The first weekend of the new English Premier League season kicked off on Saturday and it was the big guns flexing their muscle with Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool all recording valuable wins.
There was plenty of nervous excitement at Swansea as the David Moyes era officially got underway but it didn’t take the Red Devils long to slip back into their groove with a dominant 4-1 win thanks to doubles by Robin van Persie and Danny Welbeck. However, there was an interesting side with the disgruntled Wayne Rooney appearing not to celebrate any of the team’s goals.
There were no such dramas at Stamford Bridge as Frank Lampard repaid the faith shown in him by returning manager Jose Mourinho with a stunning strike in the 25th-minute as the home side cruised to a 2-0 win over Hull.
At Anfield, it took a late penalty save from new goalkeeper Simon Mignolet to secure Liverpool a 1-0 win thanks to a brilliant Daniel Sturridge strike while a penalty proved the difference for Tottenham against Crystal Palace.
Perhaps the one big surprise of the round was Arsenal’s 3-1 loss to Aston Villa. Ahead 1-0 early, the Gunners conceded two penalties and a late breakaway goal in what must be a worrying sign for long-serving manager Arsene Wenger.
The other notable competition to get underway was the Bledisloe Cup and Rugby Championship with the Wallabies showing they still have a long way to go under new coach Ewan McKenzie following a 47-29 loss to the All Blacks in Sydney. Although their more expansive style of play saw Will Genia score a brilliant long range try, Australia’s defence struggled against the New Zealand onslaught.
Victoria Azarenka tuned up for the US Open with a win over rival Serena Williams in the final of the Cincinnati Open, while Rafael Nadal continues to make progress after downing John Isner on the men’s side of the draw.
And the NRL finals are starting to take shape with the Warriors and Canberra suffering crippling losses while Canterbury and Cronulla just about secured their spots in the top eight.
