Manchester United Score 5, Arsenal Among the Goals Again

On the second weekend of the English Premier League season reigning champions Manchester United put a shock mid-week defeat behind them to score five without reply at Wigan and Arsenal swept to the top of the table with a 4-1 home victory over Portsmouth.

After suffering an ignominious 1-0 defeat at the hands of newly promoted Burnley on Wednesday, Manchester United bounced back with a vengeance today when they went to the DW Stadium, home of Wigan Athletic, and came away with a convincing 5-0 win. Still 0-0 at half-time, United took the lead eleven minutes in to the second half through Wayne Rooney and increased that lead only two minutes later when Dimitar Berbatov got on to the score sheet. Rooney made it three in the 65th minute before Michael Owen, with his first for the club, and Nani completed a miserable afternoon for Wigan. The victory for Manchester United moves them to third in the table, which can be viewed on the BBC website. Down in North London Arsenal were moving to the top of that table as they continued their strong start to the season, sending Portsmouth back to the South Coast still looking for their first points of 2009-10. Abou Diaby opened the scoring in the 18th minute, putting away his and his club's second with just another three minutes on the clock. Younes Kaboul pulled one back for Portsmouth to make it 2-1 at half time but Pompey keeper David James had to pick the ball out of the net twice during the second half as defender William Gallas and then Aaron Ramsey netted to wrap up a 4-1 victory. The defeat sees the visiting team occupying bottom spot in the Premier League. Elsewhere Hull City were picking up three points at home as they defeated Bolton Wanderers 1-0. Algerian international Kamel Ghilas, having only joined the club on August 13 from Celta Vigo in Spain, scored the decisive goal in the 61st minute. Manchester City, now reportedly the richest soccer club in the world, also recorded a 1-0 home win as a 17th minute move involving summer signings Emmanuel Adebayor and Carlos Tevez saw the former man find the net. Meanwhile Sunderland entertained Blackburn Rovers at the Stadium of Light. Gael Givet put the visitors ahead in the 21st minute, a lead that lasted until the 32nd minute when Kenwyne Jones equalized for the Black Cats. Jones then scored with a header eight minutes in to the second half to secure a 2-1 win and all three points for the hosts, who now sit sixth in the league. Finally, the match at St Andrews saw Birmingham City and Stoke City draw 0-0. In their second home game since returning to the Premier League Birmingham will doubtless be pleased to have kept another clean sheet, if a little disappointed not to have taken three points from the game. Stoke had three players booked but after letting in four at Liverpool on Wednesday they must have been relieved not to have conceded any goals.