LONDON: Manchester United thrashed defending Premier League champions Leicester City 4-1 as they vindicated manager Jose Mourinho’s decision to drop Wayne Rooney while Manchester City maintained their perfect start with a 3-1 win away to Swansea City on Saturday.

United scored four goals, three from set-pieces, as Chris Smalling, Juan Mata, Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba with his first goal since his return from Juventus, all found the back of the net between the 22nd and 42nd minutes at Old Trafford.

England skipper Rooney was limited to just a few minutes off the bench at the end of the match but Mourinho told Sky Sports: “Wayne Rooney is a big player for me, United and this country.”

Leicester managed a brilliant consolation goal from half-time substitute Demarai Gray but that could not stop the Foxes shipping four goals for the second time in as many league away games after doing so at Liverpool a fortnight ago.

“It’s not possible to concede three goals off corners, that means you are not concentrating,” said Foxes manager Claudio Ranieri.

Sergio Aguero fired Manchester City into a ninth-minute lead at the Liberty Stadium but Swansea were level minutes later when Fernando Llorente lashed in a half-volley.

City, however, regained the lead with an Aguero penalty in the 65th minute after Mike van der Hoorn fouled Kevin de Bruyne in the box.

Raheem Sterling, using Aguero as a decoy, made it 3-1 in the 77th minute.

Liverpool overpowered Hull City 5-1 after the Tigers spent much of the match a man down at Anfield, with the Reds 3-0 up inside 36 minutes.

Adam Lallana put Liverpool ahead in the 17th minute after good work by Philippe Coutinho and Hull then found themselves down a man when Ahmed Elmohamady was sent off after blocking Philippe Coutinho’s goal-bound shot with his arm.

James Milner scored from the resulting penalty and Sadio Mane then made it 3-0.

David Meyler pulled a goal back for Hull early in the second half before Coutinho restored Liverpool’s three-goal lead with a brilliant 25-yard strike.

Milner scored his second penalty of the match after Daniel Sturridge was tripped by Andrew Robertson South Korea’s Son Heung-Min scored twice as Tottenham Hotspur, without injured England star Harry Kane, won 2-1 away to Middlesbrough.

Son opened the scoring in the seventh minute and double the London club’s advantage in the 23rd minute with aright-foot shot .

Boro replied through Ben Gibson’s 65th-minute goal.

Bournemouth ended Everton’s unbeaten start to the season with a 1-0 home win secured by Junior Stanislas’s shot into the top corner.

At the Stadium of Light, Crystal Palace came from 2-0 down to beat Sunderland 3-2 and so deny the hosts a first league win of the campaign.

Jermain Defoe seized on a mistake by Joe Ledley as he fired Sunderland into a 39th-minute lead before doubling their lead on the hour mark only for Ledley to atone for his earlier error a minute earlier.

James McArthur headed in an equaliser before Christian Benteke’s stoppage-time goal completed a fine comeback for the south London club.

Tony Pulis was unable to mark his 1,000th game as a manager with a win as his West Bromwich Albion drew 1-1 away to former club Stoke City, still to win in the league this season.

Joe Allen put Stoke head in the 73rd minute before Albion’s Salomon Rondon equalised deep into stoppage time.

Published in Dawn September 25th, 2016