If Manchester City really are ready to challenge the Manchester United/Chelsea Premier League hegemony then Wednesday's derby at Eastlands is the time to prove it.
Saturday's clash between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford is already shaping up as an early-season eliminator to challenge runaway leaders Manchester City for the Premier League title.
Fernando Torres scored his first goal in 10 games as Liverpool kick-started their Premier League campaign with a 1-0 win over West Bromwich Albion at Anfield on Sunday.
West Bromwich Albion were relegated from the Premier League after just one season when they lost 2-0 to Liverpool at The Hawthorns Sunday. Liverpool stayed in second place, behind champions Manchester United, moving on to 83 points -- three ahead of Chelsea who beat Blackburn Rovers 2-0 at Stamford Bridge in the day's other match.
Chelsea and Arsenal notched impressive 6-0 victories on Saturday as the champions destroyed Wigan Athletic and Arsene Wenger's team brought 10-man Blackpool crashing back to Premier League reality.
Florent Malouda scored a late winner as Chelsea came from behind to beat visitors West Bromwich Albion 2-1 Saturday, while Arsenal's woes deepened with a 2-0 defeat by Liverpool in the Premier League.
Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea's stuttering start to his career at his new club is just part of getting to grips with life in the Premier League, manager Alex Ferguson said on Sunday.
Champions Chelsea will kick off their title defence at home to promoted West Bromwich Albion on August 14, the English Premier League announced on Thursday. In another headline clash on the opening weekend, Newcastle United will mark their return to the top flight with a mouth-watering trip to Old Trafford against runners-up Manchester United.
Manchester United will kick-off their title defence away to West Bromwich Albion on August 13, the Premier League said on Friday. Runners-up Chelsea are also away from home on the opening day of the 2011/12 season, when they head to FA Cup finalists Stoke City.
Goals from Freddie Hinds, Bobby Reid and Niclas Eliasson put the visitors through to the third round. Watford finished with 10 men after Jose Holebas was sent off.
Didier Drogba was on target again as Chelsea, the only top-six team in Premier League action on Saturday, chalked up their 11th successive league win over West Bromwich Albion with a 3-1 triumph at the Hawthorns.
Dimitar Berbatov came off the bench to give Manchester United a 1-0 win over Bolton Wanderers on Saturday that put them five points clear in the Premier League while Arsenal rallied to draw at West Bromwich Albion.
Carlos Vela scored an injury-time equalizer to give West Bromwich Albion a 1-1 draw with Premier League rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers in a typically passionate Black Country derby on Sunday.
Blackburn Rovers leaped from 12th to seventh in the congested Premier League table following a comfortable 2-0 home win over West Bromwich Albion on Sunday.
Blackburn Rovers climbed from 12th to seventh in the Premier League on the back of a comfortable 2-0 home win over West Bromwich Albion on Sunday.
Luiz Felipe Scolari will start life as Chelsea's new manager at home to FA Cup winners Portsmouth after the 2008-09 fixture list was released on Monday. Manchester United, who pipped Chelsea to the title on the final day last season, begin their title defence at home to Newcastle United.
Premier League pacesetters Manchester United and Manchester City ground out wins to stay clear at the top while Arsenal remained in dogged pursuit with a 3-0 victory at Birmingham City on Saturday.
Wayne Rooney scored his first club goal in open play since March as Manchester United rode their luck to secure a 2-1 victory at West Bromwich Albion on Saturday and move three points clear at the top of the Premier League.
Liverpool's Matip did not want to play for Cameroon for the moment because of a 'bad experience' with the previous coaching staff
Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion stayed in touch with the Premier League leaders with solid home wins over West Ham United and Newcastle United on Sunday.
Blackpool celebrated a first home win in the English top flight for nearly 40 years when they beat nine-man West Bromwich Albion 2-1 at Bloomfield Road on Monday.
Arsenal kept up their 100 percent home record this season with a 2-0 win over West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League on Monday, with new club record signing Alexandre Lacazette grabbing both the goals.
Manchester United threw away a 2-0 lead after a Patrice Evra own goal and an error by Edwin van der Sar saw them held 2-2 by West Bromwich Albion while Premier League leaders Chelsea drew 0-0 at Aston Villa Saturday.
Aston Villa have appointed former Chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo as their new manager, the BBC reported on Thursday.
Chelsea's goal-rush was staunched by Stoke City but the Premier League champions maintained their perfect start to the season with a 2-0 home victory.
Having opened the defence of their English Premier League title with a 6-0 thrashing of West Bromwich Albion last week, Chelsea now face the team they beat 8-0 to secure the crown three months ago.
English Premier League club West Bromwich Albion suspended their Czech international striker Roman Bednar on Sunday after newspaper allegations of his involvement in a drugs deal.
West Bromwich Albion, who pulled off a famous escape from relegation in 2005, could be on their way to surviving in the Premier League again after beating Wigan Athletic 3-1 at The Hawthorns on Saturday.
Chelsea narrowed Manchester United's lead in the Premier League to four points on Tuesday with a 1-0 victory at Portsmouth while Liverpool also kept their slender title hopes alive with a 2-0 defeat of Sunderland. United have two games in hand on both, starting with their trip to struggling Newcastle United on Wednesday.
Manchester United thrashed bottom club West Bromwich Albion 5-0 at the Hawthorns to move three points clear at the top of the English Premier League on Tuesday. Cristiano Ronaldo struck two late goals for the rampant Reds after Dimitar Berbatov, Carlos Tevez and Nemanja Vidic had put the champions in control against 10-man West Brom.
West Bromwich Albion have ruled out the prospect of Saido Berahino leaving the club during the current transfer window, leading Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino to compare his club's pursuit of the striker to a frustrated love affair.
English champions and runners-up since the league restarted in the 1946-47 season after World War Two:
Chelsea and Liverpool continued setting a hot pace at the top of the English Premier League with emphatic away victories on Saturday. Liverpool briefly went top courtesy of a 2-0 victory at Bolton Wanderers with goals from Dirk Kuyt and Steven Gerrard before Chelsea responded by thrashing bottom club West Bromwich Albion 3-0 at the Hawthorns.
Liverpool took full advantage of an early kickoff at Bolton Wanderers on Saturday, winning 2-0 to go three points clear at the top of the Premier League.
Chelsea returned to the top of the Premier League on Sunday with a 2-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers at a rain-drenched Ewood Park. Aston Villa could have gone above Manchester United into the top four but lost 2-1 at Middlesbrough for whom Tuncay Sanli scored an 88th-minute winner.
Chelsea romped to a 5-0 victory at Middlesbrough and Manchester United beat West Bromwich Albion 4-0 while Liverpool and Arsenal produced stirring fightbacks to claim home wins over Wigan Athletic and Everton. Liverpool snatched a 3-2 triumph over Wigan, while Arsenal netted three second-half goals to record a 3-1 victory against Everton.
Favourites Chelsea will play Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup quarter-final tie at Stamford Bridge next month.
Two goals from Wayne Rooney put Manchester United back on top of the Premier League for the first time in five months when they beat West Bromwich Albion 2-0 at Old Trafford on Sunday and Manchester City went down to a 1-0 defeat at Swansea City.
Roy Keane has agreed terms to take over as manager of second division Sunderland