Premier League Results: Analysis for Manchester City vs. Hull and All the Games
Goals from Alvaro Negredo and Yaya Toure saw Manchester City claim a 2-0 win over Hull City, Newcastle secured their first win of the season and Stoke downed West Ham at Upton Park.
The game between Cardiff and Everton finished goalless, while a strike from Nathan Redmond helped Norwich topple Southampton.
Over the following slides, we will dig deeper into each game.
Manchester City 2-0 Hull City
1 of 9Manchester City got back on track following their shock loss at Cardiff City with a hard-fought 2-0 win over Hull City.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side were not at their best, but a header from substitute Alvaro Negredo and superb free-kick from Yaya Toure sealed the three points.
Hull were not overawed at the Etihad Stadium, and they had the ball in the net on 13 minutes. However, Danny Graham’s cute finish was ruled out for offside.
Robert Koren went close with a crisp drive from distance, while Sone Aluko passed up a great chance when scuffing his shot at Joe Hart as Hull threatened an upset.
City saw plenty of the ball in the first half but failed to convert the dominance into goals, so Pellegrini threw on Negredo at the break.
Negredo came close to making an instant impact but headed wide after being picked out superbly by David Silva.
Having served notice of his aerial threat, Negredo duly grabbed his second Premier League goal of the season by nodding home Pablo Zabaleta’s cross on 64 minutes.
Hart was forced to make saves from Graham and Stephen Quinn as Hull went in search of a leveler, but their challenge was snuffed out in the final minute when Toure curled home a brilliant free-kick from the edge of the box.
Shots: Manchester City 12-7 Hull City
Corners: Manchester City 7-4 Hull City
Possession: Manchester City 58.2 percent-41.8 percent Hull City
Passes Completed: Manchester City 427-272 Hull City
Fouls Committed: Manchester City 15-14 Hull City
Newcastle United 1-0 Fulham
2 of 9Newcastle United grabbed their first goal of the season, and the three points came with it as they claimed a 1-0 win over Fulham.
Hatem Ben Arfa is a key focal point of Newcastle’s attack, and he was rewarded for a fine display with a brilliant goal on 86 minutes.
The Magpies went close to breaking the deadlock early on, as Fabricio Coloccini rose to power a header on goal, but the ball hit one of his teammates on the line, and the danger was cleared.
There was plenty of focus on the Newcastle bench, as Yohan Cabaye and Loic Remy were named among the substitutes. The Magpies were far livelier following their arrival.
Ben Arfa has been Newcastle’s most lively player in the opening weeks of the season, and he went close to breaking the deadlock, but his shot was saved by David Stockdale.
Newcastle piled on the pressure in the closing stages. Yoan Gouffran, who was guilty of an incredible miss for the Magpies last weekend, was at it again, as he headed wide from four yards from Ben Arfa’s cross.
Ben Arfa also fashioned a chance for Papiss Cisse, but his shot crashed against the crossbar.
Fulham almost pinched the points, as Adel Taarabt hit a sweet shot that forced a save out of Tim Krul.
However, the visitors’ goal was finally breached four minutes from time when Ben Arfa lashed a fabulous left-footed strike beyond Stockdale.
Shots: Newcastle 25-3 Fulham
Corners: Newcastle 13-2 Fulham
Possession: Newcastle 53.7 percent-46.3 percent Fulham
Passes Completed: Newcastle 388-335 Fulham
Fouls Committed: Newcastle 13-10 Fulham
Cardiff City 0-0 Everton
3 of 9Cardiff and Everton played out a goalless draw at the Cardiff City Stadium.
The home side almost scored straight from Peter Whittingham's corner, but Everton keeper Tim Howard dashed across his line to clear it away.
Everton rate Ross Barkley highly, and he showed good feet to create some space and fired a shot on goal, but his effort was deflected just wide.
There was controversy toward end of first half, as Leighton Baines thought he had been upended in the box by Gary Medel, but referee Anthony Taylor said no.
Craig Bellamy had a big chance for Cardiff in the second half, as he beat the offside trap to race onto Kim Bo-Kyung’s pass, but his touch let him down at the vital moment, and Howard cleared the danger as the game finished goalless.
Shots: Cardiff 4-13 Everton
Corners: Cardiff 4-5 Everton
Possession: Cardiff 36.9 percent-63.1 percent Everton
Passes Completed: Cardiff 226-443 Everton
Fouls Committed: Cardiff 11-7 Everton
Norwich City 1-0 Southampton
4 of 9A solitary strike from Nathan Redmond earned Norwich a 1-0 win over Southampton.
Referee Howard Webb was in the spotlight on 21 minutes, as the visitors pleaded for a penalty when Adam Lallana's shot struck Bradley Johnson on the arm. However, the official waved away the appeals.
Norwich keeper John Ruddy kept his side on level terms moments into the second half when he went down to keep out a strike from Daniel Osvaldo.
Ruddy was rewarded for his save, as Redmond netted his first Premier League goal to break the deadlock. He collected the ball on his chest, drove into the box and fired a low shot beyond Artur Boruc.
Shots: Norwich 14-11 Southampton
Corners: Norwich 5-4 Southampton
Possession: Norwich 42 percent-58 percent Southampton
Passes Completed: Norwich 244-370 Southampton
Fouls Committed: Norwich 11-15 Southampton
West Ham United 0-1 Stoke City
5 of 9Jermaine Pennant climbed off the bench to secure Stoke a 1-0 win at West Ham.
