Premier LeagueRound-Up

Wolves end Manchester City’s perfect start to the season with win at Molineux

Kai Havertz opens his account in Arsenal win as Luton pick up their first ever Premier League victory at Everton

Wolverhampton Wanderers' Hwang Hee-chan scores his side's second goal against Manchester City at Molineux Stadium. Photograph: Nick Potts/PA

Sat Sep 30 2023 - 17:41
Wolves 2 Manchester City 1

Hwang Hee-chan scored the winner as Wolverhampton Wanderers ended champions Manchester City’s perfect start to the Premier League season with a shock 2-1 home win on Saturday.

The defeat at Molineux was City’s second loss in five days, after Newcastle United dumped them out of the League Cup, and dashed the leaders’ hopes of stretching their season-opening run to seven league wins in a row.

A Ruben Dias own goal sent Wolves 1-0 up in the 13th minute, Pedro Neto’s cross deflected in off the Portuguese player’s knee, but Julian Alvarez levelled the score with a bending free kick past Jose Sa in the 58th minute.

Hwang restored the home side’s lead on the counter-attack and against the run of play in the 66th by firing into the net from close range after a Matheus Cunha pass found him unmarked.

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“We know that we could have the opportunity on the counter,” said Neto. “We are playing against the best team in the world but we had belief that this could be a turning point for us. We worked hard and we take the three points.”

With City’s Catalan manager Pep Guardiola serving a touchline ban for his third yellow card of the season, and midfielder Rodri serving a three-match ban, the visitors were shut out by determined and hard-working opponents.

The Premier League’s top scorer Erling Haaland, rested for City’s League Cup third-round loss, was a marginalised figure and had only 15 touches of the ball.

The champions had conceded only three goals in their previous six matches. Wolves, who had lost four of their last six league games, moved up to 13th thanks to their second win of the season.

“It was a massive result for us today. We have not started well but to beat the champions was unbelievable,” Wolves captain Max Kilman told the BBC.

“We knew it was a big game but we were ready to attack Man City. We wanted to fight for every chance and take our moments.”

The game started with an immediate edge as Matheus Nunes, who joined City from Wolves at the end of the transfer window after forcing a move by refusing to train, was in the starting line-up.

The Portuguese midfielder was booed by the crowd every time he touched the ball and was replaced at halftime.

Bournemouth 0 Arsenal 4

Arsenal maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a 4-0 win away at struggling Bournemouth as Kai Havertz opened his account for the North London club while Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Ben White also scored.

Arsenal’s breakthrough came when a Gabriel Jesus header from a tight angle came off the post and Saka was in the right place to head in from the rebound.

Bournemouth conceded two penalties either side of halftime after crunching tackles in the box, and the visitors cruised ahead to 3-0 as Odegaard dispatched the first before Havertz scored the second – his first goal for the Gunners.

White then scored with a glancing header from a set piece in injury time as Arsenal provisionally moved up to second while Andoni Iraola’s winless Bournemouth side dropped into the relegation zone with just three points from seven games.

Newcastle 2 Burnley 0

Miguel Almiron and Alexander Isak struck as Newcastle United comfortably beat Burnley 2-0 to claim a third straight win in all competitions.

While the victory may not live as long in the memory as Newcastle’s 8-0 thrashing of Sheffield United or their 1-0 League Cup win over Manchester City, manager Eddie Howe will be pleased with his side’s performance ahead of a Champions League clash against Paris St Germain.

Almiron opened the scoring in the 14th minute, cutting in on to his left foot and firing a brilliant dipping shot into the top corner after Kieran Trippier won back possession deep in Burnley’s half.

Forward Isak netted the second in the 76th minute with a coolly taken penalty, sending keeper James Trafford the wrong way after Newcastle were awarded a spot kick for a foul on Anthony Gordon by Ameen Al-Dakhil.

West Ham 2 Sheffield United 0

Jarrod Bowen and Tomas Soucek’s first-half goals secured a comfortable 2-0 home victory for West Ham United over Sheffield United.

The hosts had little trouble keeping United at bay, with the visitors still looking shell-shocked from their humbling 8-0 loss to Newcastle United last weekend.

It took 24 minutes before Bowen broke the deadlock with a composed one-touch finish from 12 yards into the bottom corner.

Thirteen minutes later, Michail Antonio set up Soucek inside the box, and the Czech midfielder scored with his left foot just before falling over.

Sheffield United struggled to create chances against a tactically sound West Ham and, apart from Anis Ben Slimane’s volley in the dying minutes, the Blades never went close to scoring.

David Moyes’ side now are seventh in the league after seven matches, with 13 points. Sheffield United are bottom with a single point.

Everton 1 Luton Town 2

Two goals from set pieces gave Luton Town their first-ever Premier League victory as they beat Everton 2-1 at Goodison Park, lifting the promoted Hatters out of the bottom three and piling on the misery for the Merseysiders.

The visitors opened the scoring in the 24th minute when Ashley Young’s attempt to clear a corner was blocked into the net by Tom Lockyer, and they netted a second from another set piece when Carlton Morris steered home a free kick with a sumptuous half-volley eight minutes later.

Everton reduced the deficit in the 41st minute with their first league goal at home this season as Dominic Calvert-Lewin bundled the ball home after a goalmouth scramble, and it was allowed to stand after a long VAR check for offside.

Everton piled on the pressure late on but could not breach the Luton defence again, and the visitors held on for a win that lifts them to 17th in the table on four points, one place behind Everton on goal difference and with one game less played.

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