Indyplus updates: Premier League match reports

Independent Plus will be bringing you today's Premier League match reports as they come in.

Arsenal 1 Tottenham Hotspur 0

So familiarity need not breed supporters’ contempt. Not the sort of contempt anyway that the Emirates crowd had shown at the opening game of the season against Aston Villa, which after four subsequent victories is slowly becoming no more than a bad memory.

To the delight of that same crowd, Arsène Wenger was proved correct in his assessment that throwing so many expensive new recruits into their first north London derby would not have the effect Tottenham Hotspur were hoping for after £105 million worth of purchases from the summer sales. “You have to find a way to integrate,” Wenger said, and Spurs will need a while yet to do that.

The contest was tight and the last 10 minutes exceedingly tense, Arsenal by that time having four full-backs and two central defenders on the pitch. Yet the result was still the correct one. Santi Cazorla and Tomas Rosicky had been outstanding and Etienne Capoue, one of the newcomers, was exposed too often by the swift one-touch interpassing of that pair, feeding Theo Walcott and the goalscorer Olivier Giroud. Paulinho and Mousa Dembélé both wanted to push forward rather than assist him.

Nacer Chadli was initially troublesome on the left but is not Gareth Bale, and there was a lack of pace in midfield that Kyle Walker and Andros Townsend could not compensate for. The deciding goal, however, was one thing that could not be blamed on lack of familiarity; it stemmed from a shocking lack of unity in the one regular element, the back four.

This is the single match in any given season that matters more to Arsenal followers than any other and had become more important than ever to Wenger given the respective levels of recruitment. As a test of his whole philosophy, he was able to claim a victory. Now the challenge, whoever joins before 11pm on Monday tonight, is to repeat the success against the other serious contenders in the League and Europe.

That may depend on how soon Lukas Podolski, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Mikel Arteta are able to return, for the substitutes’ bench still looks thin.

In contrast to Spurs’ seven new boys – four of them started and Eric Lamela was introduced later – Wenger has obtained Yaya Sanogo and Mathieu Flamini on free transfers and is set to add a third in Palermo’s goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano. Flamini, back after five years, was required before the interval, replacing Jack Wilshere, who has an upset stomach and will link up with England this week.

Cazorla, like his team-mates well used to these games, was sharp from the start, as he demonstrated with cleverly contrasting free-kicks in the first six minutes. For the first, after Capoue fouled Rosicky, his curled effort was heading for the top corner until pushed behind, Giroud heading the corner over. The second time the Spaniard kept the shot low as the wall jumped, bringing gasps when the replay was flashed up on the big screens.

For the goal, Cazorla was inevitably involved, sending the ball forward for Aaron Ramsey, but the key was the way in which Jan Vertonghen moved out with no idea that Michael Dawson was dropping back behind him, playing every attacker onside. Danny Rose at left-back did neither one thing nor the other which meant Walcott was unmarked and had time to cross low towards the near post.

Giroud’s movement took him to just the right spot and his finish ahead of Dawson’s lunge was perfect. It may have been the first goal Spurs had conceded in five games, which only raised the question of how they had survived the other four. If Capoue and other new recruits are understandably still finding their feet and getting to know one another, there was no excuse for the manner in which the regular back four were caught out so badly.

Later they would be grateful to their goalkeper Hugo Lloris for a number of fine saves. Just before the half-hour, Ramsey held off Dembélé and Lloris parried Walcott’s angled shot. When Cazorla played the speedy Walcott through the middle, the goalkeeper had to come out of his area and make a challenge worthy of an international centre-half, for any error and he would have received a red card.

Wilshere reluctantly decided shortly before half-time that he could not continue and by that time Spurs had improved. Twice Townsend cut in on his left foot, as he invariably does, but Kieran Gibbs could not prevent him shooting, troubling Wojciech Szczesny each time. Flamini, readjusting to English refereeing interpretation, was booked for sliding in on Rose but Chadli put the free-kick far too high and for a long time Spurs built pressure without the necessary penetration.

Hence the introduction of Jermain Defoe for the disappointing Dembélé to form a 4-4-2 with Roberto Soldado. The £26m striker was also quiet, apart from screaming for a penalty; Giroud half-cleared, Defoe’s shot was saved and Paulinho turned the ball back for Soldado, who was convinced a hand that was not the goalkeeper’s had parried his shot, although Carl Jenkinson’s shoulder looked like the object in question.

