Premier League Week Two Review

Two games and two goals for Chelsea's Costa

The Premier League season is now 1/19th down, Boo... but we already have seen a couple teams that look like genuine title contenders. Alex Johnson rounds up the action from week two of the Premier League.

We are two rounds of games into the Premier League season and already some things are becoming clear.

It may be early days, but you can tell those who are looking strong, those that remain works in progress, and those set for a long and difficult campaign.

Undoubtedly the biggest game of the weekend was the heavyweight clash between last season's top two, Manchester City and Liverpool. City showed they are not going to give up their title without a fight as they overcame Liverpool 3-1 at the Etihad. Two goals from a resurgent Stevan Jovetic and one from Sergio Aguero made it two wins from two as Liverpool were forced to rue defensive errors.

It was ruthless from City as Liverpool created opportunities but failed to finish them off. With Luis Suarez gone all eyes will be on Mario Balotelli, who watched from the stands, to see how quickly he can settle in at Liverpool and help them recover from this early setback.

Chelsea took on newly-promoted Leicester and had to fight until the end to record a 2-0 win and make it two wins from two. Leicester looked good against Everton and impressed again at Stamford Bridge, battling until the end and causing some real problems to the Chelsea defence.

In the end it was Chelsea's class that shone through as Diego Costa scored for a second successive game and Eden Hazard sealed things for the Blues. Leicester will take more positives than negatives from the match - and they already look well suited to the Premier League.

The early Premier League leaders are Spurs, who continued their good start under Mauricio Pochettino with a resounding 4-0 win over QPR. It appears as if the new manager is already imprinting his fluid and attacking football philosophy on the Spurs players. Even the likes of Erik Lamela and Nacer Chadli, who floundered last season, are showing signs they can prosper under Pochettino. Things are tough for Harry Redknapp however. QPR were poor and Redknapp - who gave debuts to Leroy Fer and Mauricio Isla - is going to need to do more wheeling and dealing during the coming week.

Arsenal got themselves out of jail at Everton as late goals from Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud scraped them a 2-2 draw. The Toffees took charge in the first half and showed how they continue to be a force under Roberto Martinez. Arsene Wenger won't have been impressed with how easily Everton troubled the Arsenal defence, but picking up points when not performing well is a trait required of any side mounting a serious title battle.

Premier League managers will be working right to the wire to improve their squads before the window closes, but fans can already tell where their team needs to strengthen. The goalless game between Aston Villa and Newcastle showed how both need to boost their attacking options. Newcastle looked good going forward but lacked a killer touch and were made to regret a host of missed opportunities. They are yet to score this season, while goalscoring is also something that Villa must improve. Villa have certainly improved at the back but in the absence of Christian Benteke they struggle for a reliable goalscorer in their ranks.

There was another goalless draw between two teams that remain works in progress, Southampton and West Brom. It was a dull game between two sides with new managers, and both Alan Irvine and Ronald Koeman have work to do to improve their teams. The two looked very even and need their big summer signings to quickly adapt to Premier League football. A lot of money was spent on Brown Ideye by the Baggies and he did have a chance to win the game, but needs to find his scoring boots. As for the Saints, Dusan Tadic looked decent but Graziano Pelle has yet to impress.

Sunday's battle of two teams you'd expect to see mid-table saw Hull and Stoke draw 1-1. It took a late goal from Stoke to earn their first point of the season, but they will leave Yorkshire frustrated after playing against 10 men for 75 minutes. From a Hull perspective, a point after spending the majority of the game with lesser numbers is always a positive result. Stoke are another side who lack a cutting edge - better finishing and they'd have beaten Hull. It's a common theme as every team wants a top goalscorer and there aren't that many proven strikers around - unless you really break the bank. Hull want Jordan Rhodes, but they'll have to pay big bucks for him.

Manchester United's 1-1 draw at Sunderland provided yet more proof that the Red Devils are miles away from where they want to be. While Sunderland might have different aspirations for the season compared to United, they matched Louis van Gaal's side and controlled large periods as United were in disarray at the back. It means one point from six for United and Van Gaal himself has admitted that is "not good enough". Unless something dramatic changes soon, they don't look like top-four candidates this season.

After the heroics of a shock win at Old Trafford, Swansea welcomed Burnley to the Liberty Stadium. These are the types of games Garry Monk knows Swansea have to win, and they did thanks to a goal from Nