Football round-up - Saturday, 24 August

By Simon Wright - Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88

Seven Barclays Premier League games on Saturday promised a lot, but largely disappointed with a meagre total of just 11 goals.

The most goals of the day came in the lunchtime kick-off at Craven Cottage between Fulham and Arsenal.  The Gunners beat their opposition 3-1 in terrible conditions in west London.  

Olivier Giroud put Arsene Wenger’s side infront as the home side’s high offside trap tactic was cruelly exposed.  Lukas Podolski (pictured) helped himself to a brace of goals a day after German media speculated he was heading back to the Bundesliga on loan to Schalke 04.  Darren Bent’s first goal for his new club was no more than a small consolation for the Cottagers.

Liverpool maintained their 100 per cent start with a solid performance to win 1-0 at Aston Villa in the Saturday evening kick-off.  Daniel Sturridge was once again the match winner, scoring the solitary strike half an hour into play.  Villa looked tired throughout, but battled hard again and Simon Mignolet had to make a couple of smart saves to deny the Villains main threat in Christian Benteke.

Hull City notched up their first victory back in the Premier League, as they overcame Norwich City 1-0 at the KC Stadium.  The only goal arrived courtesy of the penalty spot from Robbie Brady, although the award of the penalty against former Tigers defender Michael Turner left Chris Hughton less than amused.  Hull had to play an hour with 10 men after Yannick Sagbo attempted to head-butt Russell Martin.  The referee had no option, red card, get off the field.  However Norwich came up woefully short in attack and Hull deserved their win.

Mark Hughes saw his Stoke side come from behind to beat Crystal Palace 2-1, and earned the Welshman his first win in 16 Barclays Premier League matches.  The visitors fell behind on 30 minutes as Marouane Chamakh scored his first goal at this level in two years after outmuscling Stoke central defenders Ryan Shawcross and Robert Huth.  The Potters turned the match around in four second half minutes.  Charlie Adam brought the scores level, before Shawcross poked home a scrappy winner.

Southampton and Sunderland shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw on the south coast.  The Saints scored a late goal for the second time in two weeks, as Jose Fonte’s equaliser saved a point.  Sunderland had led proceedings from the third minute as Emanuele Giaccherini nodded in his first goal for his new club.

Everton and West Brom played out a 0-0 draw at Goodison Park in a slightly bad-tempered affair.  Both Jonas Olsson and Leon Osman were lucky to stay on the field for dubious challenges, and Ben Foster was forced off by a calf injury.  It also finished goalless in a very turgid affair between Newcastle United and West Ham United on Tyneside.

Blackpool went top of the Championship on Saturday despite still having a squad short on numbers.  Substitute Tom Barkhuizen came off the bench to score the only goal in the 1-0 triumph over Reading.  QPR and Leicester City also joined Blackpool on 10 points with narrow wins of their own.  Andy Johnson grabbed the sole goal in QPR’s excellent 1-0 win at Bolton, who have just two points from their first four games.  Leicester edged out Birmingham 3-2.

There was fury at The Valley where the match between Charlton Athletic and Doncaster Rovers was abandoned at half-time because of a waterlogged pitch.  Doncaster charged into a 3-0 lead inside 20 minutes before referee Lee Collins took the players off due to the unsafe conditions.  After a delay of nearly half an hour, the players resumed to complete the half.  By which time, Doncaster’s Paul Keegan had been dismissed and Charlton had pulled the scoreline back to 3-1, but the rain beat the ground and the game was eventually called off.  Rovers boss Paul Dickov was incensed by the suspension of the match.

Barnsley are now propping up the Championship table after they were battered 5-2 by Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park.  Rovers goal king Jordan Rhodes struck twice for the home side.  Millwall climbed off the bottom as Andy Keogh’s late penalty rescued a point away at Sheffield Wednesday.  The Lions had to play the first half of the 2-2 draw at Hillsborough in borrowed away kit from the home side after they forgot to pack their away kits for the trip to Sheffield!

Leyton Orient made it four wins from four in League One with a 2-0 success at home to Crewe Alexandra.  Goals from Moses Odubajo and David Mooney gave Orient another victory, although Peterborough United keep right on the pace with a 5-0 thumping of Tranmere Rovers at Prenton Park.  Bradford City striker Nakhi Wells broke a Bantams goalscoring record at home to Sheffield United.  He stretched his run to scoring in eight successive matches for the club in their 2-0 victory against the inconsistent Blades.

Oxford United sit on top in League Two but Johnny Mullins’ injury-time equaliser saved a point at home to Wycombe Wanderers.  Bristol Rovers recorded their first victory of the campaign in a 3-2 success against York City and a late winner from Armand Gnanduillet helped Chesterfield to a late 2-1 win over Southend United.

In Scotland, Celtic came from two goals down to save a draw at home to Inverness Caledonian Thistle.  There were first victories of the Premiership season for Hibernian and Ross County and Dundee United thumped St Johnstone 4-0 at Tannadice.