The winger was introduced on 76 minutes, and six minutes later he curled home a brilliant free-kick.
Stoke’s Kenwyne Jones showed why he excites and frustrates in equal measure, as he drove forward and used his strength to fend off his marker but fired the ball way over the bar.
West Ham’s Jussi Jaaskelainen was the busier of the two keepers in the first half, and he made a smart double save to deny Jon Walters.
With time winding down, Pennant stepped up to a free-kick and curled it over the wall and beyond Jaaskelainen.
Shots: West Ham 9-15 Stoke
Corners: West Ham 3-4 Stoke
Possession: West Ham 44.9 percent-55.1 percent Stoke
Passes Completed: West Ham 242-314 Stoke
Fouls Committed: West Ham 10-12 Stoke
Crystal Palace 3-1 Sunderland
6 of 9Crystal Palace kick-started their Premier League campaign with a 3-1 win over Sunderland.
After back-to-back defeats, the Eagles struck a vital three points—with a penalty from Dwight Gayle and late strike from Stuart O’Keefe securing the win.
Palace began the season with narrow defeats to Tottenham and Stoke but looked full of confidence and were rewarded with a scrappy goal from Danny Gabbidon.
The ball bounced around in the area, hit a Sunderland leg and caromed onto the back of Gabbidon before bobbling over the line.
Steven Fletcher demonstrated his value to Sunderland with a goal just 20 minutes into his comeback.
Fletcher had not played since March on account of injury but was thrown on at half-time by manager Paolo Di Canio.
The Scotland international justified the move by meeting a superb cross from Jack Colback and planting a header beyond Julian Speroni.
Palace rode out the storm and they got their noses back in front when Gayle was tripped in the box by John O’Shea on 79 minutes.
O’Shea’s woes were amplified as he was shown a straight red card, while Gayle kept his cool to power his penalty underneath Keiren Westwood.
The home fans’ nerves were calmed in injury-time as O’Keefe curled home a superb shot from the edge of the box to secure Palace's first three points of the season.
Shots: Crystal Palace 18-10 Sunderland
Corners: Crystal Palace 6-6 Sunderland
Possession: Crystal Palace 50 percent-50 percent Sunderland
Passes Completed: Crystal Palace 330-315 Sunderland
Fouls Committed: Crystal Palace 6-7 Sunderland
Liverpool 1-0 Manchester United
7 of 9Liverpool continued their perfect start to the season in familiar fashion as Daniel Sturridge scored the lone goal in a 1-0 victory over rivals Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday.
Sturridge, celebrating his 24th birthday, nodded in the winner in the third minute, coming off the line to meet a corner with his back to goal. The England international forward has scored the winner in all three of Liverpool's matches this season, all of which have ended 1-0. He has scored 11 goals in his last nine appearances in all competitions, per @OptaJoe.
Manchester United lost Phil Jones to injury in the first half, when they appeared disconnected in the midfield. The visitors improved in the second half, when they came close through Nani and Robin van Persie. First-year manager David Moyes, who previously managed Everton, still has never won at Anfield.
The win moved Liverpool to the top of the table with a maximum nine points through three matches. The Reds had not won three straight matches to open a Premier League season since 1994-95, when Roy Evans served as manager.
Chelsea were the last team to win three straight matches with clean sheets to start a Premier League campaign, in 2010-11.
Statistics via WhoScored.com:
Shots: 11-10
On target: 5-4
Passing: 75%-82%
Possession: 43%-57%
West Bromwich Albion 0-2 Swansea City
8 of 9Ben Davies and Pablo Hernandez scored either side of half-time to give Swansea their first league win of the season, 2-0 at West Brom on Sunday. The host Baggies remained winless and have set to score a goal.
Davies opened the scoring with a superb volley in the 22nd minute, and Hernandez sealed the victory with a close-range finish seven minutes from time.
Nicolas Anelka returned from compassionate leave for West Brom following the death of his friend and agent. The French forward came close in the 31st minute but shot wide with only goalkeeper Michel Vorm to beat.
Statistics via WhoScored.com:
Shots: 10-12
On target: 1-4
Passing: 85%-90%
Possession: 42%-58%
Arsenal 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur
9 of 9Olivier Giroud scored the only goal as Arsenal edged Tottenham in a thrilling North London derby on Sunday at the Emirates Stadium.
Giroud finished off a flowing move in the 23rd minute with a deft first-time touch past Hugo Lloris from Theo Walcott's cross. The Frenchman has scored three goals in three Premier League matches this season.
Tottenham came close in the second half through substitute Jermain Defoe's deflected shot, while Arsenal had multiple chances to double their advantage via counter-attacks. In the closing stages, the hosts defended admirably as Spurs laid siege to the box with all-out attacks.
Always an important match for both teams, the result will be especially satisfying for Arsenal and manager Arsene Wenger. With Tottenham splashing out close to £100 million this summer in the transfer market, the Gunners have spent nothing, bringing in only free signings Yaya Sanogo and Mathieu Flamini.
Statistics via WhoScored.com:
Shots: 12-14
On target: 5-5
Passing: 74%-85%
Possession: 43%-57%
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