LONDON: Tottenham Hotspur ended a week in which they apologised to supporters for further delay in their move back to White Hart Lane by continuing to flourish at their second home of Wembley where they beat Fulham 3-1 in the Premier League on Saturday.

The win moved Spurs top of the early table with maximum points from their opening two games, a record matched by Bournemouth, who came from behind to beat West Ham United 2-1 at London Stadium.

Leicester City and Everton posted their first wins, against Wolves and Southampton respectively, while Chelsea were due to play Arsenal in the day’s late game.

Spurs were made to work for their victory, with Fulham equalising Lucas Moura’s opener before Kieran Trippier replicated his free-kick goal for England in the World Cup with another superb strike. Harry Kane rounded off an impressive win by scoring his first ever Premier League goal in August.

Bournemouth took full advantage of comic home defending to strike twice in six second-half minutes through Callum Wilson and Steve Cook, inflicting Manuel Pellegrini’s second successive defeat since returning to the Premier League with West Ham.

Everton also changed managers in the summer but Marco Silva has enjoyed a more promising beginning and secured a 2-1 win in his first home game with new signing Richarlison scoring his third goal in two games since his move from Watford.

The Brazilian only managed five in total last season but looks a different proposition since reuniting with his former manager.

Richarlison headed Everton’s second after former Southampton forward Theo Walcott had opened the scoring after a well-worked free-kick move from Leighton Baines and Morgan Schneiderlin.

“I haven’t seen Everton score a goal like that for years,” said the club’s former midfielder Ian Snodin, an indication of how Silva is instilling a new brand of football into the team he inherited from Sam Allardyce.

Another Brazilian, Newcastle United’s Kenedy, had a less memorable day, missing a stoppage-time penalty which would have given the 10-man visitors victory in the goalless draw at Cardiff City, who were playing their first home Premier League game for four years.

Cardiff’s hero was keeper Neil Etheridge, who saved his second spot-kick in successive games to spark wild celebrations at the Cardiff City stadium.

Leicester also ended their 2-0 win over Wolves with 10 men after their England striker Jamie Vardy was dismissed for a reckless tackle on Matt Doherty.

The challenge that was all the more needless because Leicester were in control through a Doherty own goal and a strike from James Maddison, his first Premier League goal since his 24 million-pound ($30.6 million) move from second-tier Norwich City.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2018