Liverpool crashed to a miserable 3-0 defeat at West Brom in Brendan Rodgers‘ first Premier League match as Reds boss, while Arsenal started life without Robin van Persie with a dour 0-0 draw against Sunderland on Saturday.
Rodgers took over from Kenny Dalglish after Liverpool finished eighth last season, their worst final position for 18 years, and on the evidence of a shocking result at the Hawthorns the former Swansea manager still has plenty of work to do.
Rodgers, who gave debuts to new signings Joe Allen and Fabio Borini and left unsettled striker Andy Carroll on the bench, might have feared the worst when he saw Zoltan Gera blast Albion into the lead with a stunning 43rd-minute strike.
It was a sweet moment for Albion manager Steve Clarke, who was sacked by Liverpool at the end of last season after spending 18 months at Anfield as Dalglish’s assistant.
Pepe Reina kept Liverpool in the match when he saved Shane Long’s woeful second half penalty after Reds defender Daniel Agger was sent off for a professional foul.
But Albion won another penalty in the 64th minute and this time Nigerian striker Peter Odemwingie stepped up to blast home.
And Romelu Lukaku, on loan from Chelsea, rubbed salt into Liverpool’s wounds when he marked his West Brom debut with a 77th-minute strike.
“Some decisions went against us. The sending off and penalties were very, very harsh I felt,” Rodgers said.
“We will have more days like this along the way, that is the reality, but I could not ask any more from the players.”
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger must have been concerned that the Gunners failed to break down Sunderland at the Emirates Stadium in the first game since Dutch striker van Persie’s 24-million-pound move to Manchester United.
Wenger gave debuts to Germany striker Lukas Podolski and Spain midfielder Santi Cazorla, while French forward Olivier Giroud, another new signing, came off the bench.
But the new boys were underwhelming, with Giroud missing the best chance of the afternoon.
“Playing three strikers didn’t work. We had no space, and the passing was not quick enough so it was difficult for them,” Wenger said.
“But it’s one game and it’s too early to draw definitive conclusions.”
New Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas suffered a losing start as Newcastle won 2-1 at St James’ Park in the day’s late game.
Villas-Boas, sacked by Chelsea last season, saw Newcastle take the lead through Demba Ba’s superb 54th-minute goal.
Jermain Defoe equalised with a close-range effort in the 76th minute, but Hatem Ben Arfa was hauled down by Aaron Lennon four minutes later and the French midfielder picked himself up to score the spot-kick.
West Ham enjoyed a winning return to the top flight as Sam Allardyce’s side beat Aston Villa 1-0 at Upton Park in Paul Lambert’s first game as Villa boss.
The Hammers, promoted via the Championship play-offs, took the points when Kevin Nolan sidefooted home in the 40th minute from Ricardo Vaz Te’s assist despite Villa claims the West Ham striker was offside before he laid on the goal.
Swansea manager Michael Laudrup savoured a five-star debut as new boy Michu inspired a 5-0 demolition of QPR at Loftus Road.
Michu, signed by Laudrup from Rayo Vallecano for 2 million pounds, took just eight minutes to score and the Spaniard struck again in the 53rd minute.
Nathan Dyer netted in the 63rd and 71st minutes and Scott Sinclair scored in the 81st minute as former Barcelona and Real Madrid star Laudrup made a dream start.
Championship winners Reading rescued a 1-1 draw against Stoke at the Madejski Stadium on their return to the Premier League after a four-year absence.
Debutant Michael Kightly put Stoke ahead in the 34th minute thanks to a howler from Reading’s Australian goalkeeper Adam Federici.
But Adam Le Fondre earned a point with a penalty in the 90th minute after Stoke midfielder Dean Whitehead was sent off.
At Craven Cottage, Fulham striker Mladen Petric showed there is life without Clint Dempsey as his debut double clinched a 5-0 win over Norwich.
With American forward Clint Dempsey reportedly on strike after his fall-out with the club over his desire to join Liverpool, Damien Duff set the ball rolling with the first goal in the 26th minute.
