LONDON, Nov 19: Arsenal chipped away at Tottenham’s recent north London supremacy with a derby victory.

Catching the Manchester City juggernaut, though, is looking harder by the week in the English Premier League.

Manchester United is trying, coming from behind against Newcastle on Saturday to produce a 4-1 victory featuring Paul Pogba scoring on his return after two months on the sidelines.

The last unbeaten team, City remains eight points clear of United after swatting aside Leicester 2-0 with goals from Gabriel Jesus and Kevin De Bruyne.

Tottenham slipped 11 points behind the leaders in fourth after a six-match unbeaten run against Arsenal ended with a 2-0 loss. Arsenal is now only a point behind Tottenham, behind Liverpool on goal difference after Mohamed Salah netted twice in a 3-0 win over Southampton.

Eden Hazard was also at the double for Chelsea in a 4-0 victory at West Bromwich Albion that kept the champions a point behind United. The result could further imperil the job security of West Brom manager Tony Pulis.

Paul Clement’s future at Swansea also looks less certain after a 2-0 loss at Burnley left the south Wales club three points off the bottom. Everton, which is still trying to hire a successor for Ronald Koeman, came back twice to draw at bottom-place Crystal Palace 2-2.

Callum Wilson became the first English hat-trick scorer this season as Bournemouth beat Huddersfield 4-0, and coped with 10 men for half the game after Simon Francis saw red.

CITY BLOW

It’s not all going Pep Guardiola’s way. The Manchester City manager expects to be without John Stones for four to six weeks after the defender pulled up with a hamstring injury around 30 minutes into the game Leicester.

“We don’t have a lot of central defenders so we are going to suffer,” Guardiola said, “but we will find a solution.”

ARSENAL CONTRACTS

Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil showed their value to Arsenal in the derby win. Ozil’s free kick set up Shkodran Mustafi’s header for the opener and Sanchez netted at the near post just before halftime.

Whether Ozil and Sanchez are still at the club to face Tottenham next season is far from certain as the attacking duo has yet to commit to new deals.

“I believe that they love the club, they want to stay,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said, “but there are other top clubs out there who offer good contracts as well.”

LUKAKU DROUGHT OVER

United has scored four times in seven of its 12 league matches.

Dwight Gayle’s opener for Newcastle was swiftly overturned by headers from Anthony Martial and Chris Smalling. In the second half, Pogba tapped in a third and Romelu Lukaku ended a seven-match goal drought.

United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic went on in the second half to make an earlier-than-expected comeback after seven months out with knee ligament damage.

PULIS PRESSURE

West Brom is 11 games without a win after being crushed by Chelsea 4-0, and Chinese owner Guochuan Lai will have to decide whether to retain Pulis or search for a new manager.

“I’ve been in the game long enough to know if you get bad runs then that’s what happens,” Pulis said. “(The ownership) have to make a decision. ”

The crowd chanted “Pulis out” at the end of a game that was beyond West Brom after collapsing in the first half when Alvaro Morata, Eden Hazard, and Marcos Alonso all scored inside minutes. Hazard netted again in the second half.

CLEMENT CONCERNED

Swansea might now be regretting selling Jack Cork in the offseason. After the midfielder made his England debut last week, he scored against his former club. Ashley Barnes also netted as Burnley completed a hat trick of top-flight wins for the first time since 1975.

But Swansea is on the slide, and this latest loss was watched by majority shareholder Steve Kaplan who has a decision to make about Clement’s future in the dugout.

“I’m concerned about the level of performance, concerned about our position in the table,” Clement said. “If they (the owners) ever felt there was someone that can get better out of this team and these players than I can, that’s their right to do that.” AP

LONDON, Sept 24: Despite having been Chelsea’s second choice in the transfer window, Alvaro Morata is quickly proving his doubters wrong in the English Premier League.

The former Real Madrid forward showcased his skills with a hat trick as Chelsea defeated Stoke 4-0 on Saturday, drawing him level with Romelu Lukaku and Sergio Aguero with six league goals.

“Alvaro took his goals very well, which for a striker is very important,” Chelsea manager Antonio Conte said. “I am pleased with the team also because it means we are creating chances for our strikers.”

Aguero and Lukaku were on the scoresheet, too, as Manchester City and Manchester United won but stayed unbeaten by different paths.

