Manchester United had Nani and Wayne Rooney to thank as they bounced back from Wednesday's Champions League heartbreak with a 4-1 victory over Wolves at Old Trafford.
Nani needed just 17 minutes to opening the scoring, with Rooney following up in similar fashion barely 10 minutes later. Steven Fletcher reduced the arrears at the start of the second half for the visitors, but United's deadly attacking pair completed their braces to ensure a comfortable three points on their return to Premier League action.
The midweek events had created fears of another United fiasco, but it took barely 20 minutes for United to get the goal they desperately needed - and it was Nani who provided it with an impressive individual effort.
The Portuguese winger cut in from the left wing and dribbled the ball across the edge of the box, waiting for a gap to open in the defence before firing a right-footed drive low and to Wayne Hennessey's right after he left a game at the near post.
Less than 10 minutes later it was 2-0, and in similar fashion. This time it was Rooney with the finish, the forward hitting another low right-footed drive from 20 yards that just took a nick off the despairing defender before nestling in the back of the net.
Wolves needed to respond quickly in the second half if they were to have any hope and that they did, with Steven Fletcher rising highest to head home Matt Jarvis' cross with just two minutes gone since the break. Their renewed hopes would prove short-lived, however, as Nani returned to score a second goal in a Premier League game for the first time ever after turning home Antonio Valencia's cross from close range.
Rooney then secured his second of the game in clinical fashion, arriving onto Valencia's measured lay-off to effectively wrap up the points.
At Emirates Stadium, Arsenal celebrated their 125th anniversary with an arguably fitting 1-0 win over Everton, thanks to Robin van Persie's spectacular late strike.
Van Persie latched onto Alex Song's lofted ball midway through the second half to fire a first-time goal-of-the-season contender beyond Tim Howard, in a game where Arsenal wasted a number of clear goalscoring opportunities.
Arsenal initially paid for their forward's unselfishness in front of goal, with first Theo Walcott seeing his cut-back intercepted at the last by Tony Hibbert, before Gervinho perhaps chose incorrectly to try and feed the ball to Van Persie while in a threatening position.
Aaron Ramsey then hit a good chance narrowly over the bar, before seeing Van Persie and Gervinho again fail with reasonable openings.
In the end it looked like a moment of magic would be needed for Arsenal to break the deadlock, and that is exactly what Van Persie produced with the game entering the final 20 minutes. The Dutchman latched onto Song's diagonal ball and - from the edge of the box - unleashed a volley that, while not quite matching the angle or technical difficulty of Marco van Basten's legendary effort, shared the same DNA as it dipped into the far corner, giving Howard absolutely no chance.
Liverpool were also on the end of a one-goal victory against dogged opposition, with Luis Suarez finally converting one of numerous great opportunities he was presented with against QPR at Anfield to ensure the club avoided another disappointing home result.
Liverpool's weakness in recent weeks has been their finishing in front of goal and the trend looked set to continue on Saturday, as Suarez spurned a promising early opportunity after Stewart Downing had played in a fine cross before fluffing two further openings.
The Uruguayan was at the heart of a number of other first-half opportunities for the Reds, but a mixture of his profligacy and Radek Cerny's quality kept the game scoreless. That changed immediately after the break, however, as Suarez's persistence was rewarded when he was left completely unmarked inside the six-yard box to turn in Charlie Adam's free-kick.
A frantic final few minutes saw QPR make a decent fist at finding an equaliser, but Kenny Dalglish's men held on to take all the spoils.
Elsewhere, early-season surprise package Newcastle United paid the price for an enforced defensive reshuffle as Grant Holt led Norwich City to a dramatic 4-2 victory at Carrow road.
Alan Pardew was forced to name a makeshift Newcastle defence for the game, with James Perch slotting into a backline alongside Ryan Taylor, Davide Santon and Danny Simpson as Fabrizio Coloccini joined Steven Taylor on the sidelines - with Dan Gosling coming into the midfield.
Norwich took the advantage in bizarre circumstances, after being awarded a corner despite Tim Krul appearing to keep the ball in play. After a goalmouth scramble ensued Andrew Crofts' blocked shot was poked goalward by Wes Hoolahan, and Danny Simpson was only able to help the ball into the net in what may end up going down as an own goal.
Newcastle's strong start to the season has been as much a result of potent attacking play as defensive stability, however, and Ba sent a reminder of that fact with a fine individual strike to equalise - running onto Yohan Cabaye's through ball before collecting it expertly, turning and placing the ball beyond John Ruddy.
That was to be as good as it got for Alan Pardew's side, however, as the game changed in a ten-minute spell. Grant Holt first restored the Canaries' lead with a point-blank header from a corner, before just minutes later Steve Morison matched him with an aerial effort from slightly further out.
