A tale of two cities in EPL
Manchester City’s defence of the English Premier League title is already in trouble.
Hapless defensive errors helped Norwich beat City 3-2 and leave the defending champion five points behind Liverpool after just five games.
City hadn’t lost a league game since January – and drawn only once in that time – but conceded two goals to Norwich City inside the opening half-hour.
First, Kenny McLean evaded City’s marking to head in a corner from Emi Buendia, then City was caught by a Norwich counterattack. Teemu Pukki and Todd Cantwell broke together, Pukki drawing the defenders before delivering the ball to give Cantwell an easy finish.
Sergio Aguero revived City with a goal just before halftime but sloppy defending just after the break undid his work.
Nicolas Otamendi failed to notice Buendia running in behind him and was robbed of the ball on the edge of the penalty area before Buendia passed for Pukki to score.
Rodrigo’s low, hard shot for an 88th-minute goal gave City hope, but Norwich’s defence and goalkeeper Tim Krul weathered the storm for an unlikely win.
Liverpool stayed perfect with five wins from five after beating Newcastle 3-1, but it wasn’t easy.
Jurgen Klopp’s team went behind to a sweetly struck early goal from Jetro Willems, but fought back to win.
Sadio Mane continued his strong start to the season with two goals before halftime, taking him to six from six games in all competitions. Mohamed Salah added a third goal late on.
It was quite a day for Tammy Abraham. Chelsea’s new firstchoice striker scored a hat trick, then an own goal, then went off injured. It’s all part of the youth revolution under new manager Frank Lampard — a little chaotic but effective.
Tottenham didn’t hang around to beat Crystal Palace, scoring all of their goals in the first half for a 4-0 win.
Son scored his first league goal against Palace and became the first scorer at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium against Palace in April. It was Tottenham’s first win since the opening day of the season.
Manchester United gained a much-needed win, a Marcus Rashford penalty after eight minutes enough to beat Leicester City 1-0.
Southampton continued their recovery from a slow start to the season, beating Sheffield United 1-0.
Brighton and Burnley drew 1-1 after Jeff Hendrick’s stoppage time goal salvaged a point for Burnley. A volley from Neal Maupay gave Brighton the lead, but the draw left both clubs without a win in four games.