City’s latest victim was winless Crystal Palace by 5-0, while United ground down Southampton 1-0 thanks to Lukaku’s first-half strike.

Liverpool overcame its leaky defense to secure a first win in September as Philippe Coutinho starred in a 3-2 win at Leicester.

Tottenham and Watford also maintained perfect away records. Spurs withstood a late West Ham comeback to win at the London Stadium 3-2, Watford won at Swansea 2-1, Everton came from behind to defeat Bournemouth 2-1, and Burnley and Huddersfield played out a goalless draw.

MORATA, MORATA, MORATA

Morata’s first three Premier League goals came via his head, but a cool side-footed finish after just two minutes gave Chelsea the lead at Britannia Stadium.

His second was even better as he picked up the ball on the left, drove past two Stoke defenders and curled his shot past Jack Butland.

His third was simple, but the Spain striker’s movement was on display as he slipped his marker to find space to tap in Cesar Azpilicueta’s knockdown.

If there was any remaining sadness over Diego Costa’s exit from Chelsea, which was finally resolved this week, Morata ensured his compatriot was forgotten on Saturday.

Pedro scored Chelsea’s other goal as Antonio Conte’s side maintained its perfect away record in the league, keeping it within three points of United and City at the top of the table.

CITY CAN’T STOP SCORING

City scored five or more goals for a third consecutive league game as the impressive Leroy Sane opened the scoring before Raheem Sterling added a double against Palace.

Aguero maintained his goal-a-game record and substitute Fabian Delph rounded off the scoring, to leave Roy Hodgson’s Palace pointless and goalless after six games.

LUKAKU: GOALS, CHANTS CONTINUE

Lukaku scored the only goal but United’s win in Southampton was overshadowed by the continued use of a racist chant in support of Lukaku by United fans.

The club said it will review CCTV footage to identify supporters who sang the lyrics despite Lukaku’s pre-match request for it to stop.

SWEET REVENGE

Days after being knocked out of the League Cup by Leicester, Liverpool went to King Power Stadium and beat Leicester in an action-packed encounter.

Coutinho laid on an assist for Mohamed Salah before curling a stunning free kick into the top corner to put Juergen Klopp’s side in control.

However, Liverpool’s fragile defense was once more exposed as Shinji Okazaki pulled a goal back.

Jordan Henderson restored the Reds’ two-goal advantage but Jamie Vardy got Leicester back into contention just a minute later. Vardy then squandered a chance to secure the Foxes a draw when his penalty was saved by Simon Mignolet.

PERFECT ON THE ROAD

Harry Kane’s double and Christian Eriksen’s goal appeared to give Spurs an unassailable lead, but a Javier Hernandez header quickly followed by Serge Aurier’s sending off made for a tense finale.

Cheikhou Kouyate headed West Ham within touching distance but Tottenham held on to make it three wins from three away from home.

Watford matched that record with an equally dramatic 2-1 victory over Swansea as Richarlison struck a 90th-minute winner.

Andre Gray earlier scored his first goal for Watford before Tammy Abraham came off the bench to level the game.

IN FROM THE COLD

Oumar Niasse came off the bench to score twice as Everton came from behind to defeat Bournemouth and end a run of three successive defeats.

Niasse was deemed surplus to requirements by Ronald Koeman last summer, but with Everton struggling for goals, the Senegal forward was given a chance.

He grabbed it with both hands, ending the Toffees’ run of 6 1/2 hours without a league goal, before notching the winner five minutes later. AP

LONDON, Sept 19: When Romelu Lukaku slotted the ball into the Everton net, the Manchester United striker had no intention of holding back on the celebrations.

Far from it. Especially after being jeered during Sunday’s Premier League game by the Everton fans who revered him before an offseason transfer across northern England. The Belgian, who cost 75 million pounds (then $97 million), cupped his right ear to those supporters.

“The celebration was just a bit of banter,” Lukaku said after scoring the third goal in a 4-0 drubbing of Everton. “I missed the free kick and they jeered me but I scored the rebound.”

It compounded the miserable run for his former club. It’s now four consecutive losses in all competitions, three in the league, with Everton conceding 12 goals without reply in the process.

