Football: Chelsea back to winning ways against Bournemouth

LONDON -- Chelsea manager Graham Potter praised the Blues' reaction to a poor run prior to the World Cup as they eased past Bournemouth 2-0 on Tuesday to end a five-game winless streak in the Premier League.

Kai Havertz and Mason Mount struck inside the first 24 minutes to get Chelsea back in the hunt for a place in next season's Champions League.

Victory took Chelsea up to eighth and within six points of the top four.

"You have to use breaks as best you can," Potter told Amazon Prime. "Evaluate and reassess and get injured players back. We used it as best we could even with players coming back at different times."

However, victory came at a cost as defender Reece James limped off on his return from the knee injury which kept him out of England’s World Cup campaign.

James cruised through the first half but called for a substitution early in the second and looked disconsolate as he pointed to his knee before going to ground.

"You can see his quality. It's a blow for us," added Potter. "I'm not sure on the state of the injury. It's too early to say."

Potter, aiming to avoid overseeing a fourth consecutive Chelsea league defeat for the first time since 1998, handed Denis Zakaria his Premier League debut.

The Swiss midfielder broke forward well to drive Chelsea up the pitch in the first half, while the effervescent attacking duo of Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic led the Bournemouth defence on a merry dance.

Sterling provided the opener with an incisive low cross to the back post where Havertz slid in to convert in the 16th minute.

Mount doubled the lead with a well-taken drive from the edge of the box as Chelsea stepped up another gear before Pulisic had another goal disallowed for a foul by Havertz in the build-up.

After three games in all competitions without scoring a goal, the Blues were determined to end their disappointing streak and get their season back on track.

Bournemouth goalkeeper Mark Travers did well to deny James after a dynamic burst forward, then made an even better save to foil Sterling before the break to keep his team in the game.

Havertz fired wide and Mount forced Travers into a smart low stop as Chelsea tried to put the game out of sight.

In the end they didn't need to as Bournemouth failed to threaten other than Jaidon Anthony's late free-kick that was beaten away by Kepa Arrizabalaga.

"We won't be measured on games at Chelsea," said Bournemouth boss Gary O'Neil.

"You need everything to go for you. The response to being 2-0 down, they showed incredible belief we could get something from the game."

A fifth defeat in six league games leaves Bournemouth just three points above the relegation zone.

Agence France-Presse

Thousands of sun-seekers spark emergency incident at UK beach

BOURNEMOUTH, United Kingdom - An English seaside resort declared a major incident Thursday after thousands of people flocked to the beach on the hottest day of the year so far, despite the threat of coronavirus.

Temperatures rose to a record 33.3 degrees Celsius (91.94 degrees Fahrenheit) at Heathrow Airport in west London, the Met Office said, a day after highs of 32.6 C saw huge crowds flock to the coast.

But the local authorities in Bournemouth said they were "appalled" at the scenes on its beaches, as the sunny weather saw an influx of thousands of people.

Their arrival resulted in gridlock on the roads, widespread illegal parking, piles of rubbish as well as anti-social behavior including drunken fights, they said.

Visiting the beach is permitted after a nationwide coronavirus lockdown was eased, but people are still being urged to avoid large crowds, and pubs and restaurants do not open until July 4.

Council leader Vikki Slade said Bournemouth, on the southern English coast, was not ready to receive so many visitors and urged people to stay away.

"The irresponsible behavior and actions of so many people is just shocking and our services are stretched to the absolute hilt trying to keep everyone safe," she said.

Declaring a major incident allows the council to deploy additional resources, including police.

Other beaches across Britain were also busy, including Southend-on-Sea, where Magda Bewick was among those soaking up the rays.

"It's lovely, obviously to have a little sunbathe, and the kids are happy, in and out of the sea," she told AFP.

She said she had been placed on furlough from her job, "so what else is there to do? I’ve done enough gardening, it gets a bit boring".

She said the adults were keeping their distance from each other as much as possible, although admitted that many of the children were not: "They don't understand."

In Bournemouth, Assistant Chief Constable Sam de Reya of Dorset Police said his force was "reliant on people taking personal responsibility".

"Clearly we are still in a public health crisis and such a significant volume of people heading to one area places a further strain on emergency services resources," he said.

