LONDON: Manchester City pulled away in the second half to demonstrate their Premier title-defending power in thrashing Burnley 5-0 to celebrate Kevin de Bruyne’s return from injury.

City gave Joe Hart a busy day on his return though they had only Sergio Aguero’s opener to show for their efforts in the opening 45 minutes.

Then Bernardo Silva and Fernandinho scored within two minutes of each other to put the game to bed 10 minutes into the second half, before Riyad Mahrez and Leroy Sane put the finishing touches on another good day at the office for Pep Guardiola’s champions.

This was City’s 23rd Premier victory by at least five goals 10 of them have been under Pep Guardiola. David Silva has assisted Sergio Aguero more often than any other City player in all competitions, with the Spaniard’s assist for him here his 20th.

A last-gasp Ross Barkley goal saw Chelsea salvage a 2-2 draw at home to Manchester United after an Anthony Martial double had put the visitors on the brink of three points.

Barkley pounced from close range in the 96th minute to spark a wild ending to the game at Stamford Bridge as Jose Mourinho was involved in a scuffle by the tunnel with one of Chelsea’s backroom staff.

Until then it looked like a happy return for Mourinho after his side had produced a much-improved second half to come from behind and lead 2-1 in the closing stages.

It was largely one-way traffic in the first half as Antonio Rudiger nodded Chelsea in front with a free header from a corner and the hosts enjoyed the majority of possession but could not find a second goal.

Chelsea had a brighter start to the second half too but Martial’s first goal 10  minutes after the restart – which came with a couple of deflections and with a Chelsea defender down injured – changed the game.

The goals gave United a real lift as they were a stride quicker after drawing level – and if there was some fortune about Martial’s first his second had some real quality in the build-up and in the curling finish.

The morale-boosting three points were reduced to one though with almost the last kick of the game as David Luiz hit a post with a header, David De Gea superbly saved Rudiger’s rebound and Barkley slotted home to save a point.

Chelsea have lost only one of their last 17 home league games against United, a 2-3 defeat in October 2012. Barkley’s goal was the latest United have conceded in the Premier League since October 2009, when David Ngog also scored against them at 95:27 for Liverpool.

Barkley thus scored in consecutive league games for the first time since November 2015 for Everton. Since his debut in September 2015, Anthony Martial has scored more goals in all competitions for United than any other player (40 goals).

United have kept just one clean sheet from their opening nine Premier League games this season, this after recording seven shutouts at this stage of last season. All three of Chelsea’s Antonio Rudiger’s Premier League goals have come in games at Stamford Bridge.

Mohamed Salah returned to the goal trail as Liverpool won 1-0 at Huddersfield to reaffirm their title credentials.  Salah scored his fourth goal of the season and first in five matches midway through the first half, but it was a far from convincing victory for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Much of that was down to Huddersfield, who matched their illustrious opponents for long periods only to still be left searching for the killer touch.

David Wagner’s side hit a post through Jonathan Hogg and had an effort ruled out for offside as they set an unwanted club record of failing to score in seven straight home league games.  Liverpool were not at their best as they clinched their first win in five matches in all competitions and extended their unbeaten league start to nine.

Liverpool have become just the fourth Premier League side to win 200 Premier League games away from home after Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal. However Huddersfield have become the second side in Premier League history to fail to score in any of their opening five home games of a season after Everton in 1998-99.

Salah’s opener was his 50th goal for English sides (48 for Liverpool, two for Chelsea), reaching this tally in 83 games in all competitions. Liverpool’s Alisson has kept six clean sheets in his opening nine Premier League starts – the only goalkeeper to have kept more shutouts in his opening nine starts in the competition is Petr Cech (seven).

Neil Warnock claimed his first Premier League win for Cardiff as the Welsh side made the most of Fulham’s defensive problems to climb off the foot of the table with a 4-2 win.

Josh Murphy and Bobby Reid cancelled out an early belter from Andre Schurrle before Ryan Sessegnon sent the teams in level at half time.

Cardiff had scored just four goals all season but matched that tally against Fulham’s hapless rearguard as Callum Paterson and Kadeem Harris dragged them out of the relegation zone, above their opponents who have now let in 25 goals this season.

Sessegnon is the first player born in or after the year 2000 to score a Premier League goal. He is also Fulham’s youngest ever goalscorer in the Premier League (18 years 154 days).

Newcastle slipped to the bottom of the Premier League as Beram Kayal scored the only goal of the game for Brighton to grab a rare win away from home.

The Seagulls were the worst team in the division on the road last season but needed just one goal and some energetic defending to keep out Rafa Benitez’s miss-firing Newcastle attack.

Newcastle are the fourth team in English top-flight history to lose their first five home league games of the season aganst a Brighton who had only two shots on target in this match – their goal in the 29th minute and then a saved shot two minutes into second half injury time.

Erik Lamela scored the only goal of a tight derby at the London Stadium, with Tottenham being forced to cling to a 1-0 win at West Ham.

Hammers had 10 corners and four shots on target, double the amount Spurs managed, but could not find the finishing touches as Mauricio Pochettino’s side moved level with Chelsea just two points off the leaders.

West Ham are winless in eight Premier League London derbies since beating Chelsea in December 2017 while Tottenham have won five consecutive top-flight London derbies for the first time since January 1961, a season in which they won the title.

Lamela has scored five goals in eight games in all competitions for Spurs this season, one more than he managed in 33 games last season.

Wolves’ fine run ended in disappointing fashion as two goals in a minute from Etienne Capoue and Roberto Pereyra gave Watford a 2-0 win at Molyneux to move them above their opponents into seventh.

It was a second defeat of the season and the first at home for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, who had previously conceded just once in the last five Premier League games.

Wolves have named the same starting XI in each of their opening nine games of the season, extending the Premier League record for this feat.

Roberto Pereyra’s goal was his first away league goal for Watford since scoring against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in October 2017 – each of his previous seven goals had been at Vicarage Road.

Bournemouth and Southampton drew 0-0  with struggling Saints having failed to score in four consecutive Premier League games for the first time since October 2004. Southampton have won only two of their 10 Premier away games under Mark Hughes.

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