Then the wheels fell off defensively for the Magpies, with Gosling receiving his marching orders for a second bookable offence after an ugly tussle. But Ba again attempted to pull his side back into the match, this time curling a beautiful strike after receiving the ball from Shola Amoebi.
Holt quelled fears of a dramatic late recovery, however, as he again bundled the ball home to give the newly-promoted side an important victory as the Toon fell to another defeat.
Fellow promoted side Swansea City rode their luck somewhat as they recorded a 2-0 victory over Fulham on an eventful afternoon for the visitors' Clint Dempsey.
The first half was a drab affair, with Luke Moore's long-range drive that clipped the crossbar about as exciting as it got for those at Liberty Stadium.
In the end it was perhaps fitting that the game would be blown wide open by a piece of misfortune, with Dempsey finding the net at the wrong end after Scott Sinclair's speculative effort had taken a wicked deflection off the United States international.
Dempsey was gifted the chance to make amends in the final minutes, however, after Karim Frei was brought down in the box - but the impressive Michel Vorm guessed correctly to ensure a nightmare afternoon for the forward.
Wigan Athletic climbed out of the relegation zone - for a day at least - with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over West Brom at The Hawthorns.
Steven Reid lashed home a free kick from 25 yards out to give the home side a 22nd minute lead, before Victor Moses equalised soon after with a similarly well-placed effort from long range. It was the former Crystal Palace forward's first goal from 46 attempts so far this season.
Moses then helped the Latics steal all three points in the decisive moment of the match, as he was brought down by Reid inside the box after a nice piece of trickery. Jordi Gomez showed no nerves from the resultant penalty, firing beyond Ben Foster to give manager Roberto Martinez a welcome boost - although only after a concerted late surge from the Baggie somehow did not end with an equalising goal.
Finally, at the Reebok Stadium Aston Villa added to Owen Coyle's woes as they defeated Boltom 2-1.
Marc Albrighton found himself free on the right-hand side of the box to convert Gabriel Agbonlahor's cross from 10 yards inside the first half, as the Trotters defence was found to be woefully organised.
The hosts' defending was to face even more questions soon after, however, as Stiliyan Petrov was given the freedom of the midfield to roam forward with the ball, before unleashing a 30-yard effort that ricocheted off the unfortunate Gary Cahill's heal and straight into the corner of the net.
Ivan Klasnic eventually got one back in the second half, but it was to prove only a consolation as Bolton slipped to the foot of the table.
By ESPN staff
Nani needed just 17 minutes to opening the scoring, with Rooney following up in similar fashion barely 10 minutes later. Steven Fletcher reduced the arrears at the start of the second half for the visitors, but United's deadly attacking pair completed their braces to ensure a comfortable three points on their return to Premier League action.
The midweek events had created fears of another United fiasco, but it took barely 20 minutes for United to get the goal they desperately needed - and it was Nani who provided it with an impressive individual effort.
The Portuguese winger cut in from the left wing and dribbled the ball across the edge of the box, waiting for a gap to open in the defence before firing a right-footed drive low and to Wayne Hennessey's right after he left a game at the near post.
Less than 10 minutes later it was 2-0, and in similar fashion. This time it was Rooney with the finish, the forward hitting another low right-footed drive from 20 yards that just took a nick off the despairing defender before nestling in the back of the net.
Wolves needed to respond quickly in the second half if they were to have any hope and that they did, with Steven Fletcher rising highest to head home Matt Jarvis' cross with just two minutes gone since the break. Their renewed hopes would prove short-lived, however, as Nani returned to score a second goal in a Premier League game for the first time ever after turning home Antonio Valencia's cross from close range.
Rooney then secured his second of the game in clinical fashion, arriving onto Valencia's measured lay-off to effectively wrap up the points.
At Emirates Stadium, Arsenal celebrated their 125th anniversary with an arguably fitting 1-0 win over Everton, thanks to Robin van Persie's spectacular late strike.
Van Persie latched onto Alex Song's lofted ball midway through the second half to fire a first-time goal-of-the-season contender beyond Tim Howard, in a game where Arsenal wasted a number of clear goalscoring opportunities.
Arsenal initially paid for their forward's unselfishness in front of goal, with first Theo Walcott seeing his cut-back intercepted at the last by Tony Hibbert, before Gervinho perhaps chose incorrectly to try and feed the ball to Van Persie while in a threatening position.
Aaron Ramsey then hit a good chance narrowly over the bar, before seeing Van Persie and Gervinho again fail with reasonable openings.
In the end it looked like a moment of magic would be needed for Arsenal to break the deadlock, and that is exactly what Van Persie produced with the game entering the final 20 minutes. The Dutchman latched onto Song's diagonal ball and - from the edge of the box - unleashed a volley that, while not quite matching the angle or technical difficulty of Marco van Basten's legendary effort, shared the same DNA as it dipped into the far corner, giving Howard absolutely no chance.
