Manchester United beat Fulham comfortable but Rooney has lost, Chelsea that continues to rise, Liverpool missed the win against City.

Manchester United v Fulham : Van Persie scores, Rooney hurt in United win

Damien Duff scored after just three minutes as United struggled again in defence following their opening defeat at Everton, but Van Persie drew his new employers level with a brilliant finish after 10 minutes, the former Arsenal captain caressing a volley into the far corner.

With Rooney unexpectedly dropped to the bench, Kagawa, a summer recruit from Borussia Dortmund, added a second from close range before the adventurous Rafael made it three with a header to give United a comfortable lead at half time.

Fulham battled on bravely, however, and their ongoing endeavour was rewarded when David De Gea failed to deal with a cross from the left and Nemanja Vidic turned the ball into his own net.

But while United clung on to record their first win of the season, they lost Rooney to a nasty gash on the leg in a nervy period of injury time. His thigh was opened up by the boot of Hugo Rodallega and Rooney was taken off on a stretcher, with initial estimates suggesting the striker could be absent for as much as four weeks.

Rooney was initially punished for a rather listless performance in the defeat to Everton when being dropped by Ferguson for the first time since Boxing Day 2011. Indeed, the striker started only two games on the bench for United last season, the arrival of Van Persie apparently immediately threatening his untouchable status at Old Trafford.

Rooney found himself in good company though: the United bench had 1,776 Premier League appearances between them, 110 of which belonged to Jonny Evans. The defender was returning from injury to help ease United’s injury problems, but not quite soon enough as Michael Carrick, who was bullied by Marouane Fellaini in Everton’s shock 1-0 win on Monday night, found himself exposed once again.

After only two minutes the makeshift centre-back was caught out by Mladen Petric – scorer of two goals on debut last weekend – as he conceded a clumsy free kick right on the edge of the box. United’s lack of defensive nous showed again when Bryan Ruiz picked out Duff with a disguised, low pass to the penalty spot and the winger, who this week retired from international football, swept the ball home first time.

United had to respond with a newly calibrated attack that was geared around Kagawa playing off Van Persie. With Rooney benched, they needed the new arrivals to settle in quickly and Van Persie played his part, opening his United account with his first shot for the club after 10 minutes. It was a sumptuous finish from the Dutchman as he met a bouncing cross from Patrice Evra near the penalty spot with a gorgeous volley to turn the ball inside the far corner.

Despite the accomplished nature of the finish, United were lacking a bit of fluency initially, though Antonio Valencia was a constant threat having been restored to his favoured position at right midfield and linked up well with right-back Rafael, who was keen to push forward at every given opportunity and attack the Fulham left.

Kagawa, stationed centrally, began to grow in influence and after having one shot and playing in Ashley Young for another, the Japan international joined Van Persie in scoring his first United goal after 35 minutes. The Dutchman had a corner cleared as far as Tom Cleverley and when the midfielder’s low effort was spilled by Schwarzer, Kagawa was on hand and onside to tap the ball home.

Fulham were restricted to a sniff of a half chance when De Gea indulged in some inadvisable skills in his own box, dragging the ball through his legs and away from the charging Petric following a Rafael back-pass.

For the first time in this embryonic season there seemed a real swagger about United and few players embodied this as graphically as Rafael, who decided to abandon any pretence at defence and perform as an auxiliary attacker. Indeed, just minutes after having a goal ruled out for offside when he tapped in following a shot by Kagawa against the post and a follow-up effort from Young, he extended United’s lead with a firm header at the back post from a chipped Young cross.

Fulham should have pulled one back just minutes before the break when Alexander Kacaniklic had a low shot saved by De Gea, and Petric then saw his follow-up effort deflected onto the bar by the desperate Spanish keeper. But United retained a two-goal lead conjured up by their two big summer signings.

Half-time presaged a dip in United’s performance though. They continued to dominate possession but Fulham became harder to break down, Sascha Riether and Hangeland in particular proving a formidable barrier to United’s aspirations. When the visiting defence was opened up by a fine cross from Van Persie, Rafael’s misdirected header took the ball away from the more advantageously placed Young at the back post

After 64 minutes, United’s veneer of superiority was punctured as Fulham narrowed their lead to a solitary goal. It was a regulation cross from the left from Fulham but De Gea flapped at the high ball and the muscular presence of Petric was enough to put Vidic off balance and divert the ball into his own net with his heel.

De Gea looked accusingly at his captain following the incident but he should have dealt with the situation far better. Though undoubtedly a very talented goalkeeper who makes plenty of fine saves, there remains a lingering uncertainty about the Spaniard that has proved hard to shake.

He showed the more admirable side of his nature soon after when tipping a firm effort from Moussa Dembele over the bar and then made an even more impressive save when denying the same player from close range after United comprehensively failed to deal with the subsequent corner.

The home side were keen to kill the game off as a contest and Rafael almost did so when seeing a superb effort turned over the bar by Schwarzer. However, Fulham always stayed in touch and almost drew level deep into injury time.