So early in the season, it’s looking bleak for Ronald Koeman’s side which demonstrated such ambition in the summer when it spent 140 million pounds ($190 million) on talent. That doesn’t even take into account the free transfer of former United captain Wayne Rooney, who experienced a depressing return to Old Trafford on the pitch.

At least he received a warm reception, perhaps out of sympathy for the predicament he’s facing at his new team. The poor run of form started with a 2-0 loss last month to Chelsea, which was held 0-0 by Arsenal in Sunday’s other game.

UNITED GOAL FLURRY

Only alphabetical order is separating Manchester United and neighbor City at the top of the standings. After five games they have identical records. It is 4 wins and a draw each. Both have scored 16 times and only conceded twice.

Yet it was only Antonio Valencia’s half-volley in the fourth minute separating United and Everton until the 83rd minute when Henrikh Mkhitaryan slotted in a second. Lukaku struck in the 89th minute and a handball by Morgan Schneiderlin allowed Anthony Martial to slot in a penalty in the second minute of stoppage time.

At the end of a week when fellow Dutchman Frank de Boer lost his job after only four games at Crystal Palace, Koeman is feeling the heat at Everton.

“We need to win, if you don’t win then it is better to stop,” Koeman said. “Every manager in life has doubts. There is nobody who doesn’t have doubts as a manager. And if you don’t win you know you have a big number of players in your squad, and you have doubts about what system to play. This is normal. Of course I ask myself the question ‘Why?’ Why?”

It’s time, though to be “realistic,” according to the former Southampton manager in his second season at Everton.

“Fans, press, we need time,” Koeman said. “But it is difficult in football.”

Not so for United, which has won its three home matches and scored 12 goals without conceding.

RED MIST FOR BLUES

For the fifth time in eight matches, Chelsea had a player sent off. But David Luiz’s dismissal in the 87th minute for a high, sliding challenge on Sead Kolasinac came too late for Arsenal to produce a winner.

Still, a draw against the champions gave Arsenal its first point at Stamford Bridge in six years and provided a psychological reset after losses to Stoke and Liverpool in its last two away games.

“There was a battle all over the pitch and we responded well in domains where we were questioned,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said. “I like it when the team shows that kind of response. So overall I feel it’s a deserved point and with a bit more freedom and less inhibition I feel we could have won this game with one or two goals difference.

“Overall, first it was important at least not to lose today and you could feel that in the team. In the last 20 minutes we played with that in our minds.” –AP

LONDON, Sept 17: Although it’s taken a year longer than many expected, Manchester City is finally beginning to resemble a Pep Guardiola-coached team.

City remained in rampant form as it ended Watford’s unbeaten start to the English Premier League with a resounding 6-0 victory at Vicarage Road on Saturday.

Guardiola’s side has scored 15 goals in three matches since the international break, following 5-0 and 4-0 wins over Liverpool and Feyernood respectively.

City stuttered to a third-place finish in Guardiola’s debut season while failing to produce the stylish play of its manager’s former sides, but a second straight offseason of significant personnel changes appears to be paying dividends.

“It was so good, especially after an away game in the Champions League,” Guardiola said.

“I was lucky to manage Barcelona with many outstanding performances but this week has been a lot of goals. We have found our game, we can make short passes, and we have a lot of energy from our full backs.”

Sergio Aguero scored a predatory hat trick and laid on an assist for Gabriel Jesus, while Nicolas Otamendi headed in, and Raheem Sterling added a late penalty.

The victory took City to the top of the table, but Manchester United can join it on Sunday with a win over Everton.

Elsewhere, Liverpool failed to shake off the effects of last week’s thrashing by City, letting Burnley leave Anfield with a 1-1 draw. Crystal Palace became the first club in league history to lose its opening five games without scoring.

Swansea brought Tottenham back to earth in a scoreless draw at Wembley, three days after Spurs tore apart Borussia Dortmund. Newcastle made it three league wins a row by beating Stoke 3-1, Leicester and Huddersfield drew 1-1, and West Brom and West Ham played out a goalless draw.

AGUERO CLOSING IN

Having struggled at times last season, Aguero appears to have been revitalized by his partnership with Jesus and was at his predatory best as he completed the sixth Premier League hat trick of his career.

The Argentine forward is just three goals away from breaking Eric Brook’s 177-goal record at Man City.

“I am very happy,” Aguero said. “I am focused on scoring the next goal but what matters is that we won.”

