First won without Sir Alex from Manchester United after 27 years, Mourinho return with victory to Premier League, Arsenal got Wenger French Problem first week game on Premier League

Swansea City 1 Manchester United 4: David Moyes’s stunning start

So far so good as his new charges survived early Swansea pressure, the hype and hysteria surrounding his first serious game as Manchester United’s new boss, and everything else connected with the visit of one of the leading European clubs.

David Moyes had complained in a feisty style reminiscent of his all-conquering predecessor Sir Alex Ferguson that the Premier League computer had blown a fuse and handed his club the most difficult start in 20 years.

One down, two to go with Chelsea and Liverpool to follow. But no doubt Moyes slept a little easier last night.

When you inherit a striker of Robin van Persie’s quality then the going does become decidedly easier.

The Dutchman, who struck 30 goals in 48 games last season, opened his current account with a finish delivered by the footballing gods.

The one which placed the seal on a stunning performance was another to savour.

When Ryan Giggs, still pulling the midfield strings just a few months short of his 40th birthday, lofted a deep ball into the box, Van Persie suddenly switched on while others dozed. Almost with telepathic precision he brought the ball down and exploded a wondrous strike past Michel Vorm.

Within another 60 seconds the dagger had really been plunged into Swansea’s back as United doubled their lead.

Moyes did a jig of delight on the touchline, no doubt enthused by the identity of the scorer, Danny Welbeck.

Welbeck’s undoubted promise, which has also caught the attention of England boss Roy Hodgson, has been somewhat blighted by a lack of goals.

Maybe the penny has dropped with Welbeck, who made it, including his impudent finish in added time, three goals in successive games for club and country.

Yesterday’s first goal owed much to the unselfish work of Antonio Valencia, finding Welbeck inside the six-yard box following a cross from Patrice Evra, which had been flicked on by Van Persie. To Swansea’s credit, though, they didn’t throw in the towel.

Phil Jones earned a rollicking from the experienced Rio Ferdinand when a lax back-pass left Wayne Routledge bearing down on David de Gea.

The Spaniard did well to keep out a low effort from the same player, Michu eventually finding the back of the net after a scramble only to be adjudged offside.

Moyes popped out on to the touchline in his United tracksuit and purple trainers as regularly as one of those weather figures on a clock. The outlook appears fine.

This was job done on his first outing as United boss but with many more challenges to come – one of the biggest, sorting out the Wayne Rooney conundrum once and for all.

Rooney began the game sitting frustratingly on the substitutes bench with his future still in doubt.

It can be argued that Rooney could claim an assist for Van Persie’s second goal with 18 minutes to go, while there was no disputing his part in Welbeck’s late strike.

In truth once Rooney slipped the ball to Van Persie shortly after replacing Giggs, there was still plenty of hard work ahead. Three Swans were shadowing the former Arsenal man as he moved with menace towards the penalty area.

A jink here and a twist there set up the left foot perfectly.

The velocity of the shot which followed and shook the back of the net was absolutely mind-blowing.

Swansea could only look on with sad resignation that this is what £24million and an outstanding pedigree brings you.

But Michael Laudrup’s side certainly deserved a first goal from their £12m man Wilfried Bony. Along with Rooney he had started on the bench after a long international trip to the USA. His emergence gave the home side more physical strength and he finished splendidly after perseverance from Pablo Hernandez who had caught Welbeck in possession.

Welbeck atoned with a silky chip over Vorm following a decisive pass from Rooney in added time to send Moyes’ United to the top of the table.

Match Stats

Swansea : Vorm, Rangel, Chico, Williams, Ben Davies, Canas, Britton, Dyer, Shelvey, Routledge, Michu.

Subs: Amat, Taylor, Bony, Hernandez, Ki, Pozuelo, Tremmel.

Man Utd: De Gea, Jones, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Cleverley, Carrick, Valencia, Giggs, Welbeck, van Persie.

Subs: Anderson, Rooney, Smalling, Lindegaard, Fabio Da Silva, Kagawa, Zaha.

Swansea City vs Manchester United Match Video

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Chelsea 2  Hull City 0: Speical One Jose Mourinho Return Premier League

First-half goals from Oscar and Frank Lampard ensured it was an unsuccessful first game back in the top flight for Steve Bruce’s players.

The Blues could have been in front within six minutes, but Lampard saw his spot-kick stopped superbly by debutant Allan McGregor.

Hull, who improved after a disappointing first 45 minutes, failed to turn decent territorial possession into significant attempts on Petr Cech’s goal.

Chelsea begun the game in blistering style and were awarded a penalty after McGregor darted off his goal-line to bundle over Fernando Torres.

However Lampard saw his well hit penalty palmed away by McGregor, who redeemed himself after his careless mistake.

The home side were soon in front thanks to great interplay between Eden Hazard and debutant Kevin De Bruyne, who released Brazilian international Oscar to poke the ball under McGregor and into the net.

Lampard nearly double Chelsea’s lead only a minute later, but the Scottish number one was equal to his attempt tipping the ball over the crossbar.

But at the third attempt Chelsea’s record goalscorer netted his 204th goal for the club in stunning fashion mid-way through the half.

Lampard’s 30-yard free-kick gave McGregor no chance as the ball rocketed into the top corner of the net.

The England international continued his personal battle with the Hull goalkeeper right on half-time as he saw his fierce attempt turned around the post.

From the resulting corner Branislav Ivanovic’s header was stopped on the line by McGregor clearly enough that goal-line technology was not needed to be used for the first time.

After the break Hull enjoyed much more of the possession as Mourinho’s side relaxed some what.

Robert Koren’s long range effort and Curtis Davies header were the closest the Tigers came to getting on the scoresheet.

