Arsenal defeated Newcastle 3-0 behind two first-half goals from Robin Van Persie on Saturday.
Arsenal defeated Newcastle 3-0 behind two first-half goals from Robin Van Persie on Saturday. Emphatically bouncing back from last weekend’s surprise loss to Fulham.
Denilson added the third goal as Arsenal produced an attacking clinic at Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal, which also routed FC Twente 4-0 in a Champions League qualifier on Wednesday, seemed rejuvenated by the return of Spain midfielder Cesc Fabregas and played with all its trademark flair and finesse that was missing during last Saturday’s 1-0 loss at London rival Fulham.
With the win, Arsenal has six points after three rounds, while Newcastle has four.
Also, newcomer Hull suffered its first Premier League loss when it was beaten by Wigan 5-0. Everton also lost at home as Portsmouth recovered from two straight defeats with a 3-0 win, while Middlesbrough needed a late goal from Tuncay Sanli to beat 10-man Stoke 2-1.
League leader Chelsea played Tottenham on Sunday, while defending champion Manchester United had the weekend off after losing 2-1 against Russian club Zenit St. Petersburg in the European Super Cup on Friday.
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GENOA, Italy - Defending champion Inter Milan managed a 1-1 draw against Sampdoria on the opening day of the Italian league, spoiling new coach Jose Mourinho’s Serie A debut.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic had given Inter the lead in the 33rd minute on a shot from a tight angle that bounced off the post, but Marco Del Vecchio equalized by knocking in a rebound just a few feet from the goal line in the 68th.
Inter pressured Sampdoria on every ball from the opening whistle, but the hosts also created several scoring chances before Del Vecchio finally broke through in the second half. Sampdoria playmaker Antonio Cassano could have scored a winner but failed to control a long pass that would have left him one-on-one with Inter goalkeeper Julio Cesar.
Also Saturday, Antonio Di Natale scored twice to help Udinese defeat Palermo 3-1. The rest of the opening round is Sunday.
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FRANKFURT, Germany - Schalke shook off its Champions League disappointment to beat VfL Bochum 1-0 and take the lead in the Bundesliga on goal difference.
Hamburger SV and Borussia Dortmund both won on the road to join Schalke on seven points. Hamburg rallied from a two-goal deficit to win 4-2 at Arminia Bielefeld and Dortmund edged Energie Cottbus 1-0.
Hoffenheim, the only team to win its first two matches, lost at Bayer Leverkusen 5-2. Both now have six points.
Werder Bremen, which finished runner-up last season to Bayern Munich, lost 3-2 at promoted Borussia Moenchengladbach and is still without a win after three games.
“We played without passion, it was a real setback,” Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf said.
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MADRID, Spain - Luis Garcia’s 48th-minute goal gave Espanyol a 1-0 win over Valladolid in the opening match of the Spanish league season.
The first goal of the new campaign came after striker Garcia received Ivan De La Pena’s pass before unleashing a shot past Valladolid goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo.
Espanyol’s victory at its Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium made for an encouraging start for coach Bartolome “Tintin” Marquez, who replaced Ernesto Valverde at the end of last season. Valverde is now in charge of Greek club Olympiakos.