Britain has been hard hit by the global coronavirus outbreak, recording the worst death toll in Europe so far.

Infection rates have fallen significantly, but the health ministry on Thursday recorded another 149 deaths among confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 43,230.

Agence France-Presse

Football: Chelsea earn late draw at Bournemouth, relief for West Ham

LONDON - Chelsea's erratic week ended with another topsy-turvy affair as they eked out a dramatic 2-2 Premier League draw at struggling Bournemouth on Saturday thanks to a double from their goal-hungry defender Marcos Alonso.

The Spanish full back headed home from a rebound with the predatory instinct of a poacher five minutes for time to ensure Chelsea avoided a second miserable defeat in five days following their humbling Champions League home loss to Bayern Munich.

Chelsea's chances of ensuring they will be in Europe's top tournament next season, though, did suffer a setback after Bournemouth responded to Alonso's first-half goal with two in three second-half minutes from Jefferson Lerma and Josh King.

Yet Alonso, who also scored in the Blues' big win over Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, notched the leveller that meant fourth-placed Chelsea moved to 45 points, five behind third-placed Leicester City.

Liverpool, who lead the league on 79 points, were playing in the day's late match at Watford.

For Bournemouth, though, there could only be frustration at seeing a comeback victory snatched away on an afternoon when fellow strugglers West Ham United leapt out of the bottom three with a 3-1 win over Southampton.

A few thousand Hammers' fans marched outside the London Stadium before the game, protesting at the club's owners, but their mood was lightened as Jarrod Bowen, the 22 million-pound ($28 million) January signing, marked his full debut with a fine goal.

Southampton teenager Michael Obafemi equalised but the Hammers' supremacy was underlined when Sebastien Haller and Michail Antonio scored the goals that propelled West Ham to 16th on 27 points, ahead of Bournemouth on goal difference.

Brighton & Hove Albion are still in a precarious 15th position as former England manager Roy Hodgson celebrated his 100th Premier League match in charge of Crystal Palace with a 1-0 win at the home of their old rivals.

Jordan Ayew's 70th-minute winner, conjured up against the run of play, left Brighton pondering serious difficulties as they face a daunting fixture list for the rest of the season.

Newcastle United could get sucked into the relegation zone too if their strike force remains as blunt as it did in the 0-0 draw at home to Burnley, the fourth successive game in which they have failed to score.

($1 = 0.7800 pounds) (Reporting by Ian Chadband, editing by Ed Osmond)

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Football: Mahrez fires City into top spot, Lloris saves Spurs

LONDON -- Riyad Mahrez fired Manchester City back to the top of the Premier League as the champions won 1-0 against Bournemouth, while Hugo Lloris saved Tottenham in their draw with north London rivals Arsenal on Saturday.

Pep Guardiola's side sit two points above Liverpool thanks to Mahrez's second-half winner at Dean Court.

The only frustration for City in a hard-fought victory were injuries to Kevin De Bruyne and John Stones, which could significantly impact their bid to win an unprecedented quadruple.

De Bruyne hobbled off after the Belgian midfielder suffered a hamstring injury in the first half.

City, who are already without injured duo Fernandinho and Aymeric Laporte, also lost England defender Stones with a groin problem just after the interval.

But, showing the depth of City's squad, it was Mahrez, who had come on for De Bruyne, who finally gave the champions the lead in the 55th minute.

Mahrez claimed his first league goal since December, the Algeria winger driving his shot under Bournemouth 'keeper Artur Boruc.

"We made one of our best performances. People should understand how difficult it is to attack 11 players who are defending," Guardiola said.

"We demand a lot of the players without giving them the time to rest physiologically, that is why it is incredible. No matter what happens this season they deserve my admiration."

Liverpool can regain pole position if they win the Merseyside derby at Everton on Sunday.

- Lloris rescues Spurs -

At Wembley, Lloris saved a 90th-minute penalty as Tottenham salvaged a 1-1 draw in a pulsating derby.

Mauricio Pochettino's side fell behind in the 16th minute when Aaron Ramsey slotted home from Alexandre Lacazette's pass.

But Harry Kane won a controversial 74th-minute penalty to equalise for Tottenham.