Liverpool were also on the end of a one-goal victory against dogged opposition, with Luis Suarez finally converting one of numerous great opportunities he was presented with against QPR at Anfield to ensure the club avoided another disappointing home result.
Liverpool's weakness in recent weeks has been their finishing in front of goal and the trend looked set to continue on Saturday, as Suarez spurned a promising early opportunity after Stewart Downing had played in a fine cross before fluffing two further openings.
The Uruguayan was at the heart of a number of other first-half opportunities for the Reds, but a mixture of his profligacy and Radek Cerny's quality kept the game scoreless. That changed immediately after the break, however, as Suarez's persistence was rewarded when he was left completely unmarked inside the six-yard box to turn in Charlie Adam's free-kick.
A frantic final few minutes saw QPR make a decent fist at finding an equaliser, but Kenny Dalglish's men held on to take all the spoils.
Elsewhere, early-season surprise package Newcastle United paid the price for an enforced defensive reshuffle as Grant Holt led Norwich City to a dramatic 4-2 victory at Carrow road.
Alan Pardew was forced to name a makeshift Newcastle defence for the game, with James Perch slotting into a backline alongside Ryan Taylor, Davide Santon and Danny Simpson as Fabrizio Coloccini joined Steven Taylor on the sidelines - with Dan Gosling coming into the midfield.
Norwich took the advantage in bizarre circumstances, after being awarded a corner despite Tim Krul appearing to keep the ball in play. After a goalmouth scramble ensued Andrew Crofts' blocked shot was poked goalward by Wes Hoolahan, and Danny Simpson was only able to help the ball into the net in what may end up going down as an own goal.
Newcastle's strong start to the season has been as much a result of potent attacking play as defensive stability, however, and Ba sent a reminder of that fact with a fine individual strike to equalise - running onto Yohan Cabaye's through ball before collecting it expertly, turning and placing the ball beyond John Ruddy.
That was to be as good as it got for Alan Pardew's side, however, as the game changed in a ten-minute spell. Grant Holt first restored the Canaries' lead with a point-blank header from a corner, before just minutes later Steve Morison matched him with an aerial effort from slightly further out.
Then the wheels fell off defensively for the Magpies, with Gosling receiving his marching orders for a second bookable offence after an ugly tussle. But Ba again attempted to pull his side back into the match, this time curling a beautiful strike after receiving the ball from Shola Amoebi.
Holt quelled fears of a dramatic late recovery, however, as he again bundled the ball home to give the newly-promoted side an important victory as the Toon fell to another defeat.
Fellow promoted side Swansea City rode their luck somewhat as they recorded a 2-0 victory over Fulham on an eventful afternoon for the visitors' Clint Dempsey.
The first half was a drab affair, with Luke Moore's long-range drive that clipped the crossbar about as exciting as it got for those at Liberty Stadium.
In the end it was perhaps fitting that the game would be blown wide open by a piece of misfortune, with Dempsey finding the net at the wrong end after Scott Sinclair's speculative effort had taken a wicked deflection off the United States international.
Dempsey was gifted the chance to make amends in the final minutes, however, after Karim Frei was brought down in the box - but the impressive Michel Vorm guessed correctly to ensure a nightmare afternoon for the forward.
Wigan Athletic climbed out of the relegation zone - for a day at least - with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over West Brom at The Hawthorns.
Steven Reid lashed home a free kick from 25 yards out to give the home side a 22nd minute lead, before Victor Moses equalised soon after with a similarly well-placed effort from long range. It was the former Crystal Palace forward's first goal from 46 attempts so far this season.
Moses then helped the Latics steal all three points in the decisive moment of the match, as he was brought down by Reid inside the box after a nice piece of trickery. Jordi Gomez showed no nerves from the resultant penalty, firing beyond Ben Foster to give manager Roberto Martinez a welcome boost - although only after a concerted late surge from the Baggie somehow did not end with an equalising goal.
Finally, at the Reebok Stadium Aston Villa added to Owen Coyle's woes as they defeated Boltom 2-1.
Marc Albrighton found himself free on the right-hand side of the box to convert Gabriel Agbonlahor's cross from 10 yards inside the first half, as the Trotters defence was found to be woefully organised.
The hosts' defending was to face even more questions soon after, however, as Stiliyan Petrov was given the freedom of the midfield to roam forward with the ball, before unleashing a 30-yard effort that ricocheted off the unfortunate Gary Cahill's heal and straight into the corner of the net.
Ivan Klasnic eventually got one back in the second half, but it was to prove only a consolation as Bolton slipped to the foot of the table.
By ESPN staff
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