Deadly Devils
City stay top as Liverpool dish out a five-star performance
He’s back: Manchester United’s Paul Pogba celebrates after scoring against Leicester during the English Premier League match at Old Trafford yesterday. United won 4-1. Jose Mourinho’s reshaped Manchester United destroyed English Premier League champions Leicester 4-1 with a performance that thrilled Old Trafford and justified his decision to leave out Wayne Rooney. Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City stayed at the top with a routine 3-1 win over Swansea. Liverpool put up a five-star performance to tear Hull apart 5-1 at Anfield and crank up talk of a title charge.
LONDON: Manchester United thrashed defending English Premier League champions Leicester 4-1 to vindicate manager Jose Mourinho’s decision to drop Wayne Rooney while Manchester City maintained their perfect start with a 3-1 win at Swansea.
United scored four goals – three from set-pieces – 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 yesterday.
England skipper Rooney was limited to just a few minutes off the bench at the end of the match but Mourinho told Sky Sports: “Wayne Rooney is a big player for me, United and this country.”
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.
“It’s not possible to concede three goals off corners, that means you are not concentrating,” said Foxes manager Claudio Ranieri.
Sergio Aguero marked his return from a three-game ban for a wayward elbow as City won away to Swansea for the second time in a week after their League Cup victory in south Wales.
Aguero fired City into a ninth-minute lead at the Liberty Stadium but Swansea were level minutes later when Fernando Llorente lashed in a half-volley.
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.
“Sergio is quality,” said Guardiola. “His first step, second step in the box is so good and that is why he is one of the best strikers in the world, but I want to help him improve his game.”
Liverpool overpowered Hull 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.
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 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.
“I think we should not worry about whether we should have scored more,” said Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp. “It was a worldclass performance in counter-pressing.”
South Korea’s Son Heung-min scored twice as Tottenham Hotspur, without injured England star Harry Kane, won 2-1 away to Middlesbrough.
Heung-min opened the scoring in the seventh minute and doubled the London club’s advantage in the 23rd minute with a rightfoot shot.
Boro replied through Ben Gibson’s 65th-minute goal.
Bournemouth ended Everton’s unbeaten start to the season with a 1-0 home win secured by Junior Stanislas’ shot into the top corner.
At the Stadium of Light, Crystal Palace came from 2-0 down to beat Sunderland 3-2 and so deny the hosts a first league win of the campaign.
Jermain Defoe seized on a mistake by Joe Ledley as he fired Sunderland into a 39th-minute lead before doubling their lead on the hour mark, only for Ledley to atone for his earlier error a minute earlier.
James McArthur headed in an equaliser before Christian Benteke’s stoppage-time goal completed the south London club’s comeback.
Tony Pulis was unable to mark his 1,000th game as a manager with a win as his West Brom drew 1-1 away to former club Stoke, still to win in the league this season.
Joe Allen put Stoke head in the 73rd minute before Salomon Rondon equalised deep into stoppage time.