Kane was offside when Christian Eriksen sent over a free-kick, but the flag stayed down and the England striker was bundled over by Shkodran Mustafi.

Kane calmly notched his 22nd goal of the season and his ninth in nine Premier League games against the Gunners.

Arsenal had a golden opportunity to take the points when Davinson Sanchez was penalised for a soft challenge on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Referee Anthony Taylor felt the minimal contact was enough to justify a penalty, but Lloris came to Tottenham's rescue as the France star dived to his right to keep out Aubameyang's low penalty.

Arsenal finished a bruising contest with 10 men after Uruguay midfielder Lucas Torreira was sent off for a studs-up foul on Danny Rose.

"VAR is coming to help them," Arsenal manager Unai Emery grumbled when asked about Tottenham's equaliser.

The dramatic finale ensured Pochettino, celebrating his 47th birthday, avoided a third successive defeat as Tottenham's record run of 33 league games without a draw came to an end.

"Lloris' save was a massive present. I am so happy because we didn't deserve to lose the game -- we were better than them," Pochettino said.

Third-placed Tottenham remain four points ahead of Arsenal as the fight for Champions League qualification heats up.

- United leapfrog Arsenal -

Arsenal dropped to fifth place after Manchester United moved one point above them into fourth with a dramatic 3-2 win against struggling Southampton at Old Trafford.

Yan Valery smashed a fierce drive past United goalkeeper David De Gea for a memorable first goal of the young Southampton defender's career in the 26th minute.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's team equalised in the 53rd minute as Brazilian midfielder Andreas Pereira bagged his first Premier League goal with a long-range curler.

Romelu Lukaku, back in form after a long barren spell, put United in front six minutes later with a composed finish.

James Ward-Prowse drew fourth-bottom Southampton level with a superb 75th-minute free-kick.

However, in the 89th minute, Belgian forward Lukaku made it four goals in two games with the last-gasp winner.

Paul Pogba's stoppage-time penalty was saved by Angus Gunn, but Solskjaer's unbeaten domestic run as United boss has now reached 15 games.

"The belief is there, they have gone so long without losing games (domestically). The dressing room is bouncing at the moment. They were class finishes from Romelu," Solskjaer said.

Elsewhere, Crystal Palace pushed Burnley back into relegation danger with a 3-1 win at Turf Moor, while West Ham beat Newcastle 2-0 with goals from Declan Rice and Mark Noble.

Wolves eased to a 2-0 victory over Cardiff at Molineux that left the visitors stuck in the relegation zone.

Brighton boosted their survival bid with a 1-0 victory over bottom-of-the-table Huddersfield at the Amex Stadium.

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Giroud caps Arsenal revival, Clement sees Swansea win

LONDON, United Kingdom -- Arsenal staged a sensational fightback from three goals down as Olivier Giroud's last-gasp equalizer rescued a draw at Bournemouth, while Swansea welcomed new boss Paul Clement with a crucial 2-1 win at Crystal Palace on Tuesday.

Arsene Wenger's side were facing their first defeat -- and a major setback to their Premier League title hopes -- to Bournemouth after goals from Charlie Daniels, Callum Wilson and Ryan Fraser stunned the Gunners at Dean Court.

But Arsenal scored three times in the last 20 minutes as Alexis Sanchez and Lucas Perez netted before Bournemouth captain Simon Francis was sent off, setting the stage for Giroud's headed equaliser in the second minute of stoppage time.

The Gunners' gritty 3-3 draw left them in fourth place, eight points behind leaders Chelsea, who play their game in hand at Tottenham on Wednesday.

 

"We refused to lose the game. It was a mental test," Wenger said.

"There's a great resilience in the team and we saw that today. It was not a result we wanted before the game but at 3-0 down we'd have signed for 3-3."

At Selhurst Park, Clement saw Swansea climb off the bottom of the table just hours after his appointment and in the day's other match Stoke won 2-0 against a Watford side on the slide.

"Paul came down for some moral support, he made his presence felt at half-time," said Swansea caretaker boss Alan Curtis.

"We would have surprised a lot of people with our performance today."

Wenger had bemoaned the fixture schedule that had Arsenal back in action just 48 hours after their victory against Palace and the Frenchman wore a furious expression as his sluggish side were torn apart in the first half.

