Portsmouth got their first goals and first points of the new season with an impressive 3-0 win at Everton. Harry Redknapp's side came into the game lying bottom of the table after their opening two fixtures, but with the Peter Crouch-Jermain Defoe partnership showing signs of fruition they were too strong for a disappointing Everton.
Portsmouth took the lead in the 12th minute as Defoe latched on to a Crouch flick-on, turned Joleon Lescott and finished from 10 yards. David James was required to be at his best when he saved from Mikael Arteta before the visitors doubled their lead five minutes before half-time. Lassana Diarra found Glen Johnson who played a neat one-two with Defoe before calmly sliding the ball past Tim Howard.
Everton had a chance to get back in the game when they were awarded a penalty at the start of the second-half, but even from 12 yards they could find no way past James, who brilliantly saved Aiyegbeni Yakubu's spot-kick.
Portsmouth made the game safe in the 68th minute and again it was Defoe on the scoresheet. The England international picked up a pass from Sean Davis and chipped Howard to score his second and Portsmouth's third.
The West Ham United manager Alan Curbishley was thankful for Paul Ince's return to Upton Park to take the pressure off his shoulders, and after seeing his side overcome Blackburn Rovers 4-1 Curbishley must be wishing Ince could return every week.
West Ham began slowly against a fired-up Blackburn, but the home side took the lead against the run of play in the 12th minute as Julian Faubert's free-kick was met by Calum Davenport who headed past Paul Robinson in the Blackburn goal. Curbishley's side then doubled their lead just eight minutes later when Mark Noble's shot was deflected past Robinson by Christopher Samba.
Blackburn got back in the game two minutes later when Jason Roberts turned Davenport and slotted past Robert Green for his second goal of the season. Ince's side could have been level before half-time when Matt Derbyshire wrongly had a goal disallowed for offside, and again could have equalised shortly after half-time when they were awarded a penalty, but Green produced a stunning save low to his left to deny Roberts.
Blackburn thoroughly dominated the second half as they pushed for an equaliser, but somehow couldn't find the breakthrough. West Ham made the game safe with two goals in injury-time, first through the substitute Craig Bellamy before Carlton Cole added a fourth.
The last time Hull City and Wigan Athletic met in a league match was in League Two in 1996 in front of 3,500 people at Boothferry Park. It was a different story at the KC Stadium as they renewed a rivalry more traditionally associated with rugby league.
The visitors took the lead in the fifth minute when Kevin Kilbane's inswinging corner was put into his own net by Sam Ricketts. Emile Heskey and Amr Zaki were causing all sorts of problems for Phil Brown's side, and Wigan doubled their lead after 13 minutes. The Egyptian striker Zaki found Antonio Valencia who sprinted half the length of the pitch to score.
Steve Bruce's side wrapped up the game 20 minutes into the second half when Valencia found Zaki, who shifted the ball to his left-foot before firing in his third goal of the season. Heskey made it four in the 68th minute, latching onto a hopeful punt from Chris Kirkland, and registered his first goal of the season. Bruce's decision to sign Zaki is looking inspired as the Egyptian registered his second of the game when he fired in off the bar with nine remaining to cap a magnificent 5-0 win for Wigan.
Middlesbrough maintained their impressive start to the new season with a 2-1 win over Stoke City at the Riverside. The visitors were reduced to 10 men in the 36th minute when Amdy Faye was shown a straight red card by the referee Mike Dean for a high challenge. Afonso Alves struck an unstoppable shot past Thomas Sorensen in the Stoke goal from the resulting free kick.
The home side had the chance to make the game safe from the penalty spot halfway through the second half, but Stewart Downing saw his spot-kick come back off the crossbar. They were made to pay moments later when Justin Hoyte, making his home league debut, bundled a Liam Lawrence cross into his own net.
The Turkish international Tuncay Sanli won the game for Gareth Southgate's team with five minutes remaining when he beat the Stoke offside trap and shot past Sorensen as the Stoke defence waited for the referee's whistle.
West Bromwich Albion should have taken all three points at the Reebok against Bolton Wanderers, but had to make do with a 0-0 draw. The home side had goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen to thank for their point, as the Finnish international saved from James Morrison and twice from Ishmael Miller, who should have have won the game for the visitors. Bolton nearly snatched all three points when Kevin Davies twice had the ball in the net in the final five minutes, but both efforts were correctly ruled out for offside.
