Blues go top with Burnley win
Arsenal end winless run with 3- 1 win at Watford, late Rose strike spoils Liverpool party
London, Aug. 27: Chelsea swept to the top of the Premier League with a 3- 0 victory over Burnley, while Arsenal won 3- 1 at Watford to ease the pressure on Arsene Wenger on Saturday.
After a dismal title defence last season, Chelsea look revitalised under new manager Antonio Conte and the Italian was able to celebrate his third successive win after the most emphatic display of his brief
reign. So disappointing last term, Eden Hazard has made a vibrant start to the new campaign and the Belgium midfielder put Chelsea ahead with a superb run and clinical finish from the edge of the penalty area in the ninth minute at Stamford Bridge.
Willian was back for Chelsea after recovering from a calf injury and the Brazil winger doubled their lead in the 41st minute before Nigeria’s Victor Moses came off the bench to net the hosts’ third in the 89th minute.
At Vicarage Road, Arsenal’s first victory of the season should silence Wenger’s critics at least temporarily. Failing to win their first two matches while struggling to make an impact in the transfer market had prompted some Arsenal fans to turn on Wenger again after many protested against him last season.
But there were no complaints when the winger’s penalty was saved by Lukasz Fabianski and there was more frustration for Leicester when goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel came off injured.
But Leroy Fer’s 80thminute goal for Swansea came too late to rescue a point for the visitors.
Danny Rose’s 72ndminute equaliser earned Tottenham Hotspur a 1- 1 draw with Liverpool at White Hart Lane.
James Milner gave Liverpool a deserved lead with a penalty in the 43rd minute after Roberto Firmino went down under the slightest contact by Erik Lamela.
But a sustained spell of second- half pressure climaxed when the unmarked Rose drilled home to preserve Tottenham’s unbeaten record.
“It’s not easy when you play a team that are perfect on the counter- attack and you need to take risks. The draw is a fair result,” Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino said.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp added: “When you take a point at Tottenham, for 99 per cent of teams it would be a good thing, but it doesn’t feel too brilliant at the moment.”
Everton climbed to second place with a 1- 0 win against Stoke City at Goodison Park.
Southampton rescued a dramatic 1- 1 draw against Sunderland as Jay Rodriguez’s 85th- minute strike crept past goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to cancel out Jermain Defoe’s 80th- minute penalty at St Mary’s.