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Sports

Sunday August 16, 2009

Ancelotti makes winning start, Arsenal demolish Everton

LONDON: Didier Drogba struck in stoppage time as Chelsea marked Carlo Ancelotti’s first Premier League match in charge with a 2-1 victory over Hull yesterday.

The Ivorian produced a dipping free kick nine minutes after Stephen Hunt gave Hull a shock 28th-minute lead and supplied what he later described as a “lucky” knockout blow at the death on the opening day of the season at Stamford Bridge.

In a late match, Arsenal thrashed Everton 6-1 at Goodison Park with Cesc Fabregas scoring twice.

Big spending Manchester City paraded their expensive signings at Blackburn Rovers with Emmanuel Adebayor, signed from Arsenal, capping his debut with a goal after just three minutes in his club’s 2-0 victory, one of five away wins.

Burnley’s top flight return after a 33-year absence went flat as they went down 2-0 at Stoke while fellow new boys Wolverhampton Wanderers also lost 2-0 at home to West Ham United. Darren Bent scored on his debut to give Sunderland a 1-0 win at Bolton Wanderers while there were away wins for Wigan Athletic at Aston Villa and Fulham at troubled Portsmouth.

Champions Manchester United begin their quest for a fourth consecutive Premier League title today when they face promoted Birmingham City while Liverpool, runners-up last season, travel to Tottenham Hotspur.

An opening day fixture against Hull, who won just one of their last 22 league games last season and avoided relegation by the skin of their teeth, looked like a comfortable introduction to the hurly burly of English club football for Ancelotti but the Italian was given an early taste of what to expect.

For much of the first half his preferred diamond formation in midfield lacked sparkle and after a shaky start, in which Drogba should have scored in the opening minute, Hull more than matched Chelsea.

Hull’s new signing Stephen Hunt, booed throughout by Chelsea fans because of a tackle that left goalkeeper Petr Cech with a fractured skull in 2006 when the Irishman played for Reading, answered his baiters after 28 minutes.

Chelsea had already received a couple of wake-up calls when George Boateng’s shot deflected off the disappointing John Obi Mikel and fell to debutant Hunt to score from 10m.

Thankfully for Ancelotti, Drogba, who signed a new three-year contract this month, sent a dipping free kick into the net before any murmurs of discontent were heard around the Bridge.

Ancelotti tinkered at half-time, replacing Mikel with the more forceful Michael Ballack and the hosts duly pummelled Hull City for most of the second period.

However, it looked like being a frustrating day until the 31-year-old Drogba proved how valuable he will be if Ancelotti is to break United’s domination of the league.

Two minutes into stoppage time, he took possession of the ball on the left hand edge of the penalty area and from a seemingly impossible angle lofted the ball over Myhill.

“I was a bit lucky to score,” Drogba told BBC Radio Five. “It was a cross for Salomon Kalou.

“The belief is strong as always. I think today we showed it, we fight until the end of the game.” — Reuters

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