NO MANE, MORE PROBLEMS

Philippe Coutinho made his first start of the season for Liverpool after failing to force a summer move to Barcelona, but his return wasn’t enough to fill the void left by the suspended Sadio Mane.

Liverpool struggled at times last season without Mane and it appears little has changed.

Summer recruit Mohamed Salah’s tying goal secured a point for the Reds but even he can’t match the brilliance of Mane, who is serving a three-match suspension after being sent off against Manchester City last weekend.

Burnley has picked up away points at three of last season’s top-six teams, beating Chelsea on opening day and drawing against Tottenham at Wembley.

ROY’S RETURN

Roy Hodgson’s first match in charge of Crystal Palace looked like the team’s previous four matches. In a 1-0 loss to Southampton, Steven Davis’ early goal proved decisive.

Hodgson has been out of management since Euro 2016, where his England side was eliminated by minnows Iceland.

Having become the first Premier League manager to be appointed in his 70s, Hodgson went for a return to a traditional four-man defense, but it took Southampton just six minutes to breach it.

WEMBLEY CURSE REMAINS

Tottenham is still looking for a first domestic victory of the season at its temporary Wembley Stadium home. Harry Kane struck the crossbar in the second half but Swansea displayed great resilience to hold on for 0-0.

Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs have failed to win all three league games at Wembley, where it’s playing while White Hart Lane is redeveloped this season.

DEFENDER SCORES AGAIN

Newcastle captain Jamaal Lascelles was an unlikely star for a second straight game as the defender headed home the winner against Stoke after Xherdan Shaqiri cancelled out Christian Atsu’s opener. Newcastle beat Stoke 3-1 at St. James’ Park.

Also, West Brom midfielder Gareth Barry equaled Ryan Giggs’ Premier League appearance record in his 632nd game. AP

LONDON, Sept 10: Liverpool went from dishing out a humiliation to being on the receiving end of one.

A 5-0 loss at Manchester City on Saturday handed Juergen Klopp his biggest loss in two years managing Liverpool. And it quickly punctured the optimism gathering around their English Premier League title challenge following a 4-0 victory over Arsenal before the international break.

Four of City’s goals against Liverpool came after Sadio Mane was sent off for a high challenge that forced goalkeeper Ederson off injured in Manchester.

“I am not concerned in the long term,” Klopp said. “It was hard for the boys but I don’t look for excuses.”

Jose Mourinho did after Manchester United’s winning start ended in a 2-2 draw at Stoke , referencing the World Cup qualifiers over the last two weeks.

“My players, after the international break, are not the same,” Mourinho said.

Chelsea’s only setback so far came in an opening-day loss. The champions have been on the up since then, and a third successive victory was secured with a 2-1 victory over Leicester.

Arsenal quickly recovered from its misery at Anfield by beating Bournemouth 3-0. Danny Welbeck scored twiceand Alexandre Lacazette also netted to leave the south-coast team winless after four games.

A couple of goal droughts ended.

Brighton scored its first top-flight goals in 34 years in a 3-1 victory over West Bromwich Albion.

Harry Kane, the league’s top scorer last season, is off the mark as well for the campaign. The Tottenham striker netted twice in a 3-0 win at Everton , and Christian Eriksen also found the target.

Southampton’s unbeaten start was halted by a 2-0 loss to Watford.

CITY SURGE

Pep Guardiola’s side finally produced the type of imposing attacking display missing this season.

And the opening goal was a landmark one for Sergio Aguero. The Argentine striker’s 124th Premier League goal since joining City from Atletico Madrid in 2011 made him the highest scoring non-European player in the competition’s history.

“Sergio is crazy about the goal,” compatriot Nicolas Otamendi said. “He’s always in the right place at the right time.”

And it came when the game was still 11 vs. 11. The City surge came after Mane received red.

Gabriel Jesus netted City’s second in first-half stoppage time and again eight minutes into the second half. The Brazil forward was then substituted and his replacement, Sane, grabbed two goals as well.

“If City takes too much confidence from this game today, they make a mistake,” Klopp said. “If we lose too much confidence because of this game we make also a mistake.”

CHELSEA CONDEMNATION

Chelsea had to single out its own fans for criticism after the reigning champions beat 2016 title winner Leicester. Some fans sang an anti-Semitic lyric about London rival Tottenham while celebrating Alvaro Morata, who headed in Chelsea’s first goal.