Bournemouth took the lead in the 16th minute when Daniels collected a Junior Stanislas pass, cut past Hector Bellerin and slotted home.

Fraser earned a 21st-minute penalty with a surging run that teased a needless foul from Granit Xhaka.

Wilson sent Petr Cech the wrong way with a cool spot-kick and Fraser made it three for Bournemouth when he got away with a nudge on Bellerin and fired home in the 58th minute.

Sanchez's 70th-minute header from Giroud's cross gave Arsenal hope and Perez set up a tense finale when the striker bagged his first Premier League goal with a superb volley five minutes later.

- Memorable -

Francis's red card for a rash lunge on Aaron Ramsey stacked the odds against Bournemouth and France striker Giroud capped the fightback when he scored with a glancing header from Xhaka's cross.

Giroud celebrated by replicating the scorpion kick that brought him a memorable goal against Palace on Sunday.

Clement, who had been working as Bayern Munich's assistant coach, is Swansea's third boss this season following the sackings of Bob Bradley and Francesco Guidolin.

Having been appointed earlier in the day, Clement was at Selhurst Park to watch his new team, although Curtis picked the starting line-up, and the presence of their new boss energised Swansea.

Their pressure was rewarded in the 42nd minute when Gylfi Sigurdsson's free-kick was headed in by Alfie Mawson for his first Premier League goal.

Sam Allardyce, taking charge of his first home match as Palace boss, trudged off with boos ringing in his ears at half-time.

Palace drew level in the 83rd minute when Wilfried Zaha met a Martin Kelly cross in midair with a superb scissor kick from 15 yards.

But Clement, who had been in the dug-out since half-time, was celebrating five minutes later when Angel Rangel smashed the winner to lift Swansea to 19th place, one point behind fourth-bottom Palace.

Stoke moved away from the relegation zone with a 2-0 win against Watford at the Britannia Stadium.

Ryan Shawcross put Stoke ahead on the stroke of half-time with a confident finish from Charlie Adam's corner.

Adam was the provider again when Stoke increased their lead, this time sending over a cross that Peter Crouch converted in the 49th minute.

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PREMIER LEAGUE: Liverpool stunned, Baines denies United

LONDON, United Kingdom -- Liverpool's title challenge suffered a stunning setback as they conceded three goals in the last 14 minutes of an astonishing 4-3 defeat against Bournemouth, while Everton's Leighton Baines scored a last-gasp penalty to earn a 1-1 draw against Manchester United on Sunday.

Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool missed out on a chance to go second in the Premier League and instead remain four points behind leaders Chelsea after their incredible meltdown at Dean Court.

Goals from Sadio Mane and Divock Origi had Liverpool ahead at the break and the points still seemed to be heading back to Anfield when Emre Can's strike restored their two-goal advantage following Callum Wilson's penalty.

But Ryan Fraser, who had come off the bench to win the spot-kick, then buried his maiden Premier League goal before crossing for Steve Cook to superbly equalise, with Nathan Ake bundling home a last-gasp winner as Loris Karius failed to hold another Cook effort.

"First of all I have to say a deserved win for Bournemouth. A big fight from them. We gave the game away at a decisive point," Klopp said.

"We opened the door and they ran through and scored some wonderful goals. So that's the deserved result.

"Even when we are in the lead at 2-0 it's how we try to play football then we were static. We gave the game away because we didn't play football any more."

Bournemouth are in just their second season in the top-flight and this was arguably the tiny south coast club's finest hour.

"It would have been easy for our players to give up and see out time, but our group knows not to give up," Cherries boss Eddie Howe said.

"In the second half we looked like scoring every time we attacked. For this club and everyone involved it's make for a very special day.

"These days are huge for us. We'd never been in the Premier League until last season so we're making history for the club."

- Punished -

At Goodison Park, United took the lead in the 42nd minute when Everton goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg made an ill-advised decision to come for Anthony Martial's cross and Zlatan Ibrahimovic lofted his shot into the net for his fourth goal in his last three games.

But Jose Mourinho's side couldn't find a crucial second goal and the United manager was punished for sending on Marouane Fellaini in the closing stages when the former Everton midfielder carelessly conceded an 89th minute penalty with a clumsy challenge on Idrissa Gueye.

