The Hindu : Sport / Football : Liverpool routs Derby

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Sunday, Sep 02, 2007
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Liverpool routs Derby

Everton beats Bolton

LONDON: Fernando Torres scored twice for Liverpool on Saturday to help lift his new team to the top of the Premier League with a 6-0 win over Derby.

Liverpool was already ahead 2-0 at Anfield through goals by Xabi Alonso and Ryan Babel when Torres hit his first goal of the match. Alonso then scored his second and Andriy Voronin made it 5-0 before Torres rounded off the scoring in the 78th.

Liverpool now has 10 points from four games and leads Chelsea and Everton on goal difference. Everton kept pace with its local rival with a 2-1 win at Bolton, although Chelsea or Manchester City could take the lead on Sunday.

Shaky start

Tottenham’s shaky start to the season continued with a 3-3 draw at London rival Fulham.

West Ham won 3-0 at Reading, Middlesbrough beat Birmingham 2-0, and Newcastle beat visiting Wigan 1-0.

Liverpool is trying to win the title for the first time since 1990 and underlined its status as a genuine contender by topping the standings for the first time in five years, even though captain Steven Gerrard and defender Jamie Carragher were again absent injured.

The results: English Premier League: Bolton 1 (Anelka 55) lost Everton 2 (Yakubu 11, Lescott 90); Fulham 3 (Dempsey 42, Smertin 77, Kamara 90) drew with Tottenham 3 (Kaboul 10, Berbatov 28, Bale 61); Liverpool 6 (Alonso 27, 69, Babel 4 5, Torres 56, 78, Voronin 76) bt Derby 0; Middlesbrough 2 (Wheater 12, Downing 37) bt Birmingham 0; Newcastle 1 (Owen 87) bt Wigan 0; Reading 0 lost to West Ham 3 (Bellamy 6, Etherington 49, 90).