United found themselves down to 10 men when, with having made all three changes, Rooney sustained the lengthy gash on his thigh after Rodallega accidentally landed on him after a challenge.

Fulham had one last chance and the impressive Dembele swung a cross into the box to pick out the head of Ruiz. However, De Gea was equal to the forward’s header as he kept the ball out to ensure United picked up their first three points of the season.

Watch Manchester United v Fulham Match Video:

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 Chelsea v Newcastle United: Hazard helps Chelsea to third victory

The Belgian forward, purchased from Lille for a fee of £32 million this summer, had already created five goals in just two matches for Chelsea prior to Saturday evening’s game, which took place amid a deluge of rain in West London.

And when Fernando Torres was brought to ground by Vurnon Anita after 22 minutes, responsibility for the penalty was handed to Hazard with Frank Lampard sitting on the bench and he struck the ball home with all the confidence of a man who has settled in immediately to Premier League football.

When Chelsea extended their lead in first-half injury time, it was inevitably Hazard who rolled the ball backwards impudently for Torres to toe-poke a brilliant shot into the top corner, his creative instincts continuing to help deliver a new brand of football from a side who relied on oppressively negative tactics to win the Champions League last season.

Chelsea were forced to do without captain John Terry due to a neck injury while Lampard, in a nod to his advancing years, was rested from the starting XI. Newcastle meanwhile made nine changes from their European fixture in midweek, with Anita replacing the injured Cheick Tiote for his full Premier League debut following a transfer from Ajax.

While Chelsea’s new signings Cesar Azpilicueta and Victor Moses were presented to the Stamford Bridge crowd prior to kick-off – their acquisitions on Friday taking the club’s summer spending past the £80 million mark – it was the most lucrative of the new arrivals whom all eyes were focused on.

Having created five of Chelsea’s six goals in their opening two games of the season, Hazard has already developed quite the reputation in the Premier League and stationed out on the right against Newcastle he looked intent on wreaking yet more havoc.

After 14 minutes the Belgium international drifted inside, collected a short pass from John Obi Mikel and had a shot from 20 yards that lacked the precision or pace to trouble Tim Krul in the Newcastle goal. Team-mate Ryan Bertrand had a better chance soon after but also hit the ball too close to the Dutchman.

Chelsea posed only an intermittent threat but on 22 minutes Torres sprung to life as he surged into the box and drew a clumsy challenge from Anita. Phil Dowd pointed towards the penalty spot and Hazard continued his wonderful start to the season with the 10th conversion in 10 penalty attempts during his professional career, slotting the ball out of the reach of Krul.

Branislav Ivanovic – another one of the stars of Chelsea’s early campaign with two goals to his name – threatened again when connecting with an Ashley Cole cross with a firm header, while Hazard then combined with Juan Mata before the Spaniard tried to cross for Torres when a shot would have been the superior option.

Torres was a more sprightly presence following his key intervention for the penalty, and the Euro 2012 Golden Boot winner thought he had Fabricio Coloccini in trouble after being brought to ground by the defender as he skipped away from him. However, Phil Dowd misread the situation and angered Torres by booking him for diving.

With Newcastle restricted to a half-chance from Papiss Cisse that saw the striker turn quickly and test Petr Cech with a firm shot, Chelsea extended their lead deep into first half injury time. Torres slipped the ball into Hazard, who returned the favour with a lovely flick into the path of the Spaniard. Spotting a gap in the top corner , Torres toe-poked a lovely shot out of the reach of Krul for 2-0.

Newcastle were a renewed force after the break and placed Chelsea under considerable pressure with a number of shots from range. Demba Ba then drove into the box following a mistake from Mikel to force Cech into a smart save from a tight angle.

However, Chelsea always looked threatening on the break and almost got in behind on 61 minutes when Torres muscled Anita off the ball in the box. Displaying the fresh flood of confidence flowing through his veins, the Spaniard even attempted a ‘Rabona’ cross but failed to pick out Mata when placing one leg behind the other and punting the ball into the middle.

Newcastle carved out perhaps their finest chance of the game after 68 minutes when substitute Ryan Taylor delivered a teasing, deep cross to the back post. However, Cisse – scorer of two otherworldly goals at Stamford Bridge last season – could not keep his header on target despite being left free in the box.

By contrast, Hazard was a constant menace and with 10 minutes remaining he almost picked out Ramires for a third goal after thundering into the box. The ball fell to Bertrand, who saw Krul get an outstretched finger to his shot and tip the ball round the post.

Newcastle could have ensured a tense conclusion when a cross from Sylvain Marveaux was headed back to Ba. Though he missed the ball at the first attempt, Ba’s second effort was low and hard but Cech pulled off a fantastic save to protect Chelsea’s 2-0 lead.

Hazard and Torres had done their job: Chelsea’s stylish start to the season continued.

Watch Chelsea v Newcastle United Match Video:

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 Liverpool v Manchester City: City profit from howlers in Anfield draw

Having lost 3-0 to West Brom in their opening fixture, this was undoubtedly the performance Brendan Rodgers required from his Liverpool side and their superior passing and quality was rewarded as they twice took the lead through a Martin Skrtel header and a wonderful free kick from Luis Suarez.

