By Paul Doyle
Manchester United’s decline continued today when Alex Ferguson’s men stumbled to a 1-0 defeat at home to West Ham. A second half goal from Jermaine Defoe meant the reigning champions, having been trounced by Chelsea last week, lost two consecutive home league games for the first time since 1990.
There were no such difficulties for Liverpool though, as long-range strikes from Michael Owen and Patrik Berger enabled them to cruise to victory over Middlesbrough at Anfield.
Southampton recorded their highest ever victory in the Premiership as they walloped Leicester 4-0 at Filbert Street, with Swedish summer signing Anders Svensson grabbing two goals.
Fulham’s Barry Hayles also netted twice, as Jean Tigana’s men extended their unbeaten run to seven games with a 2-0 home win over Everton.
Tottenham Hotspur’s fine run, however, came to an emphatic end at The Valley, where Charlton produced their best performance of the season so far to triumph 3-1.
Meanwhile, at Pride Park, Derby clambered out of the relegation zone by beating Bolton 1-0, thanks to Malcolm Christie first league goal since the opening day of the season.