Published : Aug. 18, 2013 - 20:04
Cardiff City’s Kim Bo-kyung is tackled by West Ham United’s Mark Noble on Saturday. (AP-Yonhap News)
MANCHESTER, England (AP) ― Two spectacular goals from Robin van Persie helped Manchester United begin its Premier League title defense with a 4-1 win at Swansea, while the alarm bells are ringing at his former club Arsenal just one game into the new season.
David Moyes’ first league match in charge of United couldn’t have gone any better, with Van Persie matching Danny Welbeck’s brace with two brilliant goals of his own to signal his intent on finishing top scorer in England for a third straight season.
There is already an air of discontent at Arsenal, however, after a 3-1 home loss to Aston Villa, which ended with fans booing the team off and voicing their anger at manager Arsene Wenger’s failure to strengthen his threadbare squad in the close season.
Christian Benteke scored twice for Villa, with Laurent Koscielny’s second-half sending-off after two yellow cards compounding Arsenal’s misery.
Liverpool relied on Daniel Sturridge’s first-half goal and a late penalty save by debutant Simon Mignolet to clinch a 1-0 victory against Stoke, while West Ham, Southampton and Fulham also opened an eagerly anticipated campaign with wins. Norwich drew 2-2 with Everton.
Swansea City’s Ki Sung-yueng heads upfield against Manchester United on Saturday. (AFP-Yonhap News)
After securing his first piece of silverware at United by winning the Community Shield last weekend, Moyes now has a maiden league victory to savor. Suddenly, the pressure of filling the boots of predecessor Alex Ferguson, who won 38 major titles in nearly 27 years at Old Trafford before retiring in May, doesn’t feel so heavy.
“It’s one game in 38 and, from that point of view, it’s just the start for me,” Moyes said.
Germany
Mario Mandzukic’s first-half strike was enough for Bayern Munich to grind out a 1-0 win at Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
Mandzukic scored in the 13th minute with a fine volley from Thomas Mueller’s cross.
The home side was left to rue a disallowed goal from Alexander Meier before the break, with TV replays showing offside was the wrong call, though the Frankfurt midfielder may have touched the ball with his hand as he headed in Johannes Flum’s goalward effort.
Hoffenheim routed Hamburger SV 5-1 in Hamburg, Wolfsburg beat Schalke 4-0, Leverkusen won 1-0 at Stuttgart, Werder Bremen beat Augsburg 1-0, and Mainz won 2-1 at Freiburg.
Borussia Moenchengladbach was to host Hannover later Saturday.
While Bayern equaled its club record of 27 consecutive Bundesliga games without defeat set in 1989, Pep Guardiola’s side was fortunate to emerge with the win.
Bastian Schweinsteiger did have the chance to seal it in the 89th, but was denied by Frankfurt goalkeeper Kevin Trapp.
Then Srdjan Lakic rounded Manuel Neuer at the other end, only for Dante to clear off the line.
Meier appeared to be hindered in the area by Jerome Boateng and Dante in injury time, but referee Peter Gagelmann waved away Frankfurt’s penalty claims.
Spain
Carlos Vela scored one goal and set up another Saturday as Real Sociedad picked up where it left off last season by outclassing Getafe 2-0 with its exquisite flowing attack to inaugurate the Spanish league at Anoeta Stadium.
The Mexico forward netted the first goal of the 2013-14 season from a pass by Gonzalo “Chori” Castro in the 42nd, and then as sisted Haris Seferovic for the new signing to get a deserved goal in the 70th.
Sociedad showed no signs of the transition from former manager Philippe Montanier to promoted assistant Jagoba Arrasate as it maintained its passing style that last season earned it a playoff for the Champions League group phase beginning Tuesday at Lyon.
France
Marseille eased to a 2-0 win at home to Evian on Saturday as it continued its perfect start in the French league.
Last year’s runner-up took the lead in the 16th minute, when Rod Fanni lifted the ball over the defense to Andre-Pierre Gignac, who feinted past Jonathan Mensah and rifled a shot into the back of the net from the edge of the penalty area.