Manchester rising

Manchester United bounced back from last weekend’s home defeat by Tottenham to claim a comfortable 3-0 win at Newcastle on Sunday.

The Red Devils went off 10/11 and the result was never in doubt once defenders Jonny Evans and Patrice Evra had headed them into a two-goal lead within quarter of an hour.

Tom Cleverley added a third in the second half to move United up to second in the table and Alex Ferguson’s side are now 15/8 from 2/1 with Ladbrokes to claim a 20th league title.

More than 24 hours earlier, rivals Manchester City had begun the weekend’s action by easing past Sunderland 3-0 at the Etihad Stadium.

The Black Cats were the only top-flight side to avoid defeat to the champions last term, but there was no such luck on Saturday as City earned their first clean sheet of the season and three points in the process after goals from Aleksandar Kolarov, Sergio Aguero and James Milner.

Roberto Mancini’s men move third behind their neighbours on goal difference and remain a 13/8 quote to successfully defend their title.

League leaders Chelsea continued their fine form by making short work of Norwich at Stamford Bridge. The Blues overcame both a difficult week and then Grant Holt’s 11th minute opener to triumph 4-1, and they’re now 3/1 to claim a first Premier League since 2010.

For the Canaries, it was yet another heavy defeat and Chris Hughton’s men are now as short as 4/7 to return to the Championship after a two-year stay.

Also in trouble are bottom of the table Queens Park Rangers, who were beaten 3-2 at West Bromwich Albion.

The R’s have been slashed to 15/8 for relegation as the pressure grows on their manager Mark Hughes. The 48-year-old Welshman is now just a 11/10 favourite to be the next Premier League boss out of his job.

Another frontrunner in that market, 5/2 Nigel Adkins, saw his Southampton side rescue an injury time 2-2 draw with Fulham at St Mary’s.

The Saints had led through Jose Fonte’s early opener, but an own goal from Jos Hooiveld and Keiran Richardson’s deflected strike put the Cottagers ahead with two minutes remaining, only for Fonte to head home his second at the death. The south coast outfit are evens for the drop.

North London clubs Arsenal and Tottenham kept up their steady starts to the new campaign with hard-fought victories over West Ham and Aston Villa respectively.

The 21/20 Gunners came from behind at Upton Park with goals from Olivier Giroud – his first for the club – Theo Walcott and Santi Cazorla cancelling out Mohamed Diame’s 21st minute strike.

Spurs, meanwhile, saw off Paul Lambert’s Villa 2-0 at White Hart Lane courtesy of second half efforts from Steven Caulker and Aaron Lennon. It was a fourth win in a row for Andre Villas-Boas’ men that sees them cut to 12/5 to finish in the top four.

Results: Chelsea 4-1 Norwich, Liverpool 0-0 Stoke, Man City 3-0 Sunderland, Newcastle 0-3 Man Utd, Southampton 2-2 Fulham, Swansea 2-2 Reading, Tottenham 2-0 Aston Villa, West Brom 3-2 QPR, Wigan 2-2 Everton, West Ham 1-3 Arsenal

Man City to win the Premier League at 13/8