City tops early EPL standings

updated 3:13 p.m. ET Aug. 21, 2011

LONDON - Manchester City moved top of the early season standings in the Premier League on Sunday with a 3-2 win at Bolton.

David Silva, Gareth Barry and Edin Dzeko scored to give City a second win from two matches and first place on goal difference from the Wolverhampton Wanderers, who beat Fulham 2-0.

Big-spending City has not won the English championship since 1968, while it's the first time Wolves has won their opening two league matches since 1998.

Defending champion Manchester United could take over top spot with a big enough win over visiting Tottenham in Monday's only game, but has captain Nemanja Vidic out injured and could also be without fellow defender Rio Ferdinand.

City manager Roberto Mancini, whose side beat newcomer Swansea 4-0 in its first match, said his team still needs to improve.

"We can't concede two goals like today," Mancini said. "We need to pay more attention. If we want a good championship we should pay more attention in these sorts of situation.

The loss left Fulham still seeking a first league win under new manager Martin Jol, having drawn with Aston Villa at home last weekend.

Villa is third in the standings after beating Blackburn 3-1 on Saturday, leading Liverpool, Chelsea and Newcastle on goal difference.

Norwich drew 1-1 with Stoke in Sunday's other topflight game.

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AMSTERDAM (AP) ? American Jozy Altidore had two goals in AZ Alkmaar's 4-0 victory over NEC Nijmegen and Ajax's perfect start to the season ended with a 2-2 draw at VVV-Venlo.

The draw left FC Twente leading the Dutch league thanks to a 5-1 win over SC Heerenveen on Saturday.

Nigerians Michael Uchebo and Ahmed Musa combined to put Venlo in front after 47 minutes before Musa sped past three Ajax defenders to double the lead unchallenged in the 60th.

Theo Janssen started Ajax's comeback, scoring with a shot from the edge of the area in the 68th before Kolbeinn Sigthorsson added the equalizer a minute later.

Twente leads the standings with nine points from three rounds. Ajax has seven.

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BERLIN (AP) ? Substitute Pierre-Michel Lasogga scored a late equalizer for Hertha Berlin in a 1-1 draw at Hannover in the Bundesliga, while Schalke rallied from two goals down to win 4-2 at Mainz.

Lasogga scored in the 83rd minute, when Christian Lell whipped in a cross for the 19-year-old to glance past Ron-Robert Zieler with his left foot.

Hannover opened the scoring through Sergio Pinto's 33rd-minute free kick and was unlucky to have a goal disallowed in the 89th, when Christian Pander's free kick went untouched before ending in the net. TV replays failed to show an infringement.

Hannover is second on goal difference to Borussia Moenchengladbach, with Bayern Munich third after three games.

Schalke's Christian Fuchs scored with a free kick in the 90th minute after Joel Matip had given the visitors the lead in the 81st. Klaas Jan Huntelaar began the comeback in the 57th and Benedikt Hoewedes equalized in the 64th.

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GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) ? Defending champion Rangers moved top of the Scottish Premier League after fierce city rival Celtic lost 1-0 to visiting St. Johnstone.

Steven Naismith, Kyle Lafferty and Gregg Wylde gave Rangers a 3-0 win at Motherwell, but was only assured of the top spot when Celtic lost its perfect start to the season.

David Mackay hit a deflected shot in the 60th minute to give St. Johnstone its first goal of the season and first victory at Celtic in 13 years.

Rangers has 10 points and leads Motherwell on goal difference. Celtic is a point further back in third place.

Hearts drew 0-0 at Kilmarnock.

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PARIS (AP) ? Souleymane Camara scored twice as Montpellier thrashed Rennes 4-0 in the French league, and Brazilian midfielder Nene's second-half penalty gave Paris Saint-Germain its first victory by beating Valenciennes 2-1.

With Montpellier already leading 2-0, Camara danced through the defense and finished with a curling shot in the 72nd, before again finding the net with a low strike in the 86th.

In Paris, PSG winger Jeremy Menez led a counterattack in the 39th minute to slip a through ball for France striker Kevin Gameiro, who chipped goalkeeper Nicolas Penneteau for a 1-0 lead.

But Valenciennes midfielder Remi Gomis powered a header into the net to level on the stroke of halftime.

Also, 10-man Sochaux held on to beat Nancy 2-1.

Marseille was to host Saint-Etienne later Sunday.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/44220637/ns/sports-soccer/

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