In a second-half not full of chances, substitute Andre Schurrle nearly registered a third for Chelsea but his delicate chip just sailed over the bar.

However it did not matter as Mourinho secured victory at the first time of asking since returning to the club.

Match Stats

Chelsea: Cech 6, Ivanovic 7, Cahill 7, Terry 7, Cole 6; Lampard 8, Ramires 7; Oscar 7, De Bruyne 7, (Schurrle 66, 6) Hazard 6; Torres 6. (Lukaku 75, 6)

Subs not used:Schwarzer, Essien, Mata, Ginkel, Ba.

Goals: Oscar 13, Lampard 25

Hull City: (4-3-3) McGregor 8, Elmehamady 5, Davies 6, Chester 6, Figueroa 6; Brady 6, Koren 5, Meyler 5; (Huddlestone 59) Aluko 5, (Boyd 78) Graham 4, (Livermore 59) Sagbo 6.

Subs not used: Harper, Rosenior, Bruce, McShane.

Booked: Meyler

Referee: Jonathan Moss

Attendance: 41,374

Man of the match: Frank Lampard

Chelsea vs Hull City Match Video

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Arsenal 1 Aston Villa 3:Is it Arsene Wenger’s last year ?

It was an easy emotion as they found an alibi for this defeat to Aston Villa by blaming a controversial penalty decision by referee Anthony Taylor and then an over-zealous red card for Laurent Koscielny.

The call was certainly harsh that Gunners central defender Koscielny had fouled Gabriel Agbonlahor in the box when the score was 1-1 and the match in the balance with half an hour to go. Koscielny appeared to play the ball first before his momentum brought down his opponent.

Yet if Villa were lucky to get this assistance from the referee, it must also be said they played with superb spirit and fine counter-attacking panache against an Arsenal team that failed to capitalise on the encouragement of an early goal.

Victory wasn’t a steal for Villa. They had the better goalkeeper, a more powerful central striker, a treasure in Agbonlahor, and composure that should serve them well.

For Arsenal it was a first opening day defeat for 13 years, and the first at home in 20 seasons. Maybe it was a small mercy for manager Arsene Wenger, after a summer of transfer inactivity, that the crowd chants of SDLqYou don’t know what you’re doingSDRq were aimed at the ref. But Wenger will know well enough that his team were culprits in their own downfall. He will know, too, that he needs to buy extra quality in this transfer window.

By the fury of the final whistle it was hard to remember that Arsenal had begun playing sunshine football and scoring in the sixth minute a superb goal initiated by a burst out of defence by Jack Wilshere and finished with a sure touch by Olivier Giroud.

There was a spell of splendour from the Gunners; swift passes, jinking elegance from Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Villa were level in the 22nd minute with their first serious attack when Agbonlahor sliced through the home defence and won an incontrovertible penalty when scythed down by goalie Wojciech Szczesny. Christian Benteke fluffed the spot-kick but was alert enough to head in the rebound as the ball bounced away from the keeper’s save.

Arsenal’s composure disintegrated instantly. Wilshere was booked for reacting angrily to a foul and the play became tetchy and disjointed.

Villa started the second half with more ambition, and might have gone ahead in the 51st minute when Fabian Delph shot against a post and the ball flew across face of goal and out of play on the other side of the net.

They were ahead on the hour with their second spot-kick of the match when the referee misjudged Koscielnly’s tackle. Benteke scored emphatically this time, and the Arsenal defender was surprisingly booked as well.

Six minutes later Koscielny threw himself into a needless foul on Andreas Weimann, and he was sent off.

The crowd bayed its displeasure, and Arsenal surged forward only to see Villa keeper Brad Guzman save brilliantly from both Tomas Rosicky and Santi Cazorla.

In the 85th minute Villa broke with such speed and purpose that their new left-back Antonio Luna found himself running clear from halfway. He kept his cool and steered in the decisive final goal off a post.

Arsenal fans streamed out of the ground. They didn’t want to hear Villa boss Paul Lambert talking up the prospect of Agbonlahor playing for England, but that was the real story of this gripping occasion.

Match Stats

Arsenal: Szczesny 4; Sagna 5 (Podolski 90), Koscielny 5, Mertesacker 5, Gibbs 5 (Jenkinson 28, 5); Wilshere 6, Ramsey 5, Rosicky 6; Walcott 6, Chamberlain 6 (Cazorla 46, 5); Giroud 6. Subs not used: Fabianski, Frimpong, Gnarby, Sanogo.

Sent Off: Koscielny (67).

Booked: Szczesny, Wilshere, Koscielny, Cazorla.

Goals: Giroud 6.

Aston Villa: Guzan 7, Lowton 7, Vlaar 7, Baker 6 (Clark 17, 7), Luna 7; El Hamadi 7, Westwood 7, Delph 8; Agbonlahor 7, Weimann 8 (Bacuna 88); Benteke 8

Subs not used: Steer, Okore, Helenius, Bowery, Tonev.

Booked: Vlaar, Luna, Benteke, Westwood, Agbonlahor.

Goals: Benteke 22, 61 pen, Luna 85.

Att: 60,003

Ref: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire).

MOM: Benteke

Ref: Anthony Taylor – 4

Arsenal vs Aston Villa Match Video

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English Permier League Week 1 Other Results

Liverpool 1 Stoke City 0

West Ham 2 Cardiff City 0

Sunderland 0 Fulham 1

Norwich City 2 Everton 2

West Brom 0 Southampton 1

Arsenal 1 Aston Villa 3

Swansea City 1 Man United 4

Sunday, August 18

Crystal Palace 0 Tottenham 1

Chelsea 2 Hull City Tigers 0

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