West Ham and Southampton maintained their unlikely but impressive starts to the season when the Hammers beat champions Manchester City 2-1 and the Saints moved up to second with a 1-0 win over Stoke yesterday.
Chelsea, who visit Manchester United today, lead the Premier League title chase with 22 points from eight matches while Southampton are second with 19 from nine games.
City are third on 17 after losing at West Ham through goals from Morgan Amalfitano and Diafra Sakho. The champions could trail Chelsea by eight points by tonight if Jose Mourinho’s men maintain their unbeaten start to the season and win again at Old Trafford.
In other action, Arsenal won 2-0 at Sunderland, Liverpool were held to a goalless draw at home by Hull and West Brom fought back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 at home to Crystal Palace.
West Ham did not have it easy against Manchester City who dominated possession but hit the bar twice through Yaya Toure and only scored once through David Silva.
Frenchman Amalfitano put the Hammers ahead with a tap-in after a brilliant low spinning cross from Enner Valencia after 21 minutes.
Senegalese Sakho became the first West Ham player to score in six successive Premier League games when he made it 2-0 with a goal given after goal-line technology showed his header had crossed the line.
Silva pulled one back for City with a great solo effort as he weaved through the defence two minutes later.
“It wasn’t a lucky victory by any stretch of the imagination today because our commitment and desire to play against the big boys and the present league champions was there for all to see,” West Ham manager Sam Allardyce said.
City manager Manuel Pellegrini denied he was under any pressure after his side also let slip a 2-0 lead against CSKA Moscow to draw 2-2 in the Champions League in midweek.
He said: “I always feel the pressure exactly the same from the first day to today.
“West Ham played very well especially in the first half and they did not allow us to move the ball but we were very unlucky because we had a lot of chances.”
Southampton’s fairytale start to the season is turning into a credible challenge for a top-four finish after they beat Stoke.
Although they were never likely to reproduce last week’s 8-0 win over Sunderland, Sadio Mane’s 33rd-minute strike separated the teams at St Mary’s as Southampton won for the sixth time in nine matches.
“The first half was fantastic,” said manager Ronald Koeman.
“We played very well and dominated the game, scored a good goal and had other good opportunities in the first half but we did not kill the game and it was difficult to the last seconds.”
Last week Southampton scored their biggest league win since 1921 when they thrashed Sunderland but Koeman said: “Maybe this win is more important than last week’s because it’s not always that easy and you have to fight for it”.
Arsenal won for only the third time in nine league matches, beating Sunderland with Alexis Sanchez scoring twice.
Liverpool’s woes continued when they were held by Hull with Mario Balotelli missing an open goal with almost the last kick.
Record defeat for Brummies
Birmingham City suffered a humiliating 8-0 defeat to record-breaking Bournemouth at St Andrew’s in The Championship yesterday, the club’s biggest home loss in their 139-year history.
The second tier Midlands team, who were playing in the Premier League just three years ago, crashed to their record reverse at the end of a week in which they sacked their manager Lee Clark.
The managerless outfit have plummeted to one from bottom of the Championship after a hammering which tops the three times previously in league football that they have conceded seven goals at home, the last time being against West Bromwich Albion in 1960.
The eight-goal margin of defeat also equals their all-time worst league losses, 9-1 at Sheffield Wednesday in 1930 and at Blackburn in 1895 in the old first division.
The seventh-minute sending off of Birmingham’s David Edgar was pivotal as Bournemouth enjoyed their biggest-ever league win, topping their 7-0 rout of Swindon in Division Three South in 1956.
Results and standings
Premier League
Liverpool 0
Hull City 0
Att: 44,591;
S’thampton 1
Mane 33;
Stoke City 0
HT: 1-0. Att: 30,017.
Sunderland 0
Arsenal 2
Sanchez 30, 90;
HT: 0-1. Att: 44,449.
Swansea 2
Bony 34, 57;
Leicester City 0
HT: 1-0. Att: 20,259.
West Brom 2
Anichebe 51; Berahino 90p;
C. Palace 2
Hangeland 16; Jedinak 45p;
HT: 0-2. Att: 24,738.
West Ham 2
Amalfitano 21; Sakho 75;
Man. City 1
Silva 77;
HT: 1-0. Att: 34,977.
