Added-Time takes a look back at Week 4 of the English Premier League Season to get you caught up on all the important results, stories and moments. This week, Arsenal catches offensive fire while Everton gets unlucky and Manchester United shines with their brightest lights on the bench.
STORIES OF THE WEEK:
After opening the season with draws against Sunderland and Stoke, questions started to be asked about how Arsenal was going to replace the scoring they lost when striker Robin van Persie departed for Manchester United.
On the back of their two-goal victory over Liverpool, Arsenal finally broke out this week with an emphatic and impressive 6-1 victory over Southampton, that moves the Gunners into third place in the table ahead of defending champion Manchester City on goal-differential.
Southampton did their part in the blowout loss, as they were credited with two own-goals including the opener when Jos Hooiveld kicked the ball into his own net as he tried to control and clear it out of the penalty area.
Gervinho scored twice and Lukas Podolski found the net for the second consecutive game displaying the offensive flair Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger hoped he was capable of showing when he paid 13 million euros to acquire the German international striker from Cologne.
"We have a chance for the title but first we must show consistency," said Wenger. "We have the quality to do it but we have to show how much we can do it."
Everton manager David Moyes did not leave his home ground Goodison Park a happy man after being held to a 2-2 draw with Newcastle, courtesy of a late equalizing marker from striker Demba Ba, his second of the game.
While conceding the injury-time goal to Ba was the final blow, it was the two controversial calls while the game was level 1-1 that might have decided the outcome.
First, Everton's Marouane Fellaini was ruled offside when he collected a pass in the box and fired it into the net, though replays appear to show him level with the last defender which would have made his marker legal.
“I thought the offside goal was a goal from the touchline so I was surprised when it was ruled out,” said Moyes.
The second time Everton felt they should have been in front would come from a Victor Anichebe header that looked as though it went under the bar and across the goal-line before being cleared by the Newcastle defence. The goal was not awarded by the referee or linesman despite even the opposition thinking they had given up the go-ahead goal.
"The one over the line was definitely in," said Newcastle manager Alan Pardew. "I have been saying all along that technology must come in and it has cost Everton a crucial goal tonight."
Despite Wayne Rooney being injured, Robin van Persie and Shinji Kagawa staying on the bench (likely to rest ahead of Champions League action) and a sixth-minute penalty save, Manchester United still managed to thump Wigan 4-0, making a huge statement of intent on the early season.
Javier Hernandez, who missed the penalty, Alexander Buttner and Nick Powell all found the back of the net in front of the Old Trafford faithful to extend the lead, but it was the opening marker that held all the significance for the team and its fans.
Appearing in his 700th match as a member of the Red Devils, Paul Scholes broke the deadlock for United in the 51st minute, which despite the offensive outburst that followed, would stand up as the margin of victory.
"They slowed the game down a lot, but we weren't playing at the speed we play at,” said United manager Alex Ferguson. “The second half we did after becoming more aggressive and played some penetrating football."
RESULT OF THE WEEK:
After being fired last season before completing his first year at Chelsea, only to watch them go on to win the Champions League title, manager Andre Villas-Boas was beginning to come under fire at his new club Tottenham for a three-game winless streak to start the season.
Spurs finally broke through on the road against Reading for a 3-1 victory to give their manager his first win since taking the reins from Harry Redknapp, who was let go after last season.
The manner in which they won should be the most encouraging part of the game as they controlled the action from the opening kick to the final whistle.
Jermain Defoe marked twice, once on either side of Gareth Bale to create the margin of victory and only lost their clean sheet in the 90th minute when Reading substitute Hal Robson-Kanu found a cross at the back post and flipped it into the net.
"It was a well-deserved win," Villas-Boas said. "Everyone performed to their top level and it is a win that will lift us up for the season. The most important thing today was the motivation of the players to change the negative results at home."
LOOKING AHEAD:
There will be one EPL game broadcast this week on TSN2.
Two teams that are both off to equally great starts will clash as Swansea City hosts Everton. The Swans, who are on seven points to start the season and sit fifth in the table on goal-differential, come in after suffering their first defeat at the hands of Aston Villa. Meanwhile, Everton also has seven points and will be looking to bounce back from their unlucky draw against Newcastle. This game can be seen on TSN2, Saturday at 7:30am et/4:30am pt.
