EPL Weekly Round-Up: Manchester 13 North London 3, Chelsea and Liverpool cruise into top 4 & Newcastle show their Best!

Deadly Duo

Defending champions Manchester United ran riot as they humiliated Arsenal 8-2 at Old Trafford on Sunday. Wayne Rooney inspired a young Red Devils side with a deserving hat-trick, two of which were well-taken free kicks from just outside the box. In the meantime, he also crossed the 150 goals landmark for Manchester United in all competitions, going ahead of Ruud van Nistelrooy. New signing Ashley Young was equally brilliant, scoring a brace & assisting the same number of goals. The other names on the scoresheet for Man United were Welbeck (who had to be sidelined with a hamstring injury in the 35th minute), Nani & substitute Park, while it were Walcott & van Persie for the Gunners. The match also proved to be a significant morale boost for United goalkeeper David De Gea, who pulled off a number of brilliant saves including the penalty taken by van Persie in the first half. It happened to be the first time since 1896 that Arsenal have conceded eight goals, which gives manager Arsene Wenger sufficient food for thought. This victory takes Manchester United to the top of the table, ahead of crosstown rivals Manchester City on goal difference.

How The Rivals Fared

Manchester City produced an entertaining display at Whit Hart Lane as they thumped hosts Tottenham Hotspur 5-1. Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko was on target for the Citizens, scoring four of them, the only other name on the scoresheet being that of Sergio 'Kun' Aguero. Samir Nasri, who moved from Arsenal for a fee of £25 million last week, made a sparkling debut for the Blues, assisting 3 goals against his former North London rivals. The only consolation for Spurs came through Younes Kaboul, who headed in a corner but the damage had already been done by then. The win took Man City to the top of the table temporarily, before Man United surged ahead on goal difference.

Chelsea overcame a resilient Norwich City to beat them 3-1 at Stamford Bridge. Jose Bosingwa scored a cracker as early in the 5th minute but Grant Holt capitalised on an error from Hilario to bring the Canaries back on level terms. However, Norwich goalkeeper Ruddy was sent off when he brought down Ramires inside the box, Lampard restoring the hosts' lead from the resulting penalty. The game also marked the debuts of Romelu Lukaku & Juan Mata, the latter scoring the final goal to inflict more misery on the visitors.

Liverpool were mercurial as they swept aside Bolton Wanderers 3-1 at Anfield. Summer signings Jordan Henderson & Charlie Adam both scored their first goals for the club, apart from defender Martin Skrtel while Ivan Klasnic grabbed a last-minute consolation goal for the Trotters. The win took the Merseyside Reds into the top four at third place, above Chelsea.

Leon Best was clinical in front of goal he grabbed a brace to help Newcastle United beat Fulham 2-1 at St. James Park. Clint Dempsey pulled one back late into the game but the Magpies held on to extend their unbeaten run in the Premier League.

The current top four standings are as under:

Man United - 9 points

Man City - 9 points

Liverpool - 7 points

Chelsea - 7 points

The Weekly Verdict:

Team Of The Week - Manchester United

Player Of The Week - Edin Dzeko

That's all Folks!