Arsenal were by then in the happy position of being able to play to their strengths, on the break. Lloris did well again to thwart Giroud and Walcott, before Tottenham’s final fling as Lamela took Townsend’s place down the right. He put his one chance weakly at the goalkeeper, and Walker sent one shot too high before failing to make significant contact with another chance.

With Bacary Sagna and Nacho Monreal thrown on as extra defensive reserves and what Spurs manager Andre Villas-Boas called three defensive midfielders, it was a nervous five extra minutes for the home supporters.

They were vainly waving their team forward and the Spurs manager physically grabbed Walker to insist on one last long throw into the overcrowded penalty area. That was cleared, Arsenal had three points to move fourth in the table after their horrible first day; and Wenger went home believing he had made a point of his own.

Steve Tongue

***

Liverpool 1 Manchester United 0

Daniel Sturridge provided a fitting tribute to the memory of Bill Shankly with a fourth-minute winner against Manchester United to maintain Liverpool's 100 per cent start to the Barclays Premier League season.

Monday would have been Shankly's 100th birthday, and it will be celebrated with Liverpool back in their customary position as winners, with Sturridge now bagging the only goal in all three matches so far.

In contrast, Manchester United manager David Moyes endured a depressing day.

He failed to claim a hoped-for first win at Anfield following 12 unsuccessful visits with Everton.

If that was not bad enough, Wayne Rooney faces a few weeks on the sidelines with the head injury sustained in training on Saturday, and with the transfer window closing at 11pm on Monday night, Moyes is still to make his first significant signing.

Not that United's travails will bother Liverpool, who dominated the opening half, then had enough defensive muscle to resist the visitors' late rally.

If United's first half was bad, spare a thought for Roy Hodgson.

The England manager now knows he will be without Rooney for the vital World Cup qualfiers with Moldova and Ukraine.

In addition, he saw Phil Jones limp off after the defender landed awkwardly jumping for a routine header.

To top it off, he was forced to watch from a seat normally afforded to visiting scouts as a result of what he was told was a "clerical error".

It seemed a pretty woeful oversight on a day when the presence of Victor Moses, Mamadou Sakho and Tiago Ilori in the directors' box showed Liverpool's intent for the last day of the transfer window.

At least Hodgson had Sturridge's form to console him on the drive down to St George's Park.

Liverpool's match-winner against Stoke and Aston Villa on the Reds' perfect opening to the season, Sturridge bagged another as the hosts made a lightning start.

The former Chelsea man had already given warning of his threat when he seized on the loose ball after Jordan Henderson had harassed Ashley Young into a mistake. Rio Ferdinand turned away his shot on that occasion.

But when Daniel Agger leapt highest at the corner, Sturridge was afforded far too much room inside the six-yard area to turn the ball home.

It was the kind of start Moyes must have dreaded, raising the decibel level of an already pretty raucous occasion.

Robin van Persie was not far away with an overhead kick after Patrice Evra had knocked down a Ryan Giggs free-kick, but largely it was an opening period of unremitting frustration for the visitors.

Van Persie was one of three United players cautioned and the half ended with an angry exchange of words between Steven Gerrard and Van Persie, whose focus appeared to have slipped somewhat after an earlier tangle with Agger.

It was not that Liverpool were creating lots of opportunities, David de Gea saved a decent curling free-kick from Gerrard after Glen Johnson's powerful burst had been halted unfairly and the excellent Philippe Coutinho curled a free-kick over the crossbar, but Liverpool's main advantage came through their control of the game, with Lucas outstanding alongside his captain in that crucial central midfield area.

United did return with a bit more purpose at least.

Michael Carrick started to find his passing range, which allowed Young, and then his replacement Nani to threaten from wide positions.

Still, United's increased attacking threat came at the exposure of their defence, and the risk of a killer second.

Nemanja Vidic almost gifted it to Liverpool with an underhit back-pass that had De Gea rushing to clear as Johnson closed in.