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts | |
| Chelsea | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 8 | 22 |
| Southampton | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 20 | 5 | 19 |
| Man. City | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 19 | 10 | 17 |
| West Ham | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 12 | 16 |
| Arsenal | 9 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 15 | 11 | 14 |
| Swansea | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 10 | 14 |
| Liverpool | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 12 | 14 |
| Man. United | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 15 | 12 | 12 |
| Hull City | 9 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 13 | 13 | 11 |
| Tottenham | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 11 | 11 |
| Stoke City | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 11 |
| West Brom | 9 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 13 | 10 |
| Aston Villa | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 12 | 10 |
| Everton | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 16 | 16 | 9 |
| C. Palace | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 16 | 9 |
| Leicester | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 9 |
| Sunderland | 9 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 17 | 8 |
| Newcastle | 8 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 14 | 7 |
| Burnley | 8 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 13 | 4 |
| QPR | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 18 | 4 |
Playing today
Burnley vs Everton - 14.30
Man. United vs Chelsea - 17.00
Tottenham vs Newcastle - 14.30
Tomorrow
QPR vs Aston Villa - 21.00
Top scorers
9 goals: Costa (Chelsea), Aguero (Man. City).
7 goals: Berahino (West Bromwich Albion).
6 goals: Pelle (Southampton), Sakho (West Ham United).
5 goals: Sanchez (Arsenal), Ulloa (Leicester City).
4 goals: Naismith (Everton), Jevalic (Hull City), Cisse (Newcastle United), Chadli (Tottenham), Bony (Swansea), Diame (Hull City).
Next fixtures
Tuesday: League Cup, Last 16 20.45 Bournemouth vs West Brom; MK Dons vs Sheffield United; Shrewsbury vs Chelsea; Fulham vs Derby County; Liverpool vs Swansea.
Wednesday: League Cup, Last 16 20.45 Manchester City vs Newcastle United; Stoke City vs Southampton; Tottenham Hotspur vs Brighton and Hove Albion.
Saturday: Premier League 13.45 Newcastle United vs Liverpool. 16.00 Arsenal vs Burnley; Chelsea vs Queen’s Park Rangers; Everton vs Swansea City; Hull City vs Southampton; Leicester City vs West Bromwich Albion; Stoke City vs West Ham United.
Sunday: Premier League 14.30 Manchester City vs Manchester United; 17.00 Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotspur.
Monday, Nov. 2: Premier League 21.00 Crystal Palace vs Sunderland.
The Championship
Birmingham 0 - Bournemouth 8
Bolton 3 - Brentford 1
Brighton 1 - Rotherham 1
Derby County 1 - Wigan 2
Ipswich Town 2 - Huddersfield 2
Leeds United 1 - Wolves 2
M’brough 1 - Watford1
Millwall 1 - Cardiff City0
Nottm Forest 1 - Blackburn 3
Reading 3 - Blackpool 0
Sheff. Wed.0 - Norwich 0
Standings: Derby, Watford, Wolves 26; Bournemouth, M’boro 24; Norwich 23; N. Forest, Blackburn, Charlton 22; Ipswich 21; Cardiff, Sheff. Wed., Brentford 19; Reading 18; Millwall, Rotherham, Huddersfield 17; Leeds 16; Wigan 15; Fulham 14; Brighton 13; Bolton, Birmingham 11; Blackpool 6.
League One
Barnsley 2 - Bristol City 2
Coventry 3 - Peterborough 2
Crewe 0 - Sheffield Utd1
Doncaster 0 - MK Dons 0
Gillingham 1 - Crawley 1
Oldham 2 - Bradford 1
Port Vale 3 - Leyton Orient 0
Preston NE 3 - Fleetwood 2
Scunthorpe 0 - Notts County 1
Swindon 2 - Colchester2
Walsall 1 - Chesterfield 0
Yeovil 0 - Rochdale 3
Standings: Bristol City 33; Preston 28; N. County, Peterboro, Sheffield Utd 26; Oldham 25; MK Dons 24; Roch-dale, Swindon 23; Chesterfield, Fleetwood, Bradford 19; Crawley 18; Colchester 17; Barnsley, Port Vale, Coventry 16; Leyton Orient, Walsall, Doncaster 15; Gillingham 14; Yeovil, Crewe 13; Scunthorpe 12.
League Two
Wimbledon 2 - Tranmere 2
Cambridge 2 - Hartlepool 1
Carlisle 2 - Oxford 1
Luton Town 1 - Northampton 0
Newport 1 - Accrington 1
Plymouth 3 - Cheltenham 0
Shrewsbury 2 - Portsmouth 1
Southend 1 - Bury 1
Stevenage 1 - Burton 0
Wycombe 1 - Dagenham 1
York 1 - Mansfield 1
Playing today
Morecambe vs Exeter - 14.00
Standings: Luton 30; Wycombe 29; Burton 28; Shrewsbury, Bury 27; Plymouth 26; Newport, Morecambe 23; Southend, Cheltenham 22; Cambridge 21; Wimbledon, Portsmouth, Stevenage, Accrington 20; Exeter, Mansfield 19; Northampton 18; Oxford 16; Carlisle, Dagenham 15; York City 12; Tranmere Rovers, Hartlepool 11.