Manchester City ended Newcastle’s unbeaten start to the season yesterday with a 3-1 victory to maintain their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League standings.
Goals from Mario Balotelli, Micah Richards and Sergio Aguero secured all points for City, who have won 11 and drawn one in their 12 games this season – the best start to a Premier League campaign in history.
Balotelli opened the scoring from the penalty spot on 41 minutes before Richards struck just before half-time to leave Newcastle in trouble.
Aguero made it 3-0 on 72 minutes with another penalty before Dan Gosling netted a consolation strike for Newcastle on 89 minutes.
“As players, as a team, we are very strong now but the season is long and there will be difficult moments ahead,” a satisfied Mancini said.
“For this reason, it’s important we know we can score goals and win games in a row.”
Manchester United kept the pressure on City in the late kick-off after a Javier Hernandez goal gave them a 1-0 win at Swansea.
Mexican international Hernandez struck on 11 minutes to settle a drab encounter at the Liberty Stadium as Alex Ferguson’s team recorded their fifth consecutive clean sheet since their 6-1 thrashing against City last month.
In other matches, Robin van Persie scored twice as Arsenal came from behind to defeat Norwich 2-1 at Carrow Road.
Van Persie took his goal tally for 2011 to a remarkable 31 in 29 games as Arsenal recorded their fifth consecutive league victory.
Norwich took the lead when Steve Morison pounced on a blunder by Per Mertesacker on 16 minutes before Dutch striker Van Persie equalised in the 26th minute, netting the winner on 59 minutes.
“It was a very positive win, and the team is growing from game to game,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said.
“Robin is exceptional, but we all know within the club that he’s an exceptional player.”
A pulsating game at the Britannia Stadium saw QPR down Stoke 3-2.
Jon Walters put Stoke 1-0 up after eight minutes, latching on to Peter Crouch’s through ball before rifling past Paddy Kenny in the QPR goal.
But QPR levelled through Heidar Helguson on 22 minutes before goals from Luke Young and Helguson’s second gave the visitors a 3-1 lead.
Stoke pulled a goal back through Ryan Shawcross midway through the second half but Rangers held on.
A stormy match at Goodison Park saw Everton come from behind to down Wolves 2-1.
Wolves took the lead in controversial circumstances when Maro-uane Fellaini was adjudged to have brought down Wolves midfielder David Edwards inside the area to concede a penalty.
Everton protested to no avail before Stephen Hunt stepped up to blast his spot-kick in for 1-0.
The Toffees levelled on 44 minutes, however, when defender Phil Jagielka headed in England team-mate Leighton Baines’s cross.
Baines then struck the winner from the penalty spot seven minutes from time.
In the battle of the bottom two, Blackburn’s Ayegbeni Yakubu struck a dramatic injury time penalty – won by Rovers goalkeeper Paul Robinson – to give his side a 3-3 draw against Wigan.
But the game was overshadowed by controversy surrounding Blackburn’s second goal, scored by David Hoilett, when Morten Gamst Pedersen appeared to dribble straight from a corner before crossing for the goal. Referee Andre Marriner had failed to spot that Yakubu had not touched the ball before Pedersen took the corner.
“It was a scandalous decision,” Wigan manager Roberto Martinez said.
“For me, Yakubu didn’t touch the ball and it’s a very easy decision to make. It’s ridiculous.”
Results and standings
Premier League
Everton 2
Jagielka 44; Baines 83 pen;
Wolves 1
Hunt 37 pen;
HT: 1-1. Att: 33,953.
Man. City 3
Balotelli 41 pen; Richards 44; Aguero 72 pen;
Newcastle 1
Gosling 89;
HT: 2-0. Att: 47,408.
Norwich City 1
Morison 16;
Arsenal 2
Van Persie 26, 59;
HT: 1-1. Att: 26,801.
Stoke City 2
Walters 8; Shawcross 64;
QPR 3
Helguson 22, 54; Young 44;
HT: 1-2. Att: 27,618.
Sunderland 0
Fulham 0
Att: 37,688.
Swansea 0
Man. United 1
Hernandez 11;
HT: 0-1. Att: 20,295.
West Brom 2
Thomas 16; Long 56;
Bolton 1
Klasnic 21 pen;
HT: 1-1. Att: 26,221.
Wigan 3
Gomez 8; Caldwell 31; Crusat 88;
Blackburn 3
Yakubu 2, 90 pen; Hoilett 60;
HT: 2-1. Att: 17,392.
Red card: Dunn (B) 48.
