Tottenham got their season up and running with a thumping of Derby, while Bolton lost their third successive game.
Spurs sparkle, Wigan win, Bolton battered
Tottenham got their season up and running with a thumping of Derby, Wigan won their second successive game, while Bolton's misery under Sammy Lee continues.
Middlesbrough picked up their first win of the campaign at Fulham, West Ham needed a penalty to beat Birmingham, and over at Reading, Stephen Hunt's goal was enough to beat Everton.
Tottenham's players showed an underfire Martin Jol exactly what they think of him, courtesy of an inspired first half display in which they tore apart a miserable
Derby.
Jol relief
Jol may be feeling the heat in North London but his team showed no nerves, as they sauntered to a 4-0 victory over Billy Davies' Rams.
Steed Malbranque opened the scoring in just the second minute, with a crisp low drive, after receiving possession from Jermaine Jenas' free-kick, on the edge of Derby's box.
The diminutive Frenchman was at it again just five minutes later, with another exemplary finish, before in the 14th, Jenas broke from midfield to coolly slot past Stephen Bywater.
Derby's woes were compounded in the second period when Darren Bent poked home his first Tottenham goal, after Pascal Chimbonda had hit the bar.
Bolton's miserable start to the season under Sammy Lee shows no sign of abating, as they crashed to a 3-1 defeat on their travels to the South Coast.
Portsmouth, despite struggling with injuries, had far too much going forward as they came from behind to seal a comfortable victory.
It had all looked to be going well for Bolton when Nicolas Anelka slotted through David James' legs after little more than ten minutes, but by half-time, Portsmouth were ahead courtesy of Kanu's neat finish and a fine individual effort from John Utaka.
Harry Redknapp's side completed the scoring two minutes from time when Matt Taylor converted from the penalty spot, after Gerald Cid was adjudged to have upended the impressive Kanu.
Toffees come unstuck
Everton's excellent start to the season stalled at
Reading, as Hunt's tidy finish on the stroke of half-time gave Steve Coppell's side maximum spoils on home soil.
Chris Hutchings continues to defy his critics at
Wigan as his side picked up their second win of the season courtesy of a facile 3-0 victory over
Sunderland.
Emile Heskey opened the scoring in the 17th minute with a cool finish, despite protests from Sunderland's players that he was off-side from Luis Valencia's pass.
Sunderland's efforts to get back into the contest were laid to rest in the second half, thanks to two pieces of kamikaze defending, that handed Wigan a pair of penalties.
Denny Lanzaat converted the first, leaving Antoine Sibierski to score his third goal in as many games, with Wigan's third twenty minutes from time.
Middlesbrough picked up their first win of the season at
Fulham as they came away from Craven Cottage with a 2-1 success.
Brian McBride put the home side in front with a side foot finish in the 16th minute, in an incident that saw the big American dislocate his knee, but Boro new boy Mido embarrassed Tony Warner in Fulham's goal, as the most tepid of efforts trickled past him.
In the dying embers of the contest, Lee Cattermole broke from midfield to fire past Warner with an excellent finish.
The drama was not, though, over as injury-time saw David Healy have a goal chalked off, despite the ball clearly crossing the line.
West Ham midfielder Mark Noble was his side's matchwinner at
Birmingham, dispatching a second half penalty after Colin Doyle had upended Craig Bellamy in the box.
Saturday's late kick-off saw
Newcastle and
Aston Villa play out an uninspiring 0-0 stalemate.
