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PICS: Haaland 'trick' earns Man City win at West Ham
September 01, 2024

A summary of Saturday's action in the English Premier League.

IMAGE: Erling Haaland scores Manchester City's first goal in the Premier League match against West Ham United at London Stadium, London, on Saturday. Photograph: Hannah Mckay/Reuters

Erling Haaland's second successive hat-trick propelled Manchester City to a 3-1 win at West Ham United on Saturday, maintaining the champions' perfect start to the Premier League season.

The Norwegian striker missed an early chance but made no mistake with the second, calmly slotting past Alphonse Areola to put City ahead in the 10th minute after Bernardo Silva dispossessed Lucas Paqueta in midfield.

West Ham equalised against the run of play after 18 minutes, when Ruben Dias deflected Jarrod Bowen's cross into his own net, before Haaland restored City's lead on the half-hour mark, smashing a vicious shot beyond Areola from close range.

Haaland almost turned provider in the 38th minute, playing a lovely cushioned pass into the path of Rico Lewis but the full back blazed his shot over the bar.

Kevin De Bruyne nearly added a third just before the break as City threatened to extend their lead, but his free kick from the edge of the box skimmed the roof of the net.

IMAGE: Manchester City's Ruben Dias deflects Jarrod Bowen's cross into his own net and West Ham equalise. Photograph: John Sibley/Reuters

West Ham almost levelled shortly after halftime through a quick break as Mohammed Kudus hit the post, with the chance galvanising the home crowd and West Ham's players.

But Haaland secured the win with another cool finish in the 83rd minute, charging on to Matheus Nunes' through ball and lifting his shot over substitute keeper Lukasz Fabianski.

IMAGE: Erling Haaland scores Manchester City's third goal to complete his hat-trick. Photograph: John Sibley/Reuters

The striker followed up last week's treble against Ipswich Town to record his seventh goal in three games this season and his 70th Premier League strike in 69 appearances.

He nearly scored a fourth in the fifth minute of added time but Fabianski saved his shot from a tight angle before Ederson denied Crysencio Summerville a late consolation.

City have three wins from three to open up an early two-point lead over last season's runners-up Arsenal, who drew 1-1 at home to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.

West Ham have three points from three games.

Rice's red card derails Arsenal's winning streak

IMAGE: Arsenal's Ben White in action with Brighton & Hove Albion's Kaoru Mitoma. Photograph: Peter Cziborra/Reuters

Brighton and Hove Albion ended Arsenal's winning start to the new Premier League season with a 1-1 draw at The Emirates, with the home side holding on with 10 men after Declan Rice's second-half sending off.

Arsenal dominated the first half and deservedly lead at half time after Kai Havertz finished brilliantly in the 38th minute, having been played in expertly by Bukayo Saka.

Four minutes into the second half, however, Arsenal's task was made all the harder when Rice was sent off after picking up a second yellow card. Brazilian striker Joao Pedro fired Brighton level 12 minutes later.

Both sides missed golden chances to win the contest late on, but they each had to settle for a point that keeps Arsenal and Brighton unbeaten from their three games so far.

"We started the game really well," Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta told TNT Sports. "We scored the goal, 1-0. We started the second half really good but then there is the decision that changes the game completely.

"If it (second yellow card) happens throughout the game in a consistent way it is fine but it didn't. It is the inconsistency."

After narrowly missing out on their first Premier League title since 2004 last season, Arsenal started the new term in perfect fashion.

IMAGE: Brighton & Hove Albion's Danny Welbeck in action with Arsenal's William Saliba. Photograph: Peter Cziborra/Reuters

They appeared set to be course for a ninth successive league victory after a dominant first-half display. Skipper Martin Odegaard should have scored earlier in the opening period before Havertz lofted home his second of the campaign.

Rice's second yellow for trying to stop Brighton taking a quick free kick, a decision that was met with consternation around the stands, turned the tide in the visitors' favour.

Since Boxing Day 2019 - Mikel Arteta's first game in charge of Arsenal - the Gunners have been shown 16 red cards in the Premier League, at least three more than any other side. But it was Rice's first red in his 245th Premier League appearance.

Following his last-gasp winner against Manchester United last weekend, Pedro reacted first after Yankuba Minteh's shot had been saved to pull Brighton level, and the game opened up thereafter.

Saka could have snatched the win late on, while Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya had to be at his best on several occasions to keep Brighton from earning all three points, but both seemed content with a draw after an exhilarating tussle.

Aston Villa back on track with win at Leicester

IMAGE: Amadou Onana celebrates scoring Aston Villa's first goal with teammate Ezri Konsa. Photograph: Ian Walton/Reuters

Aston Villa returned to winning ways in the Premier League as goals by Amadou Onana and Jhon Duran wrapped up a 2-1 victory at Leicester City but they were made to sweat late on.

Summer signing Onana touched in from close range after a clever free kick routine in the 28th minute.