Petric, signed from Hamburg, increased the Cottagers’ lead four minutes before half-time and he netted again with a deflected 54th minute strike.
Alex Kacaniklic struck in the 66th minute and Steve Sidwell’s 87th minute penalty completed the rout.
On Sunday champions Manchester City host Southampton and Champions League winners Chelsea face Wigan at the DW Stadium.
Everton entertain Manchester United on Monday.
English Premier League results:
Arsenal 0 Sunderland 0
Fulham 5 Norwich 0
Newcastle 2 Tottenham 1
QPR 0 Swansea 5
Reading 1 Stoke 1
West Brom 3 Liverpool 0
West Ham 1 Aston Villa 0
They are the current leading soccer tipsters in this month competition. See also tipsters rankings.
![]() |
soccerpunter
posts a In-Play Over / Under tip on Borussia Dortmund vs Sporting CP 1 minute ago |
![]() |
TonnyBankia
posts a In-Play Over / Under tip on Tuna Luso vs Sampaio Corrêa 2 minutes ago |
![]() |
TonnyBankia
posts a In-Play Over / Under tip on Tuna Luso vs Sampaio Corrêa 2 minutes ago |
![]() |
TonnyBankia
posts a In-Play Asian Handicap tip on Borussia Dortmund vs Sporting CP 2 minutes ago |
![]() |
fzine1
posts a Asian Handicap tip on Real Madrid vs Manchester City 3 minutes ago |
![]() |
TonnyBankia
posts a In-Play 1X2 tip on Borussia Dortmund vs Sporting CP 3 minutes ago |
![]() |
avisindhu
posts a In-Play Asian Handicap tip on Borussia Dortmund vs Sporting CP 6 minutes ago |
![]() |
hsvadrian
posts a 1X2 tip on Santos vs Noroeste 7 minutes ago |
![]() |
aderinola1997
posts a 1X2 tip on Luton Town vs Plymouth Argyle 12 minutes ago |
![]() |
aderinola1997
posts a 1X2 tip on PSV vs Juventus 12 minutes ago |
Upcoming football matches with excellent head to head records over their opponents.
|
Sign in to view more football matches.
Football clubs who play better for their home games H2H.
|
Sign in to view more football matches.
Football clubs that play well for their away games.
|
Sign in to view more football matches.
Motivated teams after winning five matches in a row or they have maintained a ten-match unbeaten run. The bookmakers label them as favourites for a reason.
Teams in crisis after five consecutive defeats or they did not win their last ten football matches. You should avoid betting on these underdogs.
Teams having a draw in the last five matches.
Teams that have won all their home matches.
|
Sign in to view more football teams.
Teams that have not lost at home matches.
|
Sign in to view more football teams.
Teams that have not won at away matches.
|
Sign in to view more football teams.
This tipsters ranking is based on single picks excluding doubles and multi accumulators. For the full ranking click here.
Tipsters with consecutive winnings in their recent predictions.
Tipsters whom have lost a few matches in a row. Bad luck you call it.
It makes my analysis of odds sharp, and it also keeps me closer to what is happening in terms of results. What I hope I will benefit is the skill to always makes a profit in gambling
From as little as $1 per soccer tip.
|
Arbitrage is an effective way to make guaranteed profits without losing your money.
Analyze soccer matches, inclusive of past results, head to head stats, today match fixtures, live soccer odds, players and team form.
Check the latest and fastest live score results for all football matches. Know who are the goalscorers, yellow card and red card offenders.
Read up these useful tips for soccer betting.
Get the listings of soccer leagues and competitions for each region, including past seasons results and football statistics.
Want to bet on a match today? Check out the list of today match fixtures.
Read MoreGet the match results for all the soccer matches around the globe. Inclusive of half-time, full-time results.
Read MoreAre you an expert in soccer betting? Join SoccerPunter Tipsters competition to challenge against the top football tipsters and win prizes!
Read MoreCopyright © 2002-2025 SoccerPunter Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved.
Be the first to comment: