Rousing start to Premiership

The striker rejected by Chelsea and Manchester City was playing soccer in the primary school playground the last time his new club, Liverpool, secured a three-game perfect start to their season, way back in 1995.

However, it was Daniel Sturridge’s inventive intervention on his 24th birthday that proved the difference between them and their north-west rivals, current Premier League champions, Manchester United.

It was a fitting finish and result on a day that the Anfield club chose to celebrate what would have been the 100th birthday of one of their greatest managers, Bill Shankley.

While the club raised a mosaic and the fans chanted You’ll Never Walk Alone, those watching this fast-improving table-topping team would have seen the same team ethic eschewed by Shankley. 

New manager Brendan Rodgers was also moved to write in the programme notes about a ‘family of people who are proud enough to hold their head up high’. I wonder whether the message was heard and understood by the watching Luis Suarez who has treated this great club and its supporters so poorly in recent weeks?

Three successive 1-0 victories brings reminders of another terrace chant from the same era that Liverpool actually won the league 23 years ago, although the ‘boring, boring Arsenal’ that accompanied it will not be used in the same breath about this Liverpool side.

Their fast-tempo, high-pressing game was too much for a United team that dominated possession yet failed to inflict any damage on the unbreached Liverpool rearguard. New signing, Simon Mignolet, who controversially arrived to replace Pepe Reina, is yet to concede a goal as the premier teams head into an early season break caused by the scheduling of international matches.

United’s new manager, David Moyes, would have hoped that his highly talented inherited squad could help him purge an unwanted record, derided while an opposing manager and even more so now, of having failed to record an Anfield victory in 13 attempts ... now it’s 14.

He was not helped by a late head injury to one player he knew from his Goodison days, Wayne Rooney. However much trouble he has caused Moyes since he arrived at the start of January, the England striker’s talent was sorely missed as Van Persie looked isolated and Welbeck lost between midfield and attack.

United had only failed to score on one of their previous seven visits to Anfield but on Sunday they rarely looked like hitting the back of the net.

How United must wish they had someone like Sturridge. On a day that Liverpool signed, albeit on loan, another Chelsea misfit, Victor Moses, the prolific Liverpool centre-forward was imaginative in possession, technically superb in linking with Coutinho in particular and hard-working in support of his teammates defensively.

The champions can take solace from the fact that they achieved the same results last season in the corresponding fixtures and still won the title. Furthermore, the season is not decided with a single result – it is how they respond to defeat that will help define their season, helped perhaps by a last-minute foray into the transfer market, probably at inflated prices with many believing they will be desperate to freshen the squad, despite Moyes’ protestations to the contrary.

Arsenal were the other big derby winners last weekend providing further evidence that heavy investment is not essential. After a surprising and heavy defeat on the opening day they have now won twice in Europe and twice in the league, although this victory will taste the sweetest.

Entering the fixture it is unlikely that there could not have been a much greater difference in terms of transfer activity with the relative optimism of each set of fans fuelled accordingly. The neutral observer could have been forgiven for forgetting the recent final league positions between the two sides.

Yet, it was Arsenal who dominated the early exchanges with Santi Cazorla twice coming close from free-kicks in dangerous positions. Walcott’s pace attacking from wide, the revitalised Aaron Ramsey troubled the Spurs defence and both were involved as Giroud darted in front of a dithering Dawson to instinctively turn the ball home.

Tottenham’s opening matches both brought victories courtesy of a Soldado penalty and they were denied another after Laurent Koscielny made contact with the striker in the second half.

Thereafter, Spurs were the livelier of the two teams although Arsenal looked more threatening on the break with Giroud and Walcott twice being denied by the excellent Lloris.

By the end of the match the Spurs’ fans taunts about Arsenal’s lack of spending had been replaced by the retort ‘what a waste of money’, the Gunners enjoying the last laugh against their bitter neighbours.

With the international break teams have the opportunity to regroup and analyse their opening performances. Teams such as Spurs and Sunderland have further opportunities to integrate numerous new signings and mould them into a team.

The season has only just begun but what a breathtaking start!