Chelsea moved nine points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League as they maintained their 100% home record – but they had to dig deep before seeing off battling Queens Park Rangers 2-1.
Southampton’s fine start to the season shows no sign of stopping as they won 1-0 at Hull City to stay four points adrift of the Blues at the top, while Arsenal were 3-0 winners over struggling Burnley to climb into the top four.
Swansea held out for a point at Everton after Jonjo Shelvey’s red card, West Brom won at Leicester and West Ham came from 2-0 down to earn a draw at Stoke.
In the lunchtime kick-off, resurgent Newcastle recorded their fourth successive win as they beat Liverpool 1-0 at St James’ Park.
Chelsea looked to be on course for an easy win after Oscar’s first-half opener, but Charlie Austin’s cheeky equaliser changed the pattern of the game at Stamford Bridge, only for Eduardo Vargas’ rash challenge to present Eden Hazard with the chance to win it from the penalty spot – a gift he accepted with elan.
Victor Wanyama’s superb long-range ‘seven-iron’ was enough to extend Southampton’s stunning start – the Kenyan latching onto a poor clearance from Tigers keeper Eldin Jakupovic after just three minutes at the KC Stadium to give the Saints their seventh win from eight.
Arsenal recorded a second straight league win for the first time this season – but had to wait until the 70th minute at the Emirates before the tireless Alexis Sanchez struck with a close-range header. Calum Chambers and Sanchez then added the gloss against the Clarets.
Everton boss Roberto Martinez had to settle for a point against former club Swansea, who held on for a 0-0 draw at Goodison Park having gone down to 10 men late in a fractious encounter when Shelvey picked up a second yellow card in the 72nd minute.
Stoke raced into a 2-0 lead against West Ham at the Britannia Stadium as Victor Moses bundled in a scrappy opener before Mame Biram Diouf doubled the advantage.
But the Hammers hit back as Enner Valencia headed in Stewart Downing’s cross, before the Ecuador international returned the compliment for Downing’s 72nd-minute equaliser.
Newcastle’s revival under Alan Pardew continued as substitute Ayoze Perez, on the mark in the win at Tottenham last week, netted the second-half winner against Liverpool.
West Brom inflicted a first home defeat of the season on Leicester thanks to a 47th-minute own goal from Esteban Cambiass when Saido Berahino’s cross was headed away by Wes Morgan, only for it to cannon back off the midfielder.
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