• Premier League round-up

Man Utd crush Toon, L'pool fire blanks, Spurs sink Villa

Patrice Evra grabbed Manchester United's second © PA Photos

Enlarge

This season ESPN Goals is completely free. It's the first place to see every goal from every Premier League game, all season long

Manchester United put themselves back on track in the title hunt with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Newcastle United.

Elsewhere, Liverpool's dire start to the season continued as they were held by Stoke, while Tottenham's improvement under Andre Villas-Boas gathered pace with a win over Aston Villa.

Sir Alex Ferguson was a happy man as he watched Manchester United take full advantage of Newcastle's generosity to climb into second place in the Premier League.

United were handed a flying start as the Magpies' makeshift defence crumbled horrifically on two occasions inside the opening 16 minutes to allow first Jonny Evans and then Patrice Evra to head home.

Alan Pardew's men rallied in determined fashion and might have been back in the game five minutes into the second half, but Demba Ba's header came back off the bar and Papiss Cisse's follow-up was clawed on to the post by keeper David de Gea with the home contingent claiming the ball had crossed the line.

But Tom Cleverley's 71st-minute strike from long range ensured the visitors avenged their 3-0 defeat at St James' Park last season in fine style.

The bulk of a crowd of 52,203 trudged away knowing their team had contributed to its own downfall with the kind of calamitous defending which has plagued them for years, but had, until today, become less common since their return to the top flight.

Liverpool endured a frustrating afternoon at Anfield as Stoke's renowned battlers fought their way to a goalless draw. A stalwart defensive display made it five draws in seven matches by Tony Pulis' men, while a point will be scant consolation for Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers.

It could have been worse for Liverpool, who twice almost pushed the self-destruct button with sloppy errors, but ultimately this will be viewed as another disappointment in a stop-start season.

Luis Suarez hit the post for Liverpool © PA Photos

Enlarge

Related Links

• News: Cleverley making up for lost time
  
• News: Lloris determined to cement Spurs No. 1 spot
  
• News: AVB: Lloris not yet No. 1
  
• Team of the Weekend: Cazorla & Mata conduct the weekend's finest
  
• News: Pardew urges FA to probe RVP 'elbow'
  
• News: Pulis: Punish Suarez for diving
  

Rodgers made eight changes from the side beaten by Udinese on Thursday, after which he called his players "lazy'', and one of his targets, Stewart Downing, was not even on the bench.

Liverpool had been on the receiving end of a kicking from their manager in midweek, and got another one at Anfield at the hands of Stoke, who perhaps took their renowned physical approach across the line of legality on occasion.

Tottenham Hotspur built on their triumph over Manchester United by dismissing Aston Villa 2-0 at White Hart Lane.

The victory meant that Spurs' France international goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, in for Brad Friedel, kept a clean sheet on his Premier League debut.

Defender Steven Caulker broke the deadlock early in the second period, ghosting in to convert Gareth Bale's cross, and Aaron Lennon made it two shortly afterwards, cutting inside and driving a shot into the corner.

Aston Villa defender Joe Bennett was stretchered off late on with a serious-looking leg injury, having made an awkward landing.

Jose Fonte's last-gasp header secured a 2-2 draw for Southampton and spared defensive partner Jos Hooiveld's blushes against Fulham.

The Portuguese centre-back nodded home a 90th-minute leveller in a game in which he had broken the deadlock after four minutes.

Hooiveld scored an own goal in Southampton's 6-1 humbling at Arsenal and did so again on the south coast when he directed home a speculative John Arne Riise drive in the second half.

Hooiveld, who came on eight minutes into the clash after Frazer Richardson suffered a thigh injury, then saw Kieran Richardson's close-range strike brush off him on its way in two minutes from time, although the goal was credited to the Fulham man.

However, Fonte saved the Dutchman and his side late on to earn Southampton a fourth point of the campaign.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.