Nani forced Simon Mignolet into his best save of the match 15 minutes from time, just before Johnson became the latest member of Hodgson's squad to depart, limping pretty badly after a crunching clash with Patrice Evra.

Van Persie could not make the most of a late opportunity provided by Javier Hernandez, and although five additional minutes of injury time brought a few nerves, in the end it was the hosts who came closest to scoring, De Gea brilliantly turning over Raheem Sterling's powerful drive.

Simon Stone PA

***

West Bromwich Albion 0 Swansea 2

Ben Davies' emphatic volley and Pablo Hernandez's late second handed Swansea their first points of the Barclays Premier League season, seeing off West Brom at The Hawthorns.

Having lost to Manchester United and Tottenham, Michael Laudrup's side were in need of a result to lift them off bottom spot and duly delivered with Hernandez teeing up Davies for the opener before applying the finishing touch in the 83rd minute.

Swansea had started lethargically, but West Brom failed to convert a lively start into goals and paid the price when Davies' second career goal left them chasing the game.

They could not find a way back into it as the game progressed and instead found themselves opened up at the back in the closing minutes.

While Swansea's campaign is now up and running, Albion head into the international break with one point from three matches.

The day had started with Steve Clarke confirming Nicolas Anelka's return to the fold, less than two weeks since his mooted retirement, by including the striker in the starting XI.

His name was the most notable on Clarke's team sheet but there was also a first league start for on-loan Manchester City winger Scott Sinclair, against his old club.

Swansea showed six changes from the side that took on Petrolul Ploiesti in Europa League qualifying, with a handful of senior men restored.

Wilfried Bony won a dangerous free-kick for Swansea after just two minutes, Jonjo Shelvey curling his effort over the crossbar from just outside the area.

But otherwise, the opening stages were all about West Brom.

All eyes were on Anelka and he was busy.

He busted Swansea's offside trap early on but, having darted into the area, his cut back was easily gathered by Michel Vorm.

Anelka's hunger was again in evidence when he chased a lofted pass right to the byline and dragged his pass back towards Billy Jones, who failed to get a clean connection despite a couple of attempts.

The Frenchman was proving a real handful for Swansea and outmuscled Chico Flores to offer James Morrison a sight of goal in the 13th minute. His shot would have tested Vorm at the near post, had it not been charged down.

By now, Albion were all over the visitors and came even closer to an opener three minutes later.

Sinclair's free-kick from the right was headed towards the bottom corner by Morrison but struck his unwitting team-mate Shane Long and bounced clear.

Then, entirely against the run of play, Davies struck.

Hernandez was the provider, attacking the left of the West Brom defence and finding Davies at the second attempt, his first cross having been headed clear.

When the ball fell for the left-back he met it with a crisp side-footed volley that left Boaz Myhill rooted.

The goal gave the visitors new confidence and a clever piece of footwork from Bony on the halfway line could have left West Brom exposed had Gareth McAuley not dragged the Ivorian down and earned a booking.

The closest the hosts came to levelling before the break came after 31 minutes when Long fed Anelka and he just missed the target with a powerful low shot.

Morrison made way for Graeme Dorrans at the break but with an hour gone, West Brom were still behind and hardly threatening.

Swansea's game plan appeared to be a conservative one if Shelvey's increasingly deep positioning was anything to go by.

With half-an-hour to go Michu might have found himself in trouble with a fussier referee or a more dramatic opponent. The Spaniard took offence to a foul by Claudio Yacob and responded by pushing him in the chest, picking up nothing worse than a yellow card.

Mike Dean took Jonas Olsson's name next, the defender having tangled with Bony on the touchline.

It was Bony's final involvement before being replaced by Jonathan de Guzman, a swap that saw Michu move up front.

With 70 minutes gone Wayne Routledge spurned a wonderful chance to make it 2-0, racing clear for what should have been a one-on-one with Myhill only to hesitate and allow McAuley to make a clinical blocking challenge.

McAuley's header at the other end was close to levelling the scores moments later but it was to get worse, not better for his side.

Hernandez, shortly after grazing the crossbar from 20 yards, was on hand when Michu unselfishly rolled the ball across the box from close range.

Michu might have shot from an awkward angle, but instead left his fellow Spaniard with a near open goal to power his shot into.

Rory Dollard PA