It was goals galore again this weekend as Chelsea, Arsenal and Newcastle each hit their opponents for six on the second weekend of the Premier League 2010-11 season.

Defending champions Chelsea became the first side in top-flight history to record a goal difference of +12 in the opening two games as they thrashed woeful Wigan 6-0 at the DW Stadium, equalling their impressive scoreline from last week.

There was no room for Didier Drogba on the scoresheet this week, but he played his part nonetheless, setting up three of the goals as Nicholas Anelka, Salomon Kalou, Florent Malouda and new signing Yossi Benayoun completed the rout.

Blackpool, who opened their Premier League debut campaign with a 4-0 drubbing of basement club Wigan, were brought back down to earth as the Gunners took advantage of Ian Evatt’s first half dismissal.

Theo Walcott was the star of the show as he netted his first Premier League hat-trick with a trio of ice-cool finishes. Andrey Arshavin scored from the park, with Abou Daby and Marouane Chamakh also getting off the mark for the season.

Elsewhere, Tottenham came away with a hard-earned win at the Britannia Stadium, where two sublime efforts from Gareth Bale earned a 2-1 away win for Harry Redknapp’s men.

West Ham’s poor start to the campaign worsened as they lost 3-1 at home to an impressive Bolton side. A Matthew Upson own goal kicked matters off before Johan Elmander’s brace secured an away win. Mark Noble’s penalty on 79 minutes was too little too late, with Carlton Cole guilty of missing from the spot in the first half.

Meanwhile, West Brom gave their chances of survival a boost with a deserved 1-0 win over Sunderland at the Hawthornes while last season’s surprise package Birmingham came from behind to beat Blackburn 2-1 at St Andrews.

Everton are yet to win as they drew for the second week running after Sylvan Ebanks-Blake cancelled out Tim Cahill’s opener as Wolves earned a creditable 1-1 draw at Goodison Park.

On Sunday, goals continued to fly in as Newcastle confirmed 6-0 as the scoreline of the moment, thrashing Aston Villa who looked well short of quality. Andy Carroll was the star man, rounding off his hat-trick in stoppage time.

Earlier in the game, Joey Barton had handed The Toon an early lead before Carroll kick-started his exploits. Kevin Nolan also chipped in with a brace.

Fulham ensured Chelsea are the only team to win two from two games as they twice fought from a goal down to earn a 2-2 draw at home to Manchester United. Paul Scholes handed the Red Devils an early lead but Simon Davies cancelled it out in the second half.

The game looked destined for a 1-1 draw until a series of events kicked the game into life. Firstly, Brede Hangeland bundled the ball into his own net to hand United an 84th minute lead, and two minutes later the visitors had a penalty.

Damien Duff was adjudged to have intentionally handled inside the area and up stepped Nani, who saw his spot-kick saved by rookie ‘keeper David Stockdale. The save proved vital and it spurred on Hangeland, who atoned for his earlier error by powering in a header in the right end in the final minute, snatching a deserved point for the Cottagers.

Champions Chelsea began their Premier League campaign as they ended it last season by topping the table after the opening weekend of the 2010/11 league season.

With Manchester United not scheduled to open their assault on a record 19th top-tier title until they host Newcastle on Monday night, The Blues were free from pressure to pick up where they left off.

And they did so in style, battering newly-promoted West Brom 6-0, with last season’s top scorer Didier Drogba also picking up where he left off with an emphatic hat-trick.

Frenchman Florent Malouda grabbed a brace while Frank Lampard helped himself to one in a start which will have done little for the Baggies’ confidence in staying up this time around.

Following last season’s 8-0 demolition of Wigan on the final day, Drogba became only the fourth player in Premier League history to net consecutive hat-tricks and The Blues because the first team in 101 years to register a goal difference of +14 over two top-flight games.

Elsewhere, fellow newcomers Blackpool created the weekend’s biggest shock as they thumped woeful Wigan 4-0 at the DW Stadium on their Premier League debut.

The Tangerines were three goals to the good by the break, with Marlon Harewood grabbing a brace after setting up Gary-Fletcher Taylor for the opener.

Latics keeper Chris Kirkland had a nightmare start to the campaign, arguably at fault for two of the first three goals and certainly at fault for Blackpool’s fourth as Alex Baptiste’s weak cross somehow evaded him at his near post.

