Here are the games that took place earlier today:
Aston Villa-3 West Ham United-0: I saw a little of this game, and Villa dominated right from the start. West Ham only managed to get one shot on goal, while logged a remarkable 16 corners. Stewart Downing and Stiliyan Petrov scored for Villa in the first half, while James Milner scored maybe his last goal for Villa in the 66th minute. The fans at Villa Park cheered Milner for possibly one last time before his was subbed in the 85th minute.
Marc Albrighton also received mass appraise from the fans after he assisted on a goal and recorded three shots.
Blackburn Rovers-1 Everton-0: Everton controlled this game, but a stumble by American goalkeeper Tim Howard cost Everton the game. Howard attempted to clear the ball, but muffed it, and it fell to the feet of Nikola Kilinic. Kilinic slotted the ball home, and that was the difference in the game.
Everton had chances to tie the game. They took 21shots, but only four of them were on goal. Everton had 70% of the possession, but were not able to capitalize on it. Ultimately, Everton will be disappointed with their start of the season. Blackburn, on the other hand, will be thrilled to come away with three points.
Bolton Wanderers-0 Fulham-0: This was a very evenly matched game, and the scoreline suggests that. David Stockdale filled in admirably for Mark Schwarzer in goal. Schwarzer has made it clear he wants to go to Arsenal, and he'll probably end up there. American Stuart Holden had a good game for Bolton, almost scoring but falling just short.
Sunderland-2 Birmingham-2: Sunderland thought they had the game all wrapped up after gaining a two goal lead in the 56th minute. Even though Sunderland lost Lee Cattermole to a red card in the 43rd minute, the game looked locked up. It was not to be however, as Birmingham stormed back and tied it in the final minutes.
Darren Bent scored from the penalty spot to open the scoring in the 24th minute. Birmingham cut the lead in half in the 77th minute with a goal from the head of Scott Dann. Liam Ridgewell was the hero for Birmingham, tying it in the 88th minute. Both sides will be disappointed. Sunderland because of the red card and the collapse. Birmingham because of the questionable penalty call.
Blackpool-4 Wigan-0: Blackpool smashed Wigan and sealed this game early on. This is a shock win for the many of us who wrote Blackpool off. Again, I did predict that Wigan would be relegated this year, but I did not think Blackpool would utterly destroy them.
Marlon Harewood was the Man of the Match, scoring two goals and assisting on another. Gary Taylor-Fletcher and Alex Baptiste also scored in Blackpool's first game in the top flight since the 70's. Manager Ian Holloway will be proud.
Wolverhampton Wanderers-2 Stoke City-1: Steven Fletcher had a joyous debut with Wolves today, scoring a goal in the 39th to put his club up two. Only two minutes earlier, David Jones hit the net to open the scoring. Stoke City showed some promise but struggled when Kenwyne Jones was subbed out due to injury.
Great start for Wolves at home. These are the kinds of games they need to win to stay afloat in the Premier League.
Chelsea-6 West Bromwich-0: Chelsea came out flying in their opening game today, destroying newly promoted West Bromwich Albion. Man of the Match Didier Drogba netted a hat trick in the game. Florent Malouda netted two goals himself. Frank Lampard also found the back of the net at Stamford Bridge.
This was too be expected from the defending champions, but it is still a good sign. Chelsea's preseason struggles clearly have not carried over into the season.
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