Everton left-back Baines stepped up to slot the spot-kick past David de Gea to leave sixth placed United 13 points behind Chelsea after a third successive draw left them with only one win in their last eight league games.

"We were best team on the pitch by far and it is a result that doesn't reflect the difference of the performances of both teams," Mourinho said.

"We have to work the way we are doing. To perform in five consecutive matches against difficult opposition, I am so happy with the individual performances."

On Saturday, Chelsea had cemented pole position with a 3-1 victory at title rivals Manchester City, while Alexis Sanchez's hat-trick in a 5-1 thrashing of West Ham took Arsenal into second place.

City's frustration boiled over in stoppage time with red cards for Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho, the former for an ugly lunge on David Luiz, the latter for pushing Cesc Fabregas over an advertising board.

While City spluttered, Arsenal stepped up their title challenge with a ruthless performance that kept them within three points of Chelsea.

Sunderland climbed off the bottom with a 2-1 win over spluttering champions Leicester.

Harry Kane's double and a brilliant strike from Son Heung-Min inspired Tottenham as they got back on track with a 5-0 demolition of Swansea.

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PREMIER LEAGUE: Liverpool climb to second as Arsenal, Spurs misfire

LONDON -- An 81st-minute Gareth McAuley goal prevented Liverpool from provisionally going top in the Premier League as they defeated West Bromwich Albion 2-1 on Saturday.

Needing a two-goal win to move above leaders Arsenal, Liverpool took a 2-0 lead through Sadio Mane and Philippe Coutinho, but McAuley's strike left them in second place on goal difference.

Arsenal had earlier been held to a 0-0 draw by Middlesbrough, while fourth-place Tottenham Hotspur played out a goalless stalemate at Bournemouth.

"I'm really pleased with the performance," Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp told Sky Sports.

"It was unbelievably difficult against West Brom. You have to always concentrate. They are so dangerous at set-pieces.

"But I think it would have been kind of a joke if we hadn't won today. It was unbelievable, how we played."

Pep Guardiola's Manchester City can reclaim first place by avoiding defeat at home to Southampton on Sunday, when Jose Mourinho makes his return to Chelsea with Manchester United.

Klopp made one change to the Liverpool team held 0-0 by United last Monday, with the fit-again Adam Lallana returning to the starting XI at the expense of Daniel Sturridge.

Roberto Firmino took over from Sturridge up front and played a key role in Liverpool's neat 20th-minute opener, crossing for Mane to volley home after Coutinho's dummy had freed Emre Can.

Mane turned provider 15 minutes later after a sliced clearance by visiting goalkeeper Ben Foster, slipping in Coutinho, who cut inside two defenders and scored at the near post.

West Brom centre-back McAuley halved the deficit late on, volleying in from close range at a corner.

Arsenal, 6-0 winners over Ludogorets Razgrad in the Champions League in mid-week, were seeking an eighth successive win in all competitions.

But Middlesbrough came closest to breaking the deadlock in the first half at the Emirates Stadium when Gaston Ramirez curled a 21st-minute free-kick against the post.

Arsenal dominated the second half, but had goalkeeper Petr Cech to thank for ensuring the visitors' counter-attacks came to nought.

"It is a game where you had a lot of possession, but there were tired legs and you are prone to counter-attacks," said Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who was celebrating his 67th birthday.

"You make it difficult for yourself. Seventy-five percent possession, but you could have lost the game. That is modern football."

- Shaqiri, Shaqiri -

Tottenham extended their unbeaten start to the season to nine games -- something they last achieved in 1990 -- but squandered an opportunity to go top in a 0-0 draw at Bournemouth.

Both teams hit the woodwork in the early stages, Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris diverting Charlie Daniels's shot onto the bar and Erik Lamela clipping the post from distance.

"We had control, but we didn't create enough chances to score," said Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino.

"I think we need to be pleased in the end because it's one point more, one clean sheet, but it's true for us to be contenders we should be winning the games like today."

Champions Leicester City did not need Jamie Vardy as they won 3-1 at home to Crystal Palace to climb to 12th place.

With Vardy starting on the bench after a groin problem, strikers Ahmed Musa and Shinji Okazaki struck either side of half-time at the King Power Stadium.

