Premiership round-up: Champions Manchester United were held to a second draw from two Barclays Premier League matches so far, as their match at Portsmouth ended in a 1-1 draw and with red cards for Cristiano Ronaldo and the hosts' Sulley Muntari.
The latter was sent off in the 83rd minute for a second yellow-card offence, and Ronaldo was dismissed in the 84th for a suspected head-butt on substitute Richard Hughes.
United's goal came from a 15th-minute Paul Scholes strike but was pegged back by Benjani's bullet header early in the second half.
Goals from Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba spared the blushes of goalkeeper Petr Cech as a 2-1 victory at Reading preserved Chelsea's unbeaten start to the season.
Cech blundered on the half-hour by failing to punch the ball clear, and Reading substitute Andre Bikey tapped home with his first touch.
But Lampard levelled in the 47th minute, and soon afterwards then Drogba curled a 20-yard shot beyond Marcus Hahnemann for the winner.
Michael Johnson struck Manchester City's first league goal at Eastlands since New Year's Day to maintain Sven-Goran Eriksson's 100 per cent start as Blues boss as City defeated Derby County 1-0.
Johnson's first senior goal came shortly before the break and ensured City claimed a deserved three points against a Derby outfit who never lacked enthusiasm but failed to find a cutting edge in front of goal.
Not only did Johnson's effort confirm a top-three berth, it also ensured City enter Sunday's Manchester derby in the rare position of being ahead of their arch-rivals.
Stern John returned to haunt his former club as Roy Keane's never-say-die Sunderland snatched a point in dramatic fashion at St Andrew's with a 2-2 draw against Birmingham.
John bundled the ball over the line after a goalmouth scramble in which Colin Doyle brilliantly saved Ross Wallace's free-kick only to see Nyron Nosworthy head the ball back goalwards.
Paul O'Connor chested in an own goal to give Birmingham the lead in the 28th minute. Michael Chopra scored a superb 75th minute opener before Garry O'Connor appeared to have won it for Blues with an 82nd minute strike.
Fulham came back from behind to record their first victory of the season with a 2-1 win over Bolton. The Trotters took the lead through Heidur Helguson — the man Bolton boss Sammy Lee bought from Fulham in the summer — but two goals in three first-half minutes allowed David Healy to equalise and Alexey Smertin to give the Cottagers the lead.
The Russian needed a huge deflection to do so but his 26th-minute strike turned out to be the last of an entertaining game.
