LONDON, 27 August 2003 — Nicolas Anelka’s last-gasp strike gave Manchester City a 3-2 victory in a thrilling game at Blackburn Rovers on Monday, taking Kevin Keegan’s side to the top of the premier league.
City, top of the table for the first time since the premier league was formed 10 years ago, have seven points from three games, one ahead of Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea who have all played a match less. Blackburn slipped a place to fifth.
“It could have gone either way but it was a terrific game of football and we edged it in the end,” Keegan told Sky Sports. “All in all we got what we deserved.”
German midfielder Michael Tarnat earned the visitors an early lead with a stunning free kick from 35 meters out in the fourth minute. But the first half ended in confusion when a mix-up between former England and Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman and Trevor Sinclair, both new signings, led to the midfielder heading into his own net from a corner to level the score.
Blackburn piled on the pressure after the break, but it was City who retook the lead in the 59th minute when midfielder Joey Barton dribbled through the Rovers defense before slotting past Brad Friedel from inside the penalty area. Two minutes later, however, defender Lorenzo Amoruso scored his second premier league goal for his new club when another error from Seaman allowed the Italian to score with a glancing header from Brett Emerton’s corner.
French striker Anelka grabbed the winner three minutes from time, breaking clear of the defense before producing a deft shot from a tight angle that slipped through Friedel’s legs.
Sunderland won for the second time in three days and the first at home in 2003 when they beat Watford 2-0 in the English First Division on Monday. Mick McCarthy’s team, who had lost their previous 17 games going back to their relegation season in the premier league, opened the scoring with a 40th-minute Marcus Stewart penalty following a foul by Marcus Gayle on Paul Thirlwell.
Stewart laid on the second goal for defender Stephen Wright, who shot from 18 meters in the 67th minute as Sunderland climbed up to eighth in the standings on six points.
West Bromwich Albion, relegated from the Premier League along with Sunderland, joined leaders Crystal Palace on nine points with their third successive win, 1-0 at home to Preston North End thanks to a hotly-disputed penalty.
Preston goalkeeper Jonathan Gould was adjudged to have brought down Lee Hughes in the 40th minute and was sent off although television replays appeared to show no contact and that the West Brom striker had dived. After heated Preston protests and a substitution to bring on reserve keeper David Lucas, Hughes converted the penalty with the clock on 45 minutes.