N’Golo Kante also scored against former club Leicester.

UNITED FRUSTRATED

United had scored 10 goals without reply in opening the title challenge with three wins. A reality check came with a trip to Stoke where Arsenal has already lost this season.

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting became the first player to score against United this season. The Cameroon forward’s opener was canceled out by Marcus Rashford in first-half stoppage time. After Romelu Lukaku put United in front, Choupo-Moting headed in Stoke’s equalizer in the 63rd minute.

“Stoke are big, strong and powerful in the air,” Mourinho said. “They fought hard and probably deserved a point.”

And yet there wasn’t a post-match handshake with Stoke counterpart Mark Hughes.

“I offered my hand but Jose didn’t want to take it,” Hughes said. “Maybe he was upset about the result. The top managers don’t like it when they get the bad results. I have to get used to it sometimes.” AP

LIVERPOOL, Aug 28: Humiliation for Arsenal at Liverpool. More Wembley frustration for Tottenham.

The north London clubs had an afternoon to forget in the Premier League on Sunday before the two-week international break.

An error-strewn display by Arsenal was punished at Anfield where Liverpool surged to a 4-0 victory.

At the same time in the capital, Tottenham was heading for only its third victory in 12 matches at Wembley until Burnley struck in stoppage time to claim a 1-1 draw at English football’s national stadium.

Chelsea, which beat Tottenham at its temporary home for the season last Sunday, followed up with a 2-0 victory over Everton as the champions showed they have quickly recovered from a shock opening-day loss to Burnley.

West Bromwich Albion missed out on a third consecutive win when it was held 1-1 by Stoke. It leaves Manchester United, which beat Leicester 2-0 on Saturday, as the only team with a perfect record after three of 38 rounds.

RUTHLESS LIVERPOOL

This was the platform for Liverpool’s attacking unit to flourish, and they seized it. There were certainly no signs Liverpool missed Philippe Coutinho, who is embroiled in a transfer stand-off, as Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and substitute Daniel Sturridge scored.

Liverpool went ahead in the 17th minute when the opener was gifted. Firmino ghosted into the penalty area to meet Joe Gomez’s cross unmarked and sent a downward header past goalkeeper Petr Cech.

Even after conceding, Arsenal remained as chaotic and lethargic, never looking capable of mounting a comeback — particularly after conceding again five minutes before halftime. A counterattack launched from inside the Liverpool penalty area by Gomez was completed by Mane’s shot into the far corner of the net.

The third goal was conceded just after Arsenal had taken a corner. Salah pinched the ball off Hector Bellerin and was given the freedom to dart forward unchallenged before the Egyptian netted his third Liverpool goal.

Salah turned provider for the fourth with a cross met by the unmarked Sturridge and headed past Cech.

Arsenal didn’t even manage a single shot on goal as Arsene Wenger’s side endured a second successive loss. It was a quiet day for Loris Karius, who was unexpectedly selected ahead of Liverpool first-choice goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.

“We’re very disappointed with the way we performed but we have to accept it,” Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey said. “We’re sorry to the fans that came up. It’s not good enough and we have to do something about it.

“We’re going to have to change something if we’re to compete this year. That wasn’t good enough. Liverpool showed what it’s going to have to take to compete for the Premier League.”

TOTTENHAM’S TRAVAILS

The mantra from Tottenham is: Don’t blame Wembley. There’s little point — last season’s runners-up are stuck there for the season while its White Hart Lane home is redeveloped.

Harry Kane’s failure to score in this game, or any game in August in the Premier League, certainly can’t be blamed on Wembley. The league’s top scorer last season, Kane missed several chances to build on Dele Alli’s opener. It proved costly when Chris Wood marked his Burnley debut by striking in the equalizer in stoppage time.

“If some people think about (Wembley being a problem) they need to stop,” Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said. “We are responsible to do better and try to win, and the way today we conceded a goal it was not the problem of Wembley.”

CHELSEA ON TRACK

Memories of the opening day loss to Burnley are fading at Chelsea after victory over Tottenham was followed by midfielder Cesc Fabregas and off-season recruit Alvaro Morata securing goals to sweep aside Everton.