Incredibly, the result from the 3pm kick-off meant Blackpool topped the table briefly before Chelsea overtook them that evening.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa showed there is life after Martin O’Neill as they strolled to a 3-0 win over West Ham at Villa Park. Stewart Downing and Stilian Petrov provided Villa a comfortable half-time lead before want-away midfielder James Milner added a third in the second half.

Earlier on Saturday, Tottenham and Man City played out an entertaining 0-0 draw at White Hart Lane, with keeper Joe Hart putting in a man-of-the-match display after being chosen to play ahead of Shay Given.

At Ewood Park, an uncharacteristic howler from Tim Howard helped Blackburn earn a 1-0 win over Everton with Nikola Kalinic taking full advantage to score the only goal of the game.

Elsewhere, Sunderland let a two-goal lead slip at home to Birmingham who had defenders Liam Ridgewell and Scott Dann to thank for earning a point with late strikes at the Stadium of Light.

Wolves continued their progress from last season with a creditable 2-1 win over Stoke City, who had new record signing Kenwyne Jones stretchered off. Most opening weekends tend to produce a candidate for goal of the season and David Jones’ provided it with his retro donkey kick free-kick in the first half.

Steven Fletcher marked his debut with a goal before Abdoulaye Faye pulled one back for the Potters late on.

Perhaps the biggest game of the weekend took place on Sunday as Arsenal travelled to Anfield to take on Roy Hodgson’s new look Liverpool side.

Joe Cole’s Premier League debt turned sour just before half-time as he hacked down new Gunners defender Laurent Koscielny and saw red. The ten men of Liverpool came out and produced a battling second-half show, taking the lead early on though David Ngog.

The home side were cruelly denied a deserved three points, however, as Pepe Reina spilled into his own net after failing to react to a rebound off the post. Reina had earlier denied Thomas Rosicky with a world-class save, but ended up the villain of the piece as Arsenal secured a valuable point.

Barcelona and Chelsea have emerged as frontrunners in the race to sign German World Cup star Mesut Ozil.

The 21-year-old Werder Bremen prospect has attracted the interest of Europe’s elite after his string of fine displays at this summer’s World Cup helped his country to a third place finish.

Ozil has just one year remaining on his contract with Bundesliga giants Bremen but would still command a fee in the region of £13million, such was the impression he made in South Africa.

Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur were expected to battle it out for Ozil’s signature, but they have been ousted to the back of the queue by the Premier League and La Liga champions.

London is believed to be the playmaker’s preferred destination with compatriot Michael Ballack’s distinguished career at Stamford Bridge providing inspiration for Ozil.

“To the top players the Premier League is attractive,” the midfielder admitted when questioned on his future at the Weserstadion.

“You look at what Manchester United and Chelsea have achieved over the last five years and you see it would be easy to be successful at two clubs like that.

“I see what Michael Ballack achieved at Chelsea and the quality of players he played with and the temptation becomes obvious.

“Trophies are what matters to me. There are two teams in England always at the top and of course that’s attractive. But the same is true for La Liga. They’re the strongest leagues in the world.”

Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson travelled to Craven Cottage at the weekend to get a closer look at the former Schalke man, who made a whopping 33 assists for club and country last year.

The Germans slumped to a 5-1 defeat at the hands of Mark Hughes’ Fulham side, with Ozil failing to overly impress amid torrential London rain.

Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, is keeping his cards close to his chest as his side prepare for a struggle against Bayern Munich at Old Trafford.

If United get knocked out by Munich then many will say it will be the end of United’s season after they lost to Chelsea at home last weekend. That could prompt demands from the fans for the club to release funds to buy better players.

However, Ferguson is one of the most gifted and experienced managers of his generation and he will know exactly how to handle his players in the run up to this game. He will also know exactly the sort of players, which will ultimately help improve his team.

He said: “We have made some good progress with the lad and the medical team have done fantastically, but I am not prepared to take the risk if he is not 100 per cent fit. We are looking more at the Manchester City game [on Saturday week], or maybe Blackburn as a sub possibly.”

“No wholesale buying is needed here as we have a very good squad that just needs tweaking here and there. Looking at potential squad additions is an ongoing process — it’s not just confined to a certain time of year — although we obviously don’t reveal our plans. We have some ideas at the moment, but not many players will be joining the club. But in any case, I think the transfer market prices have been terribly inflated over the last year.”