Christian Fuchs sealed victory in the 79th minute, the Austrian left-back netting from distance with a sensational strike to register his first Leicester goal.

Yohan Cabaye replied five minutes from time for Palace.

"That was our best performance so far this season," said Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri. "It was the shape and model of last season and we concentrated on doing our job."

Sixth-place Everton spurned a chance to make ground on the leading sides in a 2-1 defeat at Burnley, who took a 39th-minute lead when goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg's blunder gifted Sam Vokes a tap-in.

Yannick Bolasie equalised just before the hour with his first Everton goal, but Scott Arfield struck at the death to condemn Ronald Koeman's men to a fourth league game without victory.

Xherdan Shaqiri scored two stunning goals -- the second a free-kick -- as Stoke City won 2-0 at Hull City to climb out of the relegation zone at their hosts' expense.

Sunderland remain rock-bottom after Winston Reid's goal deep into stoppage time earned misfiring West Ham United a 1-0 win at their London Stadium.

Swansea City stayed second from bottom after Bob Bradley's first home game as manager concluded in a 0-0 draw with Watford.

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LEAGUE CUP: Fabregas downs Leicester, Everton crash out

LONDON, United Kingdom -- Cesc Fabregas made an emphatic point to Chelsea manager Antonio Conte as his double sealed a 4-2 win at Leicester, while Everton and Bournemouth suffered shock third-round exits from the English Football League Cup on Tuesday.

Fabregas has been limited to three substitute appearances in the Premier League since Conte took charge over the summer, but the Spain midfielder proved he can still be a game-changer with an influential display capped by the decisive two goals in extra-time.

"I was happy to play from the start! Hopefully this will shut up a few journalists talking rubbish all the time," said Fabregas, who has been linked with a move away from Chelsea.

Elsewhere, second-tier Norwich spoiled Everton's impressive start to the season and inflicted Ronald Koeman's first defeat as Toffees boss with a 2-0 win at Goodison Park.

Bournemouth were the other top-flight casualties as second-tier Preston won 3-2 thanks to a hat-trick from Denmark striker Simon Makienok.

At the King Power Stadium, Shinji Okazaki put Premier League champions Leicester ahead in the 17th minute when the Japan striker punished terrible Chelsea defending to head home from close range.

Okazaki followed his first goal since March with a second in the 34th minute.

Gary Cahill reduced the deficit on the stroke of half-time, the defender heading home after being left unmarked at the far post from a Fabregas corner.

The Blues equalized four minutes after the interval through Cesar Azpilicueta's blistering long-range effort.

Leicester had to play extra-time with 10 men after Marcin Wasilewski's 89th minute dismissal for elbowing Diego Costa and Fabregas made them pay, finishing a flowing move in the 92nd minute and drilling home again two minutes later.

Everton are second in the Premier League but Koeman made six changes and his stand-ins were brushed aside by promotion-chasing Norwich.

The Canaries went ahead when former Everton striker Steven Naismith slipped as he went to shoot and inadvertently lobbed the ball into the net.

Josh Murphy's superb strike from the edge of the area in the 74th minute completed the upset.

"I can't criticise the players. We played well but weren't clinical enough. The difference was Norwich were clinical with their two chances," Koeman said.

- Hat-trick hero -

At Dean Court, Makienok, who hadn't scored in his previous 19 appearances, gave Preston the lead in the 10th minute before Bournemouth equalised through Lewis Grabban's 53rd minute penalty.

Dan Gosling put the hosts ahead from close range in the 76th minute, only for Makienok to force extra-time in the 85th minute and then win it for Simon Grayson's men in the 111th minute.

Lucas Perez's first goals for Arsenal inspired a 4-0 rout of second-tier Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger, who has never won the League Cup, made 11 changes from the team that thrashed Hull on Saturday and the understudies went ahead in the 23rd minute through a long-range effort from Switzerland midfielder Granit Xhaka.

Spanish striker Perez, who arrived from Deportivo La Coruna on transfer-deadline day, opened his Arsenal account in his third appearance with a 60th-minute penalty after a foul on Chuba Akpom.

Perez got his second in the 71st minute and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain got Arsenal's fourth in stoppage time.

