Wood's winner for Burnley piles pressure on Palace's De Boer

Reuters

Frank de Boer's position as Crystal Palace manager looked in more jeopardy on Sunday after his team lost 0-1 at Burnley for a fourth straight defeat to open the English Premier League season.

The goal that could hasten the departure of De Boer was shambolic from Palace's point of view, with Lee Chung-yong's back-pass from the halfway line pounced on by Chris Wood in the third minute.

The New Zealand striker shot first-time from 35 meters past Palace goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey, who was stranded outside his area, for his second goal in as many games since joining from second-tier Leeds United. Wood was making his home debut for Burnley.

Palace is the first English top-flight team since Preston Northend in 1924 to lose its opening four matches of a season without scoring. The side is struggling to adapt to a new and more expansive style of play under De Boer, the former Netherlands defender who took charge in the offseason after Sam Allardyce stepped down.

Palace dominated the second half at a rainy Turf Moor but had no width or end product, with star winger Wilfried Zaha again out injured. Its best chance fell in the 89th minute to Scott Dann, who glanced a header wide from inside the six-yard box. De Boer turned away in disgust and slumped into his seat in the dugout with his hands in his pockets.

"There was only one team deserving to win today and it was us. But that's football," De Boer said.

"We don't have any points, which is unbelievable when you see this game. The most important thing, I always think, is if you are going to play like this every week, you get what you deserve. But football is about making goals and we have to do that much better."

If De Boer's tenure at Palace is cut short in the coming weeks, it will be his second successive failure after lasting just 84 days at Inter Milan last season. He was previously at Ajax, where he won the Eredivisie four straight years.

Burnley played for nearly an hour with substitute goalkeeper Nick Pope after Tom Heaton was helped off with a left shoulder injury.

Burnley has started the season well, having previously picked up four points in away games against Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.

On Saturday, London clubs' erratic start to the EPL season improved with victories for Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal but Manchester sides continued to make the running, with United and City leading the way on 10 points each, Reuters reported.

United surrendered its 100 per cent record in a lively 2-2 draw at Stoke City after Pep Guardiola's City had trounced 10-man Liverpool 5-0 to replace its neighbor at the top for a few hours.

Stoke took the lead just before halftime through Cameroon international Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, then conceded an equalizer less than three minutes later, as Nemanja Matic flicked on a corner and Paul Pogba's header hit Marcus Rashford and went in.

Romelu Lukaku put United ahead in the 58th, only for Choupo-Moting to equalize.

AFP

City benefited from the dismissal of Sadio Mane before halftime as it inflicted Liverpool's heaviest defeat since Juergen Klopp took over almost two years ago. The Senegalese forward was adjudged guilty of endangering an opponent by catching Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson in the face with a high foot.

Already trailing to a Sergio Aguero goal, Liverpool conceded two more to Gabriel Jesus on either side of halftime and fell to a rare five-goal defeat when Leroy Sane also scored twice in the final quarter of an hour.

Ederson was taken off on a stretcher but suffered no break and tweeted later that he was fine.

Chelsea had a 2-1 win away to Leicester City in the meeting of the previous two seasons' champions.

N'Golo Kante scored against his former club soon after halftime to extend Chelsea's lead after Alvaro Morata claimed his third goal in four league games since moving from Real Madrid.

Leicester, having made two changes at the interval, halved the deficit with a Jamie Vardy penalty but the champion held on to move into third place.

Tottenham's Harry Kane reached 100 goals for the club with a freak opening effort in the comfortable 3-0 win at Everton, adding a second later.

After the home side started brightly, the England striker deceived goalkeeper Jordan Pickford from way out on the right wing just before the half-hour.

"I got a lucky one but sometimes you need that," he said. Christian Eriksen scored the second after Pickford made a good save from Ben Davies and Kane knocked in Davies' pass a minute after the interval.

The win pushed Spurs into the top five and provided a boost ahead of their opening UEFA Champions League game against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley, where they are playing home league games this season but have yet to win one.

Their north London rival Arsenal, heavily criticized after defeats by Stoke City and Liverpool, was an easy winner at home to struggling Bournemouth, prevailing 3-0.

Danny Welbeck gave it the lead and close-season signing Alexandre Lacazette doubled it before halftime. After Jermain Defoe headed against a post Arsenal broke out for Welbeck to claim his second.

Bournemouth was pushed into the bottom two on goal difference by its fourth successive defeat.

Promoted Brighton and Hove Albion, back in the top tier for the first time since 1983, achieved its first win, by 3-1, at home to West Bromwich Albion.

New signing Pascal Gross scored twice and Tomer Hemed added the third before a consolation by James Morrison, giving West Brom a first defeat.

In the day's other game unbeaten Watford moved above Southampton and into the top four by beating the Saints 2-0 with goals by Abdoulaye Doucoure and substitute Daryl Janmaat.

Swansea City was hosting Newcastle United in Sunday's other game, while West Ham United which, has lost its first three games, faces Huddersfield Town on Monday.