However, a combination of a flapping Pepe Reina and a muddled Martin Kelly allowed Yaya Toure to equalise initially on 63 minutes, before Skrtel was guilty of a truly dreadful mistake as his awful back-pass allowed Carlos Tevez to round Reina and score with 10 minutes remaining.

Dominating a match against the reigning champions was clear progress for a side that prior to today had picked up just 18 points in 20 Premier League games in 2012, but it could and should have been an even more auspicious occasion for Rodgers in what was his first home league game as Liverpool manager.

Having carefully restored the old This Is Anfield sign and reintroduced red nets to the famous stadium, Rodgers has been at pains to put across the message that he is giving this grand old club a new lick of paint. That extended to the playing staff too with the average age of Liverpool’s team dropping to 24 years and 364 days – the youngest starting XI for the club since 2003.

That was in large part due to the fact that Liverpool gave a Premier League debut to 17-year-old Raheem Sterling and the forward, playing down the left, made an eye-catching contribution in the early stages. After 18 minutes, Sterling cut onto his right and delivered a wickedly dipping cross to find Fabio Borini charging towards the near post. However, having beaten Aleksandar Kolarov to the ball, the Italian striker turned his shot wide.

By this point Liverpool had already suffered the loss of Lucas Leiva – who spent so much of last season sidelined with a knee injury – to a muscular problem that forced his withdrawal after only five minutes, but the setback appeared to do little to disrupt their approach as they adopted a commendably high tempo and went in hunt of a goal from the off, pressing City hard.

Suarez was sparky enough, though the Uruguayan was a touch wasteful in the final third again, and alongside the immaculate Joe Allen, who failed to misplace a single pass in the entire first half, captain Steven Gerrard was influential too, threatening twice with early chances that he dragged wide of the post.

City by contrast seemed unbalanced with both Carlos Tevez and Mario Balotelli in attack and David Silva relegated to the bench, though they almost took the lead after 20 minutes when Tevez darted onto a through-ball from Samir Nasri, rounded Jose Reina and saw his shot from a tight angle bounce along the goal line and strike the far post.

But with the reigning champions only a intermittent threat, Liverpool secured the goal their efforts merited after 34 minutes. A dangerous cross from Gerrard forced a corner, and nearly an own goal, from Kompany, before the Liverpool captain delivered the set-piece from the right himself. Skrtel thundered into the box and leapt in front of Kolarov and Pablo Zabaleta to hammer his header past Joe Hart for a half-time lead.

With Allen producing a faultless display of passing, this was the kind of performance the appointment of Rodgers from Swansea had promised, even if this new style remains firmly in its infancy on Merseyside.

Liverpool should have extended their advantage after 50 minutes when Yaya Toure gave possession away with a sloppy cross-field pass. Borini took possession and slipped a pass inside to Suarez as his team-mate arrived on the edge of the box. Suarez also opted for finesse but failed to get the correct contact on the ball to beat Hart.

City looked strangely listless, a concern in the context of a rather unconvincing 3-2 win at home to Southampton in their opening game of the season, and it required a tactical switch from Mancini to re-establish themselves as a force in the game as he brought on Jack Rodwell for Samir Nasri and pushed Yaya Toure up the pitch. It is a ploy he has used regularly before, and brought immediate rewards.

On 63 minutes, Tevez muscled his way past Sterling on the City right and flung in a rather hopeful cross. However, Reina came and flapped at the ball in the air, meaning Martin Kelly was unprepared to deal with it when he came his way. The defender’s attempted clearance was still rather slapstick though and the ball fell to Yaya Toure, who slotted it home from close range.

But it was an undeserved equaliser for a City side uncomfortable in a 3-5-2 formation and horribly sloppy in possession, and Liverpool deservedly stole the lead back inside three minutes. Rodwell fouled Gerrard 25 yards from goal and Suarez dispatched a perfectly judged free kick that curled around the outside of the wall and snuck inside the near post.

Liverpool enjoyed their renewed ascendancy and should have been afforded the chance to take a two-goal lead on 73 minutes when Kolarov brought down Glen Johnson with a clumsy challenge from behind, only to be mystifyingly let off the hook. Liverpool were bemused, and they were made to pay.

Having just cleared superbly from the centre of his own box, Skrtel ruined a fantastic performance with a horrendous lapse of judgement on 80 minutes. After checking back on the left wing, he tried to play a back pass to Reina but instead rolled the ball into the path of Tevez, who did very well to hold his composure, round Reina and tap the ball home.

Liverpool threw on Andy Carroll in an attempted to secure the win they deserved and the striker did come close when seeing a late header cleared off the line by Rodwell. Shelvey went close too with a lovely shot from range but Rodgers was to be denied a win that would have firmly shaken off the blues of an opening defeat at West Brom.

Watch Liverpool v Manchester City Match Video:

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