"It was a motivated team against us and we had a complete performance. The speed and movement of our play was fantastic," Wenger purred.

Liverpool, last year's beaten finalists, remain on course for a return to Wembley after a 3-0 win against Championship side Derby at the iPro Stadium.

Estonia centre-back Ragnar Klavan took advantage of poor Derby defending to fire home in the 24th minute.

Philippe Coutinho doubled Liverpool's lead in the 50th minute and Divock Origi put the result beyond doubt four minutes later.

Newcastle defeated Championship rivals Wolves 2-0, Leeds beat fellow second-tier side Blackburn 1-0, while Reading won 2-1 in another all-Championship clash at Brighton.

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PREMIER LEAGUE: De Bruyne shines as Man City juggernaut rolls on

LONDON - Manchester City maintained their imperious start to the season with a fifth straight victory on Saturday as Bournemouth were swept aside 4-0 to become the latest victims of Pep Guardiola's table-toppers.

Goals from Kevin De Bruyne, Kelechi Iheanacho, Raheem Sterling and Ilkay Guendogan, on his Premier League debut, wrapped up the points after another scintillating display from the title favourites who continue to lay down a marker to their rivals.

Heading the chasing pack are Everton, who stayed two points behind City with a 3-1 home win over Middlesbrough, Gareth Barry marking his 600th league appearance with a goal.

Arsenal made it three successive league wins for the first time since January when they eased past 10-man Hull City 4-1 with Alexis Sanchez scoring twice and missing a penalty.

There was also a double strike at Leicester City where new signing Islam Slimani enjoyed a league debut to remember as the champions rediscovered their domestic form to beat Burnley 3-0.

Some pundits predicted Manchester City might suffer during Sergio Aguero's three-match suspension but, after winning the Manchester derby last weekend, they tore into Bournemouth and wasted little time in taking the game away from their opponents.

City were 1-0 up after 15 minutes when De Bruyne cleverly fired a free kick beneath the wall and into the net. They doubled the lead 10 minutes later when Iheanacho stabbed the ball home.

The Nigerian then turned provider for Sterling soon after halftime and Guendogan rounded off the scoring when he drilled the ball low inside the post.

There was a sour note for City when they had Spaniard Nolito sent off for a head-butt with four minutes remaining.

That did little to dampen the spirits of Guardiola, however, who heralded another superb display from Belgium playmaker De Bruyne.

"We are so lucky we have Kevin with us," the coach said. "It was a fantastic performance."

Everton trailed against Middlesbrough following an own goal by keeper Maarten Stekelenburg before Barry levelled.

Further first-half goals from Seamus Coleman and Romelu Lukaku then gave Ronald Koeman the best five-game start to a Premier League season by an Everton manager.

FIRST TASTE
It was a day of superb individual displays with Slimani whetting the appetite of Leicester fans with two goals.

Slimani, who made his debut in the Champions League in midweek after costing a club record 29 million pounds ($37.70 million) last month, was handed his first taste of Premier League action and scored twice in four minutes either side of halftime.

The Algeria striker met Christian Fuchs' inswinging free kick in first-half stoppage time and then headed home after the break when Riyad Mahrez showcased his dancing feet to shimmy into the box.

Ben Mee's own goal completed the scoring late on as Leicester took their haul to seven points from five games.

Arsenal's season has yet to fully ignite but they made light work of a Hull side who had Jake Livermore sent off for handball in the first half.

Sanchez deflected the ball home to put Arsenal ahead after 17 minutes but the Chilean had his penalty saved by Eldin Jakupovic following Livermore's dismissal.

It was plain sailing from there on in, though, as Theo Walcott doubled the lead 10 minutes into the second half and, although the hosts pulled a goal back from the penalty spot through Robert Snodgrass, there was to be no late fightback.

Sanchez rifled the ball high into the net and Granit Xhaka made it 4-1 with a bullet finish from distance in stoppage time, putting the London club third in the table on 10 points.

West Bromwich Albion midfielder Nacer Chadli marked a superb home debut with two goals, one a penalty, and two assists as they beat hapless West Ham United 4-2 to hand the Londoners a third straight league defeat.

($1 = 0.7692 pounds) (Editing by Tony Jimenez)

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