Yet doubts persist about Antonio Conte’s future as the champions’ squad has not been reinforced as significantly as he hoped ahead of the summer transfer window closing on Thursday.

“I’m totally committed to the club,” Conte said at Stamford Bridge. “I’m a coach, I’m not a manager. The best of my work is on the pitch, to try to improve my players, to try to improve my team.

“Then when you want to strengthen your squad you have to give your opinion and speak with your club. But then the club go to the transfer market and try to solve the situation, try to help us.”

PULIS FRUSTRATED

West Brom led through Jay Rodriguez’s strike but a defensive mistake was exploited by Peter Crouch, who headed Stoke level.

“It was disappointing,” West Brom manager Tony Pulis said after being held by his former club. “For all their possession I didn’t think that they created all that many clear-cut chances. These things happen. They bring Crouchy on and without him doing anything his presence unnerves defenders.”AP

LONDON, Aug 27: Manchester United stayed patient to beat Leicester City 2-0 and move two points clear at the top of the Premier League as Manchester City secured a dramatic late win at Bournemouth on Saturday.

Surprise packages Huddersfield Town were held 0-0 by Southampton but stayed unbeaten and Newcastle United earned their first points of the season with a 3-0 victory over West Ham United that left the London side bottom of the table.

Crystal Palace are also without a point after losing 2-0 at home to Swansea City but Brighton and Hove Albion are off the mark following a 0-0 draw at 10-man Watford.

Manchester United were frustrated by Leicester and Romelu Lukaku had a penalty saved by Kasper Schmeichel before substitutes Marcus Rashford and Marouane Fellani scored in the last 20 minutes to seal their third successive victory.

“I think we played very well,” manager Jose Mourinho said.

“If I have to choose a word to describe my team, I would have to say ’solid’.”

City were stunned on the south coast when Charlie Daniels gave Bournemouth the lead with an unstoppable left-foot drive from an improbable angle.

The visitors, who left Sergio Aguero on the bench and gave a debut to 52 million-pound ($67 million) signing Benjamin Mendy and a first start to Bernardo Silva, equalised before halftime when Gabriel Jesus poked home from David Silva’s fine pass.

It looked like being a frustrating afternoon for City, however, before, in the seventh minute of stoppage time, Sterling’s deflected shot floated past keeper Asmir Begovic to seal a 2-1 win.

Sterling celebrated in front of the ecstatic City fans and was engulfed as several spilled on to the edge of the pitch, forcing stewards and police to intervene and leading to referee Mike Dean showing the England forward a second yellow card.

CHAOTIC SCENES

It was later reported that a steward had made a police statement accusing substitute Aguero of striking him during the chaotic scenes.

“This allegation is false and the TV pictures prove it,” Aguero said on Twitter.

Dorset police said two City fans had been arrested for coming on to the pitch and that they were reviewing CCTV footage “as part of an ongoing investigation to establish whether any other offences may have been committed”.

Guardiola was bemused.

“Maybe someone can explain to me because I would like to know,” he told Sky Sports of the Sterling sending-off.

“He ran to celebrate. If you can’t celebrate with the fans maybe we should play without fans.”

Huddersfield remain unbeaten and second in the table after dominating their game against Southampton and David Wagner’s side are yet to concede a league goal this season.

“We will go into this international break with a smile on our face,” he said.

Newcastle finally got their campaign rolling against a poor West Ham side.

Spain striker Joselu scored their first league goal of the campaign before halftime and Ciaran Clark and Aleksandar Mitrovic wrapped up the points in the second half.

West Ham have lost their first three games for the first time since the 2010-2011 season when they were relegated.

Swansea shrugged off the departure of Gylfi Sigurdsson to Everton with a 2-0 victory at Frank de Boer’s Palace – teenager Tammy Abraham scored his first Premier League goal.

Watford remain unbeaten after grinding out a 0-0 draw with Brighton despite having Uruguayan defender Miguel Britos sent off midway through the first half for a reckless tackle.

Champions Chelsea play Everton on Sunday when Liverpool host Arsenal, last season’s runners-up Tottenham Hotspur face Burnley and West Bromwich Albion take on Stoke City. REUTERS

MANCHESTER, Aug 22: Wayne Rooney wheeled away in delight after scoring his 200th goal in the English Premier League, cupping both of his ears with his hands in front of the Manchester City fans who jeered his name and his every touch.

