Manchester United went to the top of the English Premier League as Chelsea lost 3-1 at Wigan to see their perfect start to the season ruined.
A seventh straight victory for the champions, 2-0 at Stoke, saw them move ahead of Chelsea on goal difference with both having 18 points after seven matches. Liverpool and Tottenham are third and fourth on 15 points after both secured thumping home victories on Saturday. Liverpool routed Hull City 6-1 at Anfield, with Fernando Torres grabbing a hat-trick, while Robbie Keane went one better for Spurs, notching four goals in a 5-0 defeat of promoted Burnley. Chelsea were always struggling from the moment they fell behind in the 16th minute as Charles N’Zogbia’s cross was headed home by central defender Titus Bramble. Carlo Ancelotti’s men equalized early in the second half as Didier Drogba saw his shot elude Chris Kirkland for his 100th goal for Chelsea. But Wigan regained the lead when Hugo Rodallega was pulled down by Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech, who was sent off for his challenge.
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Rodallega dusted himself off to score the spot kick and Paul Scharner’s 90th minute goal sealed Chelsea’s fate. “We did not play a good game — it was a bad performance,” Ancelotto told Sky Sports. “I do not know why we did not play well. “But these things can happen after a lot of victories. We have to accept this loss and fix things for our next match.” United took full advantage in typical fashion with a clinical win at the Britannia Stadium. Substitute Ryan Giggs proved the difference as he slipped a pass to Dimitar Berbatov to score on 62 minutes. Defender John O’Shea scored a rare goal to seal the victory in the 77th as he headed home a free kick from the again excellent Giggs. Elsewhere, Portsmouth’s dismal start to the season continued with a 1-0 home defeat to Everton in the lunchtime kickoff. Louis Saha scored in the 42nd minute at Fratton Park for his seventh goal of the season. South Korea midfielder Lee Chung-Yong scored his first goal for Bolton to give them a 2-1 victory at Birmingham, while Blackburn beat Aston Villa by the same score. David Dunn grabbed the winner for Blackburn in the 89th minute from the penalty spot. Arsenal were playing at Fulham in the late match on Saturday evening.
