Kvitova bags Liverpool, Everton Wuhan Open in derby draw SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28,16 2014 19 NBA still must deal with the race issue Page 16 LONDON: Manchester United’s English striker Wayne Rooney celebrates scoring the opening goal during the English Premier League football match against West Ham United at Old Trafford. — AFP Rooney scores but sees red straight red card just before the hour by supporters will have taken nothing for United’s goal owed more to poor deci- the fledgling Premier League season, Sakho to nod home from six yards out. referee Lee Mason after halting a West granted. sion-making from the visitors than any- United’s defensive problems are not just United’s anxiety might have been Man United 2 Ham counter-attack with a reckless high The quality of the two United goals thing else. limited to a long injury list which obliged eased soon after the restart when Falcao’s challenge from behind on Stewart was impressive however as, first, Rafael After 22 minutes, goalkeeper Adrian van Gaal to hand a debut to Northern deflected 18-yard volley was kept out only Downing. broke goalwards from the halfway line chased a loose ball to the corner flag and Ireland teenager Paddy McNair at centre- by an acrobatic dive from Adrian. The contest was already finely poised after five minutes, eventually crossing attempted a clearance which only half. However it was Sakho who responded as Diafra Sakho had responded to goals from the right wing for Rooney who reached team-mate Alex Song midway The home side looked susceptible at with a far-post volley which was well West Ham 1 by Rooney and Robin van Persie and the steered in a magnificent right-foot finish inside the London club’s half of the field. the back and unforced individual errors saved by the unsighted de Gea and the fact United were required to negotiate the from around the penalty spot. Song was quickly dispossessed by compounded matters. United were fortu- dismissal of Rooney moments later final half hour with only 10 men simply It was England striker Rooney’s 175th Ander Herrera whose pass to Radamel nate to survive a penalty appeal in the breathed new belief into the visitors. MANCHESTER: Manchester United cap- added to manager Louis van Gaal’s rude Premier League goal, leaving him in soli- Falcao presented the forward with the 36th minute after Falcao appeared to han- Sakho, again, threatened as his far- tain Wayne Rooney scored but was then introduction to life in English football. tary possession of third place in the divi- choice of feeding the ball through to dle before, one minute later, West Ham post header landed in the side-netting sent off as his side beat West Ham United United appeared to have the game sion’s all-time scoring charts ahead of either Rooney or van Persie. reduced the arrears. although clear-cut openings for West Ham 2-1 at Old Trafford yesterday to record just well under control with two goals inside Thierry Henry and behind only Alan Falcao opted for the latter, with Dutch Downing’s corner drew an unconvinc- were limited in the closing stages, aside their second Premier League victory this the opening quarter of the contest Shearer and Andy Cole. At this stage, striker van Persie eluding Winston Reid ing attempted clearance from United from an 88th-minute attack when substi- season. Rooney, one day short of celebrat- although, given events at Leicester a week Rooney, made club captain by Dutch boss before driving the ball beyond the dive of keeper David de Gea, with Enner Valencia tutes Carl Jenkinson and Kevin Nolan ing his tenth anniversary with United, earlier where they had squandered a two- van Gaal, certainly seemed inspired by the the Hammers’ keeper. given the opportunity to head against the combined for an ‘equaliser’ which was took his goal well but was shown a goal cushion in losing 5-3, even die-hard landmark and the occasion, although But, as has been evident throughout crossbar before the rebound fell kindly for ruled out for offside. — AFP Costa sets the tone as City see off Hull challenge tight angle. Ten minutes later, Hull were 2-0 down. Chelsea down Villa The Tigers were defending as if it was the Hull 2 last 10 minutes and were punished for failing to clear their lines. Pablo Zabaleta beat Jake smother Fabian Delph following a quick breakaway. Livermore to win a header 15 yards out and But Lambert’s plans went out the window when Aguero hooked a volley across McGregor and Brazil playmaker Oscar opened the scoring in the sev- Chelsea 3 Man City 4 into the bottom-left corner for his fourth goal of enth minute. Willian’s shot was blocked by Villa goal- the campaign. Pellegrini’s side were dominant keeper Brad Guzan, but the rebound saw fell kindly for and took just four minutes to double their lead. the Brazilian winger to tee up his compatriot for a close-range finish. Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko scored HERNANDEZ EQUALISES Aston Villa 0 LONDON: The travelling Villa supporters, who are still haunt- twice as Premier League champions Silva found Dzeko near the corner of the 18- ed by their 8-0 defeat at Bridge just over two years Manchester City made hard work of beating yard box and the former Wolfsburg striker drift- ago, must have feared the worst and rampant Chelsea Hull City 4-2 at the KC Stadium yesterday. ed away from Liam Rosenior before lashing in almost extended their lead in the 15th minute. Costa’s Sergio Aguero and Dzeko struck to put right-footed shot to give McGregor no chance. LONDON: Diego Costa ensured Chelsea remain top of clever flick freed Willian and his cross was deflected Manuel Pellegrini’s team 2-0 up after just 11 Hull already looked dead on their feet, but the Premier League as the Spain striker’s sparkling inches wide off Alan Hutton with Guzan stranded. minutes, but the visitors contrived to surrender they were revived by a slice of luck that gave form continued in a dominant 3-0 win over Aston Villa Villa’s best hope of unsettling Chelsea lied in a set- the advantage before half-time, with Eliaquim them hope. Ahmed Elmohamady’s pass down yesterday. piece play and that almost contributed to a 19th Mangala particularly culpable. The £32 million the right sent Rosenior racing clear. The full- Blues boss Joe Mourinho insists Costa, a £32 mil- minute leveller. Ashley Westwood’s corner caused a ($52 million, 41 million euros) close-season back’s cross was devilish and prompted lion ($51.9 million) pre-season signing from Atletico scramble in the Chelsea penalty area, but Aly Cissokho signing from Porto scored an own goal before Mangala to inadvertently steer the ball beyond Madrid, is still not fully fit and is only capable of play- could only steer his shot wide under pressure. That conceding a penalty that allowed Abel Caballero and into his own net. ing one game a week. was a rare moment of panic as Villa did their best to LONDON: Chelsea’s Nemanja Matic (left) battles Hernandez to make it 2-2. With new-found belief, Hull went on the But he looked in fine fettle at Stamford Bridge as keep Chelsea at bay. for header with Aston Villa’s Kieran Richardson City looked in danger of losing more ground attack and their equaliser, courtesy of another he struck in the second half to take his season’s tally to during their English Premier League match at on leaders Chelsea before Dzeko struck a sec- Mangala mistake, was deserved. eight goals before creating Willian’s late strike. WAKE UP CALL Stamford Bridge. — AP ond after fine support play from David Silva. The France defender’s high, untidy chal- lenge in the penalty area felled Hernandez as Oscar’s early opener had threatened to open the To Villa’s credit, Mourinho’s men were largely Delph’s quick feet earned him some extra room Substitute Frank Lampard scored his fourth goal floodgates and Mourinho’s men never looked trou- restricted to long-range efforts as they looked to in three matches to complete the victory. he chased Mohamed Diame’s chipped through and the England midfielder saw his 25-yard shot curl ball. Uruguayan Hernandez duly sent Caballero bled as they saw out this one-sided contest with ease. increase their lead. just the wrong side of the post. There were more anx- Pellegrini made five changes to the team Villa knew their good start to their season would Once they finally came within range, Spain mid- that had cruised to a 7-0 victory over Sheffield the wrong way from 12 yards for his second ious faces in the stands when Villa defender Nathan goal since joining Hull from Palermo for £10 mil- be tested by the leaders and, having lost convincingly fielder Cesc Fabregas drove wide from the edge of the Wednesday in the League Cup, but unexpect- Baker headed onto the top of Courtois’s net. lion earlier this month. against Arsenal last time out, they were never at the box on the half-hour mark. The impressive Willian then edly chose to stick with Argentine Willy But it was the wake-up call Chelsea needed and Yaya Toure’s patchy start to the season has races in west London. Paul Lambert opted to pack his crossed for Costa to force Guzan into a routine save Caballero in goal at the expense of Joe Hart.