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Man. City | 12 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 11 | 34 |
| Man. Utd | 12 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 29 | 12 | 29 |
| Newcastle | 12 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 18 | 11 | 25 |
| Chelsea | 11 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 24 | 15 | 22 |
| Tottenham | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 21 | 15 | 22 |
| Arsenal | 12 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 25 | 22 | 22 |
| Liverpool | 11 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 14 | 10 | 19 |
| Aston Villa | 11 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 16 | 15 | 15 |
| QPR | 12 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 22 | 15 |
| West Brom | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 14 |
| Norwich | 12 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 17 | 20 | 13 |
| Everton | 11 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 13 | 16 | 13 |
| Swansea | 12 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 12 | 15 | 16 |
| Stoke City | 12 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 22 | 12 |
| Sunderland | 12 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 14 | 13 | 11 |
| Fulham | 12 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 14 | 15 | 11 |
| Wolves | 12 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 13 | 20 | 11 |
| Bolton | 12 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 19 | 29 | 9 |
| Blackburn | 12 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 16 | 27 | 7 |
| Wigan | 12 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 23 | 6 |
Playing today
Chelsea-Liverpool - 17:00
Tomorrow
Tottenham-Aston Villa - 21:00
Top scorers
13 goals: Van Persie (Arsenal).
10 goals: Dzeko (Man. City), Aguero (Man. City).
9 goals: Rooney (Man. United).
8 goals: Ba (Newcastle).
Next fixtures
Saturday: 13.45 Stoke vs Blackburn. 16.00 Bolton vs Everton; Chelsea vs Wolves; Manchester United vs New-castle United; Norwich City vs QPR; Sunderland vs Wigan; West Brom-wich vs Tottenham Hotspur. 18.30 Arsenal vs Fulham.
Sunday: 14.30 Swansea vs Aston Villa; 17.00 Liverpool vs Man. City.
Championship
Barnsley 2 - Doncaster 0
Birmingham 1 - Peterborough 1
Burnley 1 - Leeds2
Coventry 1 - West Ham 2
Derby 0 - Hull 2
Middlesbrough 2 - Blackpool 2
Nottm Forest 3 - Ipswich 2
Reading 1 - Cardiff 2
Southampton 3 - Brighton 0
Watford 2 - Portsmouth 0
Playing today
Leicester-Crystal Palace - 16:00
Millwall-Bristol City - 14:15
Standings: Southampton 39; West Ham 34; M’boro 31; Cardiff 30; Leeds 28; Hull 27; Blackpool 26; C. Palace 25; Derby 24; Peterborough, Brighton 23; Birmingham, Leicester 22; Reading, Barnsley 21; Ipswich, N. Forest 20; Portsmouth, Watford 19; Millwall, Burnley 18; Bristol City 13; Coventry, Doncaster 12.
League One
Brentford 0 - Charlton 1
Colchester 1 - MK Dons 5
Huddersfield 2 - Notts County 1
Leyton Orient 0 - Stevenage 0
Oldham 5 - Chesterfield 2
Preston 0 - Rochdale 1
Scunthorpe 0 - Hartlepool 2
Sheffield United 1 - Carlisle 0
Tranmere 1 - Sheff. Wed. 2
Walsall 2 - Bury 4
Wycombe 0 - Bournemouth 1
Yeovil 2 - Exeter 2
Standings: Charlton 43; Huddersfield 38; Sheffield Wed. 36; MK Dons 33; Sheffield Utd 32; N. County 28; Stevenage 27; Tranmere, Brentford, Hartlepool, Carlisle 26; Oldham 25; Bury 24; Colchester, Preston 23; Bournemouth 22; L. Orient 19; Scunthorpe 18; Roch-dale, Exeter 17; Walsall 15; Yeovil, Wycombe, Chesterfield 13.
League Two
AFC Wimbledon 1 - Swindon 1
Aldershot 1 - Gillingham 2
Bradford 2 - Rotherham 3
Bristol Rovers 0 - Barnet 2
Cheltenham 2 - Port Vale 0
Crawley Town 4 - Oxford United 1
Dagenham 2 - Southend 3
Hereford 2 - Burton Albion 3
Macclesfield 1 - Accrington 1
Morecambe 1 - Crewe 2
Northampton 2 - Shrewsbury 7
Torquay 3 - Plymouth 1
Standings: Southend 41; Crawley 39; Cheltenham 35; Shrewsbury 34; Burton 32; Morecambe, Swindon, Gillingham 30; Oxford 29; Torquay, Rotherham 27; Wimbledon 26; Port Vale, Macclesfield 25; Aldershot 23; Crewe 22; Bristol Rovers 21; Acc. Stanley 20; Hereford 17; Northampton, Barnet 16; Bradford 14; Dagenham 13; Plymouth 9.