LONDON: Champions Manchester United and Chelsea, the newly-enriched pretenders to the premier league crown, maintained their perfect starts to the season with contrasting 2-1 wins on Saturday.

They are the only two teams with six points from two matches, though Arsenal could join them if they win at Middlesbrough on Sunday.

Manchester United recovered from a goal down to beat Newcastle United 2-1 with another goal from Ruud van Nistelrooy and a Paul Scholes winner in a polished second-half display at St James' Park.

Chelsea started brightly but were forced to battle for the points in their 2-1 win over Leicester City at Stamford Bridge as three players were sent off - Geremi of Chelsea and Leicester's Alan Rogers and Riccardo Scimeca.

By then the match had been decided by a superb debut goal from striker Adrian Mutu, Chelsea's 15.8 million-pound (US$24.85 million) buy from Parma, who lashed the ball home on the stroke of halftime after picking up a re-bound from his own free kick.

It was the first time Chelsea fans had seen their new-look side at home, and Roman Abramovich, the Russian billionaire who has spent over 75.0 million pounds assembling the team, was giving a rapturous welcome.

One interested spectator was Argentine striker Hernan Crespo, who is expected to join Chelsea from Inter Milan for 16.5 million pounds next week.

They only had to wait three minutes for the first goal when Leicester's Lilian Nalis powerfully headed a Juan Sebastian Veron corner past Ian Walker, his own goalkeeper.

A Jamie Scowcroft header put Leicester back in the match after 40 minutes, but then Mutu struck with his thunderous drive.

The match developed into a scrappy battle in the second half, with Geremi sent off for a two-footed tackle on Scimeca, Rogers red-carded for fouling Jesper Gronkjaer and Scimeca dismissed following a second yellow card.

Ruud's record

While Mutu put his name on the premier league scoresheet for the first time, Van Nistelrooy cracked home his 50th league goal for Manchester United in his 68th league appearance.

Newcastle had struck first when Alan Shearer powerfully headed home Laurent Robert's free kick in the 26th minute.

That completed an unhappy few minutes for United who thought Andy O'Brien should have been sent off for hauling down Ryan Giggs.

That incident led to United's irate manager Alex Ferguson being ordered from the dugout for swearing at the officials.

But United gradually took control of the match, captain Roy Keane making both goals in nine minutes early in the second half.

After 51 minutes the midfielder played a perfect through pass to Van Nistelrooy who fired home for the 10th successive league match - equalling the record for the English top division established by Liverpool's John Aldridge in 1987.

Keane created his side's winner after 59 minutes, playing a deep angled ball through the defence which Scholes chested into an empty net.

United's 20th league match without defeat put them top of the table.

"We got our noses in front, but they were just too strong, too experienced and too powerful for us in the second half," said Newcastle manager Bobby Robson.

Late goal

It looked as though promoted Portsmouth would also secure their second successive win after taking the lead against Manchester City through Nigerian international Yakubu Ayegbeni.

He had the distinction of scoring the first goal in the new City of Manchester Stadium, but City avoided an unwanted first home defeat when David Sommeil equalized in the last minute.

But the nightmare continued for promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers when they were thumped 4-0 at Molineux by Charlton Athletic, a week after losing 5-1 at Blackburn Rovers.

Shaun Bartlett (twice), Jason Euell and Claus Jensen scored for the visitors before the break, but Charlton's day was spoilt when Scott Parker was sent off late in the game.

Blackburn had debutant Steven Reid sent off and drew 2-2 at Bolton Wanderers, who picked up their first point of the season.

Agencies via Xinhua

(China Daily 08/25/2003 page8)