“Old Trafford has that suction behind the goal. In the Stretford End in the second half, the ball gets sucked into the goal. It’s amazing. The fans sometimes make it happen. Those last-minute goals, there are too many to count, but it’s not by accident. It’s the way we play.”

“The players aren’t used to losing so you hope it registers. The black and white of Saturday is that Chelsea now have a better chance of winning the league. We didn’t start well and they kept possession well, but we showed character in the second half, so that shows we have a bit more in our locker.”

Munich will go to Old Trafford with a much fitter and better squad than in the first leg in Germany. United’s problem was they did not make the most of the ball when they had it and they will need to retain it in the same way that Barcelona do or Chelsea did last weekend.

This will allow them to slowly build up the pressure on the Bayern goal and sooner or later the chances will start peppering the Bayern goal and they will have to play very well to keep a clean sheet.

United have to score the first goal of the game. If they go behind, it makes their task twice as difficult and it may be one that they find too big to pull back. The team needs players to step up in key areas of the pitch.

Arsenal manager, Arsene Wenger, has called Lionel Messi the best player in the world after he scored four times to knock Arsenal out of the Champions League.

Barcelona won the tie 6-3 over the two legs and Messi’s performance last night was nothing short of brilliant. He displayed everything that has made him into one of the best players of his generation.

There could have been a shock on the cards when Arsenal went ahead in the match thanks to a Niklas Bendtner toe poke after Theo Walcott struggled to cross the ball into the Barcelona box.

Wenger said: “We lost against a team better than us, with the best player in world. He’s like a PlayStation player — he can take advantage of every mistake we make.”

“Messi is the best player in the world by a distance. He’s not always in the game, but when he is he’s really dangerous. Once he’s on a run he’s unstoppable, the only player who can change direction at such pace and be a threat.”

“He has something exceptional. He has six or seven years in front of him, touch wood that nothing happens to him, and he can reach unbelievable levels. He’s very young, but he can achieve a lot. The defeat is difficult to handle because when you go out of the Champions League, the next day you are in front of a very empty future. Our dreams are involved in that, but you have to address the disappointment and make sure you’re ready for the next game.”

“It’s a big disappointment and we have to recover quickly because we cannot drop any points to have a chance to fight for the Premier League [Arsenal, in third place, trail Chelsea by three points with five games remaining].”

Arsenal goalkeper, Manuel Almunia, added: “He is the best I have faced. He is the best in the world. You try to anticipate what he is going to do but it is so difficult because his skills are so high. He can do what he wants with the ball at any moment.”

Arsenal were ultimately no match for their Spanish opponents but now face a tough battle in the Premier League to try and win back the English crown.

Arsenal can learn things from the way Barcelona played and they now have the experience of what other sides feel when they are playing at their best in English games.

Ultimately it will take a physical team to beat Messi. There are no conventional methods to stop the way he plays so the job has to be to try and make him think he’s going to get hurt every time he gets the ball.

As harsh or as bad as it seems that may be the only way to stop him and one of many tactics that a whole host of teams will be readying to try this summer against Argentina in South Africa.

Manchester United defender, Nemanja Vidic, says the club have what it takes to turn their tie against Bayern Munich on its head.

United are currently trailing 2-1 in the tie and have been rocked by the news that their top scorer and best player, Wayne Rooney, will be out of action for about a month after spraining his ankle in Germany.

However, Vidic says there is a lot more togetherness in the team than many give the side credit for. He believes that ultimately it will be this team spirit, which helps get the side through some tough matches ahead.

He said: “We showed this season, we play as a team. It is not just about one man. Definitely Wayne Rooney has had a great season. He is unbelievable, one of the best in the world. But sometimes big players are missing, and others need to be ready.”

“Dimitar had a great game against Bolton on Saturday. He is a great footballer. He scored twice himself and can set up goals for other players as well. We have a good squad. We just need to believe in ourselves and believe in each other.”

“We had all night to think about what went wrong. It was not a great game for us. We should play better and we will need to play better against Chelsea. Sometimes when you lose a game and play badly you wake up and realise you need to improve.”

“I am not concerned. I was disappointed. But 2-1 is not that bad a result bearing in mind we still have a game at home and I expect us to be stronger.”

The scale of the task immediately in front of United may just be a little too big. It is ridiculous to say that the side can play with the same charisma and influence when Rooney isn’t in the side.

