Premier League round-up

Rooney runs riot on the coast; City draw again; eight-goals at Upton Park

Last updated: 29th November 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Premier League round-up

Rooney: Hat-trick hero

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Blackburn 0 Stoke 0
Fulham 1 Bolton 1
Man City 1 Hull 1
Portsmouth 1 Man Utd 4
West Ham 5 Burnley 3
Wigan 1 Sunderland 0
Aston Villa 1 Tottenham 1

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Avram Grant's bow as Portsmouth boss was ruined by a Wayne Rooney hat-trick as Manchester United left Fratton Park with a 4-1 success, while Jimmy Bullard's late penalty for Hull City at Eastlands consigned Manchester City to a seventh successive draw.

Burnley's away day woes continued as they were thumped 5-3 by West Ham, while across the capital at Craven Cottage Fulham came from behind to claim a point from their game with Bolton and Steve Bruce's return to Wigan as Sunderland boss was ruined by Hugo Rodallega's second half winner.

Aston Villa and Tottenham delivered an indication that their battle to break the cartel of the Premier League's Big Four will continue to be a tightly-fought contest as they drew 1-1 at Villa Park.

At Ewood Park it was not one for the purists as Blackburn and Stoke City played out an uninspiring goalless draw.

The first half of Manchester United's trip to the South Coast was dominated by two contentious penalty calls made by referee Mike Dean.

Prior to the first spot-kick, awarded to United after Rooney had been clipped in the box by Michael Brown before picking himself up and dispatching confidently, Portsmouth had taken the game to the champions.

The exciting if erratic Aruna Dindane had twice spurned decent opportunities before Tomasz Kuszczak pulled off a stunning stop to thwart Jamie O'Hara.

If United's penalty was perhaps a little cheap, Portsmouth's left everyone in the ground - with the exception of a frantically flagging linesman - genuinely perplexed.

Kuszczak cleanly punched O'Hara's free-kick away to safety but as play resumed a penalty was awarded, with replays suggesting it was Nemanja Vidic who was penalised for grabbing a handful of Frederic Piquionne's shirt. Kevin-Prince Boateng, who missed a crucial spot-kick at Stoke last week, just about beat Kuszczak with a low finish.

Parity lasted just three minutes of the second half as Darren Fletcher's exquisite lofted pass found Ryan Giggs, whose pinpoint delivery was duly dispatched with ease by Rooney from close range.

With United in the ascendancy Mike Dean awarded his third penalty of the afternoon as Piquionne carelessly lost possession to Giggs on the byline before pulling down the Welshman. Rooney made no mistake from 12 yards to send Asmir Begovic the wrong way.

A great afternoon for United was capped by Ryan Giggs' 100th Premier League goal, a lovely free-kick, which comes a day before his 36th birthday.

Hull City arrived at Eastlands as rank underdogs but gave a good account of themselves as Manchester City struggled to find any real rhythm.

Phil Brown's side looked to have done enough to reach half-time goalless but endured ill-luck just before the break as Shaun Wright-Phillips' speculative drive was deflected past Matt Duke via the head of defender Anthony Gardner.

Hull went close to finding a leveller in the opening minutes of the second half as Richard Garcia saw his clipped finish cleared off the line by Joleon Lescott.

With eight minutes remaining Kolo Toure was ruled to have brought down Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink in the box. Bullard registered from 12 yards for the second successive week before orchestrating a celebration routine that will surely not be beaten this season.

West Ham fired Burnley a warning of their intent when Guillermo Franco's brave header thumped back off the bar in the early sparring, before Jake Collison delivered a knock-out blow.

Scott Parker's quick free-kick caught Burnley's back four totally unawares as Collison was given time and space to slot past Brian Jensen.

There was more shambolic defending to come for West Ham's second as Franco's clever reverse ball played in Junior Stanislas. His first effort was repelled by Jensen but from the tightest of angles he deceived the crestfallen Clarets keeper at his near post.

Burnley's away day blues were exacerbated by a third West Ham goal before half-time as Carlton Cole netted from the penalty spot after Robbie Blake was adjudged to have brought down a marauding Jonathan Spector.

Franco's aerial prowess unnerved Burnley all afternoon and in the second half he grabbed a goal his industry deserved in planting a header from Stanislas' cross past Jensen.

Hammers substitute Luis Jimenez made it five from the penalty spot after he was brought down by an onrushing Jensen, before Steven Fletcher twice finished carbon copy Chris Eagles' crosses from the left to give a beleaguered Clarets faithful something to cheer.

Steven Caldwell saw red for a professional foul on Zavon Hines, before in the final minute the impressive Eagles bagged a goal of his own to finally finish the scoring in what was an absorbing game.

At Craven Cottage some heroic defending from Bolton defender Gratar Steinsson prevented Fulham taking the lead as he cleared Erik Nevland's stab at goal off the line.

It was a missed opportunity they were made to rue ten minutes before half-time as Ivan Klasnic capitalised on an uncharacteristic sloppy piece of defending from Brede Hangeland to swivel in the box and finish smartly.

The Norwegian's blushes were spared by team-mate Damien Duff's angled second half leveller from Nevland's pass.

At the DW Stadium it was an unhappy return to the North West for Steve Bruce. And it was a player, presumably not one of the 'dodgy' ones, brought in by Bruce who scored the only goal as Rodallega finished smartly for Wigan in the 76th minute.

Sunderland's complaints that the Colombian caught defender Paulo da Silva in the face in the build up fell on deaf ears.

Across the North West, in Blackburn, it was Rovers midfielder Steven N'Zonzi that went closest to breaking the deadlock as his strike came back off the Stoke post.

Goalkeepers Thomas Sorensen and Paul Robinson were both in inspired form as neither side could muster a breakthrough.

Michael Dawson's second-half strike cancelled out Gabriel Agbonlahor's early goal in England's Second City to leave Spurs third and Villa fifth in the table.

Agbonlahor scrambled the opener in the 10th minute as Spurs' captain-for-the-day Dawson and Wilson Palacios collided when attempting to clear Carlos Cuellar's flick on at a corner.

Dawson atoned in the 77th minute when he controlled and volleyed home a Benoit Assou-Ekotto cross to leave Friedel with no chance.