with a 3-1 win away to Swansea on Saturday.
United scored four goals, three from setpieces, as Chris Smalling, Juan Mata, Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba with his first goal since his return from Juventus, all found the back of the net between the 22nd and 42nd minutes at Old Trafford.
Leicester managed a brilliant consolation goal from half-time substitute Demarai Gray but that could not stop the Foxes shipping four goals for the second time in as many league away games after doing so at Liverpool a fortnight ago.
Sergio Aguero fired Manchester City into a ninth-minute lead at the Liberty Stadium but Swansea were level minutes later when Fernando Llorente lashed in a halfvolley. City, however, regained the lead with an Aguero penalty in the 65th minute after Mike van der Hoorn fouled Kevin de Bruyne in the box. Raheem Sterling, using Aguero as a decoy, made it 3-1 in the 77th minute. MILNER’S DOUBLE FOR LIVERPOOL Liverpool overpowered Hull City 5-1 after the Tigers spent much of the match a man down at Anfield, with the Reds 3-0 up inside 36 minutes.
Adam Lallana put Liverpool ahead in the 17th minute after good work by Philippe Coutinho and Hull then found themselves down a man when Ahmed Elmohamady was sent off after blocking Philippe Coutinho’s goal-bound shot with his arm.
James Milner scored from the resulting penalty and Sadio Mane then made it 3-0. David Meyler pulled a goal back for Hull early in the second half before Coutinho restored Liverpool’s three-goal lead with a brilliant 25-yard strike.
Milner scored his second penalty of the match after Daniel Sturridge was tripped by Andrew Robertson.
Elsewhere, Tottenham beat Middlesbrough 2-1 and Crystal Palace sunk Sunderland 3-2.