If this was the case, then Rooney would be able to sit on the bench for United a lot more often. This would have meant that he didn’t have to play in Germany and get injured.

They will miss him but the point is whether they can hang on by the skin of their teeth to a point where Chelsea do not sneak ahead of them and Bayern do not nip past them in the Champions League.

England will be happy because it means Rooney will get a nice one month break before the World Cup. This equipped with the fact Chelsea’s England players don’t have to play extra Champions League games could work well for the team.

However, the battle in the mind of many English fans will all be about United and Chelsea this weekend. Whoever wins this game will probably go onto win the title if all the other results go as intended.

Manchester United and England have been left sweating over the fitness of key striker, Wayne Rooney, after the front man got injured against Bayern Munich last night.

Rooney has picked up a knock to his right ankle and it looks set to keep him out of the Premier League clash against Chelsea at the weekend and the return game against Munich next Wednesday.

Rooney scored United’s away goal in Germany but his side later went on to lose 2-1 as Bayern managed to grab the winner with virtually the last kick of the game. The Rooney news just caps off a very bad evening for the United side.

Sir Alex Ferguson said: “Wayne has hurt his ankle, it’s too early to say the condition of it, but we will know tomorrow. I don’t think it is terribly serious. I don’t know. I can’t answer that [whether he’ll play against Chelsea].”

Munich’s coach added: “I don’t know if he is injured or how serious it is, but Rooney is United’s most important player. Look at the statistics. He has 34 goals this season. Then they have [Dimitar] Berbatov with 12 and then 11 own goals as their third top scorer, so that’s how important he is to United.”

If United were going to lose the game then they probably would have asked for a 2-1 loss. They have scored their away goal and they would back themselves to beat Bayern at Old Trafford.

However, United will face a much stronger side in the return game with a number of internationals and gifted players returning to the Munich side. Mario Gomez and Miroslav Klose will probably start the game and winger, Arjen Robben, will return.

The bitter pill is Rooney’s injury. United will hope it isn’t a bad one and predictions are that he will only be out for around a week. However, if it is a bad one, they will have to nurse him and he may start thinking about his summer with England.

Rooney is so important and has been the sole reason for much of the team’s recent success. The problem for United is how they are going to adapt their side to make up for the influence, which Rooney has in spades.

It means that Dimitar Berbatov will probably be given the sole responsibility of leading the United attack in at least their next two games. Many would argue that these next two games are the club’s biggest of the season.

It will not fill United fans with confidence as they have said so many times in the recent past that the Bulgarian does not do enough to pull his weight in the side. Rooney brought so much to the team that United will struggle greatly now he is out.

On the other hand there is a big opportunity for someone to come in and do the magic. United need someone to step up and they need that someone to do it right now.

The war of words between Bayern Munich and Manchester United continues to roll on as the pair prepare to meet in the quarterfinal stage of the Champions League.

Bayern coach, Louis van Gaal, says the club are not focusing on Wayne Rooney as the main threat to the current German league leaders. The coach says the United side is fill of other players who can cause problems.

However, the Dutchman has already said that the main focus for his Munich side will be to win their home game and win it well. They will have to get in front if they are going to have any chance of coming through the match at Old Trafford.

He said: “I’m not afraid of anybody. I’m never afraid and never have been. My players are not afraid of anybody either. We respect his [Rooney’s] qualities, but, as a team, we can handle him. We also have qualities. I think Sir Alex [Ferguson, the United manager] and his players are maybe a bit afraid of my players.”

“Rooney is a super-footballer and he isn’t that old. He is now very difficult to keep out of the game, but it is important not to concentrate on one player.”

“I was the one who said to Arjen that it would be better if he wouldn’t start. I protected him, but he and the doctor said that he could play.

Sir Alex Ferguson added: “I don’t pay any attention to that. They have had one or two bad results of late but that doesn’t mean they are a bad team. We are not getting carried away and thinking for a moment this will be an easy game.”

“I think it’s a massive week for us — we have two big games against Bayern and a great game against Chelsea. You have to enjoy it and at the same time know it’s crucial. You hope you don’t make any mistakes and hope they will happen to [your opponents] to win games for you. It’s going to be an exciting week.”

The match is sure to be a tight one but the point is that it could well be Rooney who is the difference in this game. Bayern’s problem seems to be that they are focusing only on their attack and the potency of their two wingers.

