Salah sends Liverpool top as Man City held at Wolves

LONDON (Reuters): Mohamed Salah struck again to ensure an underpowered Liverpool maintained their perfect early-season record in the 1-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion at Anfield, and climbed to the top of the Premier League on Saturday.

Salah, the league’s top scorer last year, scored the first-half winner to give Liverpool nine points from three matches after Manchester City’s spotless start to their title defence was halted by a 1-1 draw at newcomers Wolverhampton Wanderers.

On a day when Arsenal earned their first win under Unai Emery, a 3-1 victory over West Ham United, the two title favourites, while far from their best, both dominated their matches but with very different outcomes.

City, who won their first two games of the season in fine style, again largely controlled affairs against Championship winners Wolves at Molineux, but still had to come from behind to earn a point against NunoEspirito Santo’s impressive side.

Wolves had gone ahead fortuitously after the break with Willy Boly’s diving header actually going in off his arm only for AymericLaporte to then equalise with a header, his first goal for City.

The champions hit the woodwork three times, once through Raheem Sterling, whose thunderbolt was tipped brilliantly on to the woodwork by RuiPatricio, and twice from Sergio Aguero, whose free kick struck the crossbar in the dying seconds.

Arsenal prevailed after two defeats under Emery but only after Marko Arnautovic’s first-half goal for West Ham prompted brief thoughts that the home side might lose their first three league matches of the season for the first time since 1954-55.

It was the worst start by a West Ham manager since Avram Grant lost his opening four league games in 2010-11.

Bournemouth and Everton maintained their unbeaten starts to the season in a dramatic match at Dean Court in which both sides ended with 10 men.

Southampton’s difficult start continued with Harry Maguire’s stoppage-time winner seeing Leicester City earn a 2-1 comeback win, a victory that will have brought much pleasure to visiting manager Claude Puel on his return to his former club.

Southampton, who have won just once at home in the Premier League this year, also had midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg sent off for two yellow card offences.