BIRMINGHAM, Aug 13: Steven Gerrard got the better of former England teammate Frank Lampard in their first meeting as managers as Aston Villa beat Everton 2-1 thanks to goals by Danny Ings and Emi Buendia in the Premier League on Saturday.
Ings turned inside the penalty area after receiving a pass from strike partner Ollie Watkins, took an extra touch to his left and scored with a fierce left-footed strike in the 31st minute.
Watkins, back in the starting team after being a substitute in the 2-0 loss at Bournemouth last weekend, also set up Buendia for the second goal in the 86th. The Argentina playmaker slipped a pass through to Watkins, whose low center across the face of goal was tapped in by Buendia.
While Villa secured its first win of the season, it was a second straight loss for Lampard’s Everton, which barely threatened until Lucas Digne bundled the ball into his own net from a cross by substitute Amadou Onana in the 87th.
The closest the visitors came before that was a goal, scored by Anthony Gordon at a corner, that was ruled offside against the winger. There was a late flurry of efforts by Everton in stoppage time but Villa held on.
Gerrard and Lampard were long-time teammates for England — they were brilliant as individual players breaking forward from midfield but struggled to be compatible as a pair in central midfield — and went into senior management around the same time in 2018.
Everton lost its opener 1-0 against Chelsea and could be set for another relegation fight after narrowly avoiding the drop last season.
City thrash Bournemouth
Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden were City’s scorers — along with an own-goal — in a 4-0 win over Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday, with Erling Haaland barely getting a sight on goal at Etihad Stadium
The Norway striker scored both of City’s goals in its opening-weekend 2-0 win at West Ham but was mostly crowded out a week later as Bournemouth sat deep with plenty of men behind the ball in a match that resembled an attack vs defence training exercise.
City’s midfielders reaped the benefits of the extra focus on Haaland.
Gundogan’s goal did involve City’s new star striker, with Haaland holding off his marker with his back to goal and clipping a ball through to the Germany midfielder. Gundogan’s left-footed finish found the bottom corner in the 19th for his 50th goal for City.
De Bruyne scored the pick of the goals, the playmaker cutting inside on a counterattack led by Foden in the 31st, beating a defender and bending his shot with the outside of his right foot into the far corner.
De Bruyne returned the favor for Foden six minutes later, slipping a brilliant pass through the legs of a defender and into the path of his teammate, who took a touch and fired in a deflected shot that beat goalkeeper Mark Travers.
Jesus stars in Arsenal’s 4-2 win over Leicester
Gabriel Jesus didn’t take long to make an impression at the Emirates stadium.
The Brazil striker marked his home debut for Arsenal with two goals and two assists in a 4-2 win against Leicester in the Premier League on Saturday.
Jesus, who joined from Manchester City as Arsenal’s marquee summer signing so far, opened his account for the Gunners in the 23rd minute with a brilliant, curling finish. He got his second in the 35th from a header and had several chances to finish the game at Emirates Stadium with a hat trick.
The two times Leicester found itself back in the match, Arsenal responded right away. (AP)