This is a bad mistake because if they are naïve enough to think that if their wingers bomb forward all night, they will win the game. United know exactly how to soak up the pressure and then hit teams on the counter attack.

They blew AC Milan away who have a much more experienced and technically gifted side than Bayern Munich. They are also leading the way in the Premier League having suffered all season long through injuries.

It would take a brave man to bet against United in Germany this evening because if Bayern switch off for a second, that’s the away goal in the bank for United.

Chelsea player, Frank Lampard, has said that the 7-1 thrashing of Aston Villa over the weekend is one of the best games he has ever played.

Lampard scored four times as the blues totally blew apart Martin O’Neill’s side. It is very rare that a side playing another top side does this sort of thing and Lampard is soaking up all of it.

Villa are a side chasing a Champions League spot and hearts would have been in Chelsea mouths when they drew level through a John Carew goal. However, Chelsea’s strength ultimately showed.

It is also a very clear sign that the West London club are in great form ahead of the title run in. They are hot on the heels of Manchester United and will fancy their chances with the pair soon to play.

Lampard said: “The moving of the ball around, our passing and movement was fantastic. It was great football and that is when we are at our best. It is easy to write us off and say negative things about teams and players from the outside, but all we can do is play football.”

“We know the big games are to come, especially next week. We know the quality of the players we have, we’ve shown that over the course of the season.”

“We’ve beaten Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal playing different formations. We have to forget the little rut we’ve been in and concentrate on the target now.”

“The title race has opened up with the way we’ve played in the last couple of games in particular and we want to take advantage.”

Chelsea also have the added advantage of the fact that they are no longer in Europe as they were knocked out by Inter Milan. This means the players are a little bit fresher than they otherwise would be.

The club have to win the league. A club the size of Chelsea demands some sort of trophy each season and with the recent heart break of the Champions League over the last couple of seasons, they will do what they can to get the Premier League title back.

However, it won’t be easy. The other sides they have left to play are not likely to roll over the way Villa did at the weekend. Chelsea must not fall into the trap of getting complacent against the lesser sides in the league.

These sides will all be scrapping for points to stop the threat of relegation and funnier things have happened in football.

If the rest of the results go as expected then the winner of Chelsea against Manchester United will probably go onto win the league. United whipped out a 4-0 thrashing of Bolton over the weekend, which also proves they are in fine form and scoring plenty of goals as well.

Chelsea manager, Carlo Ancelotti, has said that he will stay at the London club whether they win a trophy by the end of the season or not.

Rumours have been going around that the Italian could leave or be forced out at the end of the year if he doesn’t win at least the Premier League.

However, Ancelotti says that he sees his future at the club and he does not have any immediate intentions to go elsewhere. This news should be a lift to his team who are struggling with injuries and all of the fans.

He said: “I am here to change the history of this club. I have a very good relationship with the club and with Roman. [Avram] Grant was the past, now there is a present. I think the owner now is thinking what I think: to win the Premier League and to win the FA Cup. I am an optimistic man. My position is not under discussion.”

“My future is definitely at Chelsea next season, I can confirm that. I have two more years of my contract. I think that, in the past, with 86 points every team has won the title. But we can’t afford to lose at Manchester United.”

“We have nine or ten games until the end of the season — eight in the Premier League and maybe two in the FA Cup — and that’s not a lot of time. We have to win ten games.”

“Ashley’s recovery is going very well. He started to train on his own and I think that he will train with the group maybe in 15 days. I think he will be ready before the end of the season.”

The problem for Ancelotti has been finding the consistency, which has made Chelsea one of the best teams in the recent past. One moment they’re brilliant and the next they’re not.

It has not helped the manager that he has very rarely been able to name the same side for more than two or three games in a row. Chelsea are suffering big time with injuries and this could be the thing that costs them.

At times when the business end of a football season is fast approaching, the one thing that all connected with the club want to see is a strong manager and Chelsea have this.

Many have said that Ancelotti is not as tactically aware as many other managers in the Premier League but his team have done quite well for the majority of the season and produced some impressive results.

If all of the games go the way as predicted then the winner of Manchester United against Chelsea will most likely go on to lift the Premier League trophy at the end of this season.

Chelsea could do a lot worse so it’s important they manage to keep the boss happy and give him no reason to doubt his position or the club.