Hosts Leicester, seeking their first win since promotion back to the top flight, were more of a threat in the second half but Duran's 63rd-minute header appeared to have killed them off.

They were handed a lifeline when Facundo Buonanotte slotted in a shot 10 minutes later, but they could not salvage a point despite some late pressure and shouts for penalties.

Villa, who were beaten by Arsenal last weekend, have six points from three games with Leicester on one.

Steve Cooper is now the first Leicester manager since Paulo Sousa in August 2010 to fail to win any of their first three league games in charge and he could have few real complaints as his side showed Villa too much respect in the first half.

Cooper, however, felt his team were hard done by.

Villa were comfortably the better side before the break although manager Unai Emery will be concerned about the lack of sharpness of Ollie Watkins who again wasted some good chances and was substituted in the second half.

Watkins was denied by Leicester keeper Mads Hermansen in the first period but was involved in Villa's opener.

A free kick of the edge of the area looked like being a shot at goal by former Leicester player Youri Tielemans but instead he struck the ball low to Watkins who had peeled off the defensive wall and the England forward then slid the ball across the area for Onana to stretch out a leg and poke home.

The closest Leicester came to an equaliser in the first half was a bundled effort by Caleb Okoli that almost surprised Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez.

Leicester were better after the break and had the ball in the net when Oliver Skipp crossed for Jamie Vardy to steer in a shot but the referee David Coote had already blown the whistle after he played an inadvertent part in the build-up.

Duran's beautifully guided header from Lucas Digne's cross doubled Villa's lead but when substitute Buonanotte struck for the hosts it set some nerves jangling in the visitors' ranks.

Vardy twice went down looking for penalties but was rightly not rewarded despite the howls of protest around the ground.

Cooper was critical of the standard of refereeing, not just with the turned down penalties but also with the award of the free kick that led to Villa's opening goal.

Mbeumo double as Brentford ease past Southampton

IMAGE: Southampton's Aaron Ramsdale in action. Photograph: David Klein/Reuters

Bryan Mbeumo's double and a goal by Yoane Wissa earned Brentford a comfortable 3-1 home win over promoted Southampton in the Premier League.

Brentford, who beat Crystal Palace 2-1 in their season opener but lost to Liverpool 2-0 last weekend, moved up to fifth on six points while Southampton are 19th and still without a point.

Mbeumo put the hosts in front just before halftime with a simple low finish, following up on Kevin Schade's strike which bounced off the post.

He doubled the advantage in the 65th minute with a first-time shot into the bottom corner of the net.

Brentford profited from another defensive error by Southampton, who lost the ball just outside the box and Mathias Jensen played in Mbeumo with a precise pass for his third goal in three Premier League games.

Wissa bundled the ball in past Southampton keeper Aaron Ramsdale in the 69th, making it 3-0 after Nathan Collins headed the ball on from near the back line following a throw-in.

Ramsdale started for Southampton one day after finalising a four-year deal from Arsenal.

Southampton made two attacking substitutions at halftime, introducing striker Cameron Archer and midfielder Mateus Fernandes but they managed only two shots on target after the break.

Defender Yukinari Sugawara scored a consolation goal in stoppage time for the visitors, who lost their first three games of a league season for the first time since 2012-13.

Bournemouth stun Everton with last-gasp three-goal salvo

IMAGE: Lewis Cook celebrates scoring AFC Bournemouth's second goal. Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters

Bournemouth scored three late goals to stun Everton 3-2 in the Premier League at Goodison Park on Saturday and leave the hosts without a point from three matches.

Everton, under pressure after two league losses, opened up a 2-0 lead in a seven-minute spell after the break through goals from Michael Keane and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Bournemouth spent most of the game on the back foot, barely threatening the Everton goal, but with three minutes left they pulled a goal back when Antoine Semenyo poked home from close range.

In added time, Lewis Cook's powerful header found the back of the net and Luis Sinisterra broke Everton hearts with the winner to leave Everton rooted to the bottom of the table.

The sun shone on Goodison, with the fans in fine voice despite their side's dismal start to the season but the opening half brought little in the way of chances.

That all changed five minutes after the interval when Calvert-Lewin chested the ball down to Keane who drilled a low shot past keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, and seven minutes later it looked all over for Bournemouth.

Dwight McNeil slid the perfect ball into the path of Calvert-Lewin who slotted his shot over the onrushing Kepa and it looked as though Bournemouth would suffer their first league defeat of the season.

Instead, however, Everton managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, conceding three goals in quick succession to undo all of their good work.

Dango Ouattara's cross across the goal found Semenyo at the back post to pull one back and Bournemouth looked set for a third successive Premier League draw when an unmarked Cook met Sinisterra's cross and powered his header beyond Jordan Pickford.

The game was deep into added time when Justin Kluivert sent a cross into the area and Sinisterra lost his markers to head home the winner and move Bournemouth up to seventh in the standings on five points.

Source: REUTERS
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