Chelsea and Liverpool maintain perfect starts to EPL campaign

The foundations are being laid for one of the English Premier League’s most exhilarating and competitive title races.

Roberto Firmino, left, fires home from close range for Liverpool’s second goal against Tottenham at Wembley. Picture: Getty Images

The foundations are being laid for one of the English Premier League’s most exhilarating and competitive title races.

For the first time since the league’s inception 26 years ago, two teams — Chelsea and Liverpool — have a 100 per cent winning record after five matches.

Eden Hazard’s hat-trick powered Chelsea to a 4-1 victory over Cardiff, shortly after goals from Georginio Wijnaldum and Roberto Firmino helped Liverpool overcome Tottenham 2-1.

The perfect run won’t last much longer, as Chelsea host Liverpool in a Stamford Bridge showdown in two weeks.

Manchester City are in the slipstream after the defending champions maintained their unbeaten record with a 3-0 defeat of Fulham to remain two points behind the frontrunners.

Watford made an unexpectedly perfect start to the campaign but that is now over after being beaten 2-1 at home by Manchester United, who are six points off the pace.

For the first time since May 2017, Arsenal have registered successive away wins in the league. Granit Xhaka struck a long-range free kick and helped to set up Mesut Ozil’s goal in a 2-1 victory at Newcastle for Unai Emery’s side.

Bournemouth beat visiting Leicester City 4-2, with Scottish winger Ryan Fraser scoring twice and setting up another.

The wins lifts The Cherries to 10 points and fifth place, above Tottenham, Arsenal and United.

Wilfried Zaha was rushed back from a groin injury and scored a brilliant solo goal to give Crystal Palace a 1-0 win at Huddersfield and their first success since the opening day.

Tottenham spent nothing in the off-season while Liverpool invested heavily to strengthen their squad and it showed with the Reds more sprightly and dangerous on the ball at Wembley.

“The performance was better than the result,” Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said.

“We could have scored more and we controlled the game.”

Meanwhile, Belgium star Hazard prepared for Chelsea’s Cardiff meeting with some encouragement and advice from Blues manager Maurizio Sarri on Friday. “You can score 40 goals,” Sarri recalled telling the winger. “But you have to spend less energy far from goal and you have to play in the last 25m of the field.”

Hazard’s best tally since joining Chelsea in 2012 is 18 in the 2016-17 campaign — he already has six this season.

“When I arrived I thought that Hazard was one of the best players in Europe,” Sarri said.

“Now I have changed my mind. Maybe he is the best. ”

Manchester United have now won twice in a row in the EPL although manager Jose Mourinho’s wasn’t completely satisfied.

AP