The Everton striker had just joined an exclusive scoring club and, as a former Manchester United player, he was determined to enjoy the moment at Etihad Stadium. He didn’t have the last laugh, though.

Substitute Raheem Sterling smashed home an 82nd-minute volley as City fought back for a 1-1 draw at Etihad Stadium after playing with 10 men for more than a half of a chaotic game on Monday.

The late equalizer slightly soured another landmark occasion for Rooney, the record scorer for England and United — and now only the second player to reach a double-century of Premier League goals after Alan Shearer.

“It was a sweet moment,” he said, before adding with a smile: “I am sure the red half of Manchester will have enjoyed it as well.”

The 31-year-old Rooney is enjoying something of a career renaissance since leaving United in the offseason to return to his boyhood club. It’s now two goals in two league games for a player whose international career might not yet be over.

“It is not bad for someone who is not fit anymore and can’t get about the pitch,” Rooney said, taunting his critics. “I have always put a shift in for the team and tonight is no different.”

On his chances of a recall by England ahead of next month’s World Cup qualifiers, Rooney said: “I am focusing on Everton. I am sure I will speak to England manager Gareth Southgate over the next few days and we will see what happens.”

Rooney scored Everton’s goal against the run of play in the 35th minute, meeting Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s cross with a first-time shot that struck City goalkeeper Ederson Moraes’ heel and deflected into the net off the post.

City was already getting frustrated by its failure to pierce a deep-lying and compact Everton defense, and its chances of victory further receded in the 44th when right back Kyle Walker was sent off for a second yellow card in the space of two minutes. The second booking looked harsh, with Walker barely brushing Mason Holgate’s midriff with his elbow as he backed into the Everton full back.

City manager Pep Guardiola didn’t want to talk about the incident, except to say: “It was so clear.”

Sterling gave City energy after coming on as a halftime substitute. And after smashing a glaring opportunity over the bar from close range, he made amends by meeting Holgate’s poor headed clearance with a sweetly struck left-footed volley from just inside the area.

Everton also finished the game with 10 men when holding midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin was red-carded in the 88th for his second booking.

The draw left both teams on four points from two matches.

For City, there was delight in getting something out of the game after Walker’s dismissal on his home debut, but also a frustratingly familiar feeling to last season. They failed to convert a stream of opportunities until Sterling’s late intervention, and conceded from its first and only real chance given up.

The strike pairing of Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus didn’t appear to be on each other’s wavelength in the first half, and Jesus was substituted at halftime. Leroy Sane was uncomfortable at left wing back, giving the ball away before Rooney’s milestone goal.

Everton defended obdurately and in numbers, and almost made it five clean sheets in five competitive games this season.

Rooney was denied a second straight winner — he also scored in the 1-0 victory over Stoke last weekend — and was clearly frustrated at the end of the game, picking up a booking for dissent.

Now, the chase is on to catch Shearer, who finished his career on 260 Premier League goals.

“He is still that player that every manager needs in his team,” Everton manager Ronald Koeman said of Rooney. “He’s that teacher for young players.”-AP

LONDON, Aug 21: Any doubts Antonio Conte had about his Chelsea players were dispelled with a victory over Tottenham that lifted the gloom surrounding the champions.

With a 2-1 victory on Sunday secured through Marcos Alonso’s double, the Premier League champions are finally up and running after a tough couple of weeks.

Defeat to Arsenal in the Community Shield at Wembley Stadium was followed by a surprise capitulation to Burnley as Chelsea made a losing start to its league title defense. Back at Wembley — Tottenham’s home for the season while White Hart Lane is being redeveloped — Chelsea players were smiling again.

Conte too.

“I want to thank my players,” Conte said. “They won. They showed me great desire, great spirit, great willingness to fight. I saw today the fighters.”

Wembley wasn’t the only ground staging a Premier League game for the first time on Sunday. Huddersfield’s Kirklees Stadium is now a destination in soccer’s richest league, and its occupant has opened its first-ever Premier League campaign with two wins out of two.

Huddersfield’s victory at Crystal Palace last weekend was followed by a 1-0 victory over fellow promoted side Newcastle on Sunday. Manchester United and West Bromwich Albion are the only other teams to open with two wins. The second round will be completed on Monday by a meeting of Everton and Manchester City, who both triumphed last week.

