LONDON, Sept 18, (Agencies): Manchester United maintained their perfect start to the Premier League season with a 3-1 win over title rivals Chelsea, while Manchester City surrendered their 100 percent record as Fulham fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2 on Sunday. Sir Alex Ferguson’s side blew Chelsea away thanks to three goals in the first half from Chris Smalling, Nani and Wayne Rooney.
Fernando Torres reduced the deficit soon after half-time with only his second goal for Chelsea, but later missed an open goal and United could have won by a greater margin as Rooney wasted a second half penalty. United’s victory equalled a club record of 18 consecutive home wins and moved them two points clear of second placed Manchester City at the top of the table and five ahead of third placed Chelsea. It was Chelsea’s first loss under new boss Andre Villas-Boas, who tasted defeat in a league game for the first time since April 2010 when Benfica beat his Academica de Coimbra team.

“Some of our football was fantastic but we were very careless at times. We did ok when we got the ball to Young and Nani. They couldn’t cope with that,” Ferguson said.
“But they kept at us and we created problems for ourselves by giving the ball away so many times.” United, who have made their best start since 1985, took the lead in the eighth minute when Smalling was left unmarked from Ashley Young’s free-kick and the defender headed past Petr Cech despite Chelsea’s appeals for offside.
Portugal winger Nani increased United’s advantage in the 37th minute, cutting in from the right wing before smashing a ferocious 20-yard strike into the top corner.
There was an element of good fortune about United’s third goal as John Terry’s attempted clearance cannoned off Nani into Rooney’s path and the England forward slotted home from close-range.
Torres gave Chelsea a glimmer of hope in the 46th minute when he flicked a fine finish over David de Gea.

They had another boost when Rooney slipped while running up to take a penalty, awarded for Jose Bosingwa’s trip on Nani, and saw his effort fly wide in an echo of the Terry spot-kick miss that helped United win the Champions League in 2008.
Torres should have pulled Chelsea to within one goal in the closing stages, but the £50 million striker produced an early candidate for miss of the season as he rounded De Gea and somehow scuffed wide with an empty net at his mercy.
In London, Fulham ended Manchester City’s perfect start to the Premier League season by rallying from two goals down to draw 2-2 at Craven Cottage on Sunday. Big-spending City looked on their way to a fifth straight win when Argentina striker Sergio Aguero scored in the 18th minute and again 12 seconds into the second half to breeze into a 2-0 lead.

It needed Aguero’s eighth goal of the season to sting Fulham into life and the hosts belied their position in the bottom three of the division to earn a draw - thanks to goals by striker Bobby Zamora in the 55th and captain Danny Murphy 15 minutes from time.
Both teams were in European action in midweek but while it took Fulham a half to get going following its Europa League draw with FC Twente on Thursday, City - playing four days after its debut in the Champions League against Napoli - was sprightly going forward from the first whistle, led by the diminutive pair of Aguero and Spain playmaker David Silva.
Those two linked up for Aguero’s opener, the striker collecting Silva’s clipped through-ball and slotting a curling finish into the bottom corner from 10 yards (meters).

Spurs 4, Liverpool 0
In London, Liverpool had two players sent off, while Emmanuel Adebayor scored twice as Tottenham Hotspur strolled to a 4-0 win at White Hart Lane.
The visitors produced a woeful display and Spurs took full advantage with Luka Modric and Jermain Defoe also on target as the early-season optimism on Anfield begins to recede.
Only Modric’s superb early strike separated the sides until Martin Skrtel’s second-half red card opened the floodgates. Charlie Adam had already been dismissed for the visitors for a mis-timed tackle on Scott Parker in the 28th minute.
Tottenham’s second victory of the season, after they lost their opening two matches, lifted them to 11th place with six points. Liverpool are in eighth spot with seven points after a second successive league defeat.
Liverpool collected seven points from their opening three games but defeat at Stoke City last week halted their progress and Sunday’s poor display will raise questions about their ability to challenge for a top-four finish. It was their heaviest Premier League defeat since 2003.

Sunderland 4, Stoke 0
In Sunderland, United Kingdom, Sunderland finally secured their first Premier League win of the season with an impressive 4-0 demolition of Stoke City at the Stadium of Light.
Steve Bruce’s side had scored only twice in their previous five matches but they surged into a three-goal lead inside half an hour thanks to Titus Bramble’s first goal for the club, a Jonathan Woodgate own goal and Craig Gardner’s deflected strike. Sebastian Larsson’s second-half free-kick sealed the win as Stoke were beaten for the first time in 10 games in all competitions.
Sunderland’s rampant display was enough to lift Bruce’s team out of the relegation zone after two draws and two defeats in their first four matches.
They took the lead in the fifth minute. Rory Delap could not cut out Larsson’s corner at the near post and when the ball fell to Bramble, his low shot squirmed away from keeper Asmir Begovic and trickled over the line.
Things got even better within six minutes when Woodgate, in his desperation to beat Nicklas Bendtner to David Vaughan’s curling cross, could only head the ball over the stranded Begovic and into his own net.

A Stoke side featuring eight changes to the one that drew 1-1 at Dynamo Kiev in the Europa League in mid-week looked strangely toothless, although Simon Mignolet had to pull off a fine one-handed save to claw Marc Wilson’s 16th-minute free-kick away from his top corner.
But their hopes of launching a comeback were dealt a further blow with 28 minutes gone when Gardner collected Bendtner’s pass and saw his shot loop up off Ryan Shawcross and sail over the stranded Begovic into the top corner.
Stoke striker Peter Crouch, who was jeered throughout by the home fans after rejecting Sunderland’s advances for the second time last month, headed straight at Mignolet three minutes before the break.
And the game was effectively over in the 58th minute as Larsson beat Begovic with a superb free-kick.
Crouch was guilty of a glaring miss at the other end four minutes later when he could not get a touch with the goal at his mercy, much to the amusement of the home fans.