Southampton collected their first Premier League points of the season with a 2-0 victory over 10-man Brighton & Hove Albion, courtesy of second-half goals from new signing Moussa Djenepo and Nathan Redmond, at the Amex Stadium on Saturday.
Brighton started on the front foot with forward Neal Maupay creating the early chances.
But the hosts suffered a blow on the half-hour mark when Florin Andone was shown a straight red card for a horrific tackle on Southampton Yan Valery’s knee.
Reduced to 10 men, Brighton thought they had taken a surprise lead, with centre back Lewis Dunk heading home from a corner, but the goal was swiftly chalked off for offside after a VAR review.
Southampton were more aggressive after the interval and they were rewarded when Djenepo, signed for a reported £14 million from Standard Liege, curled a rasping shot past Brighton goalkeeper Mat Ryan.
Manager Graham Potter introduced striker Glen Murray late in the contest as Brighton tried to avoid their first league defeat of the new season.
But it was Southampton midfielder Redmond who slotted home from close range to seal the points for the visitors in injury time.
* Record signing Sebastien Haller scored a tap-in and a superb bicycle kick for West Ham as they beat Watford 3-1 at Vicarage Road, the home side’s third straight league defeat of the season.
On the 15th anniversary of his West Ham debut, Mark Noble put the visitors ahead from the penalty spot after Manuel Lanzini was crudely chopped down in the box by Abdoulaye Doucoure in the opening minute.
Andre Gray scored Watford’s first goal of the season to put the home side level in the 17th minute, latching on to a Will Hughes pass and lashing the ball home first time.
After a superb attacking display in the first half, Watford started the second period brightly but the wheels came off when Hughes missed from point-blank range after more good work by Gray.
3 goals ✅ 3 points ✅
— West Ham United (@WestHam) August 24, 2019
Thank you for your support West Ham fans! 👏⚒ pic.twitter.com/vs8GhPvsjP
That mistake was to prove costly in the 64th minute as Felipe Anderson got free down the left before angling a pass in to the feet of Haller, who signed for a reported £45 million from Eintracht Frankfurt in July, and he fired home with ease.
The 23-year-old French striker sealed the Hammers’ first win of the season with an acrobatic overhead kick nine minutes later after Michail Antonio’s header was palmed on to the crossbar by Ben Foster.
* Harvey Barnes thrashed home a magnificent strike to earn Leicester City a 2-1 win on the road while rudely ending Sheffield United’s bright start to their return to the Premier League.
After a Jamie Vardy goal had underlined City’s first-half domination, United fought back in stirring fashion on home soil at Bramall Lane to equalise just after the hour through record signing and substitute Ollie McBurnie.
Yet their unbeaten opening to life in the top-flight was then undone by a remarkable goal from Barnes, who powered home a half-volley from outside the box after being found by Christian Fuchs’ cross.
United, undefeated after two matches, went into the game with dreams of going, temporarily at least, to the top of the table.
But Sheffield-born Vardy’s clinical 38th-minute finish always looked on the cards as Leicester controlled affairs.
Warvey Warnes 😍 pic.twitter.com/Cr0XVVAvl3
— Leicester City (@LCFC) August 24, 2019
The man who supported United’s great rivals Sheffield Wednesday as a boy clearly enjoyed his goal, having earlier glanced a header wide from 10 metres as unbeaten Leicester pursued their first league win of the campaign under Brendan Rodgers.
When Chris Wilder gambled by bringing on Billy Sharp and McBurnie, it reshaped the game with George Baldock’s 62nd-minute cross finding a fine header from the Scotland international McBurnie, his first goal for the club.
Barnes’ superb goal, though, ensured Rodgers’ men moved, temporarily at least, into third place in the table.