TOTTENHAM’S WEMBLEY WOES

It could be a long, grueling season away from White Hart Lane for Tottenham unless the Wembley jinx ends. In 11 matches at the national stadium since it was rebuilt in 2007, Tottenham has only won twice.

And it’s now eight losses.

Tottenham fell behind in the 24th minute when Alonso curled a free kick past goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. Although Chelsea gifted Tottenham an equalizer in the 82nd, when Michy Batshuayi headed into his own net after three minutes on the pitch, the visitors still had time to grab a winner.

Inside six minutes Alonso was on target again, with a shot squirming under Lloris.

“Wembley is not the reason we lost the game,” Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said. “I think the team played really, really well and it’s not fair to blame Wembley because for me Wembley is one of the best places in the world, if not the best place in the world to play football.”

HUDDERSFIELD’S HIGH

It is two wins out of two and two clean sheets for a Huddersfield team playing in the top flight for the first time since 1972 — two decades before the inception of the Premier League.

Aaron Mooy secured the victory over Newcastle with a strike five minutes into the second half.

“I don’t have to pinch myself but I didn’t expect it,” Huddersfield manager David Wagner said. “We only wanted to be brave in every single game, to search for our chance, and I think we’ve done it so far.”-AP

LONDON, Aug 20: Manchester United netted four goals for the second consecutive week in the Premier League to rout Swansea City 4-0 on Saturday and ensure their highest-scoring start to a season for 110 years.

United manager Jose Mourinho said he “let the horses run freely” at the Liberty Stadium but his old foe Arsene Wenger was left frustrated after his Arsenal thoroughbreds were shackled in a 1-0 defeat at Stoke City.

Liverpool struggled to squeeze past Crystal Palace 1-0 and promoted Brighton and Hove Albion suffered their second defeat in two games, 2-0 at Leicester City.

Goals flowed at Southampton, who snuffed out an astonishing comeback by 10-man West Ham United to win 3-2.

Mourinho’s United completed their victory with a devastating late burst in which Romelu Lukaku, Paul Pogba and substitute Anthony Martial scored between the 80th and 84th minutes after Eric Bailly had netted late in the first half with his first goal for the club.

United, who scored twice late on to beat West Ham by the same score last weekend, have one of the strongest benches in the league and it was Martial’s 75th-minute introduction that began the mayhem.

“It was 1-0 and we thought let’s go for more and exploit the fragile morale of the opponent. Our bench is really good – the players have a lot to give,” Mourinho said.

Martial capped the rout with a delightful strike after he picked the ball up 35 yards out, cut inside and thumped the ball past a despairing Lukasz Fabianski.

“There was happiness in our play,” Mourinho said. “There was no need to close the door.”

Swansea badly missed the departed Gylfi Sigurdsson and injured Fernando Llorente and look to be in desperate need of reinforcements in the transfer window.

Arsenal’s early-season optimism after their opening day win over Leicester was dissipated quickly after Jese, Stoke’s new loan signing from Paris St Germain, capped a fine debut by scoring the winner 90 seconds after the break.

The home side, revelling once again in being Arsenal’s bogey team, then produced a magnificent rearguard action to keep out the Gunners, who had an equaliser from Alexandre Lacazette ruled out for a fractional offside.

Liverpool secured their first league win of the season, and inflicted Palace’s second defeat, when Sadio Mane broke the Anfield deadlock after 73 minutes, although Christian Benteke should have given the visitors the lead moments earlier.

Southampton got the better of an astonishing game of two penalties, a sending-off and an ultimately futile West Ham fightback at St Mary’s.

After the home side went 2-0 through Manolo Gabbiadini and a Dusan Tadic penalty, and West Ham’s Marko Arnautovic was sent off for elbowing Jack Stephens, the Hammers started to play.

Mexican forward Javier Hernandez scored his first goals for the club to bring hope of an unlikely point before Saints’ second penalty deep into stoppage-time was converted by Charlie Austin.

Watford, who drew with Liverpool last week, beat Bournemouth 2-0 with a first goal from new Brazilian striker Richarlison while West Bromwich Albion won 1-0 at Burnley with a late goal from Hal Robson-Kanu who was then sent off for elbowing.

The win was Albion’s second of the season and put them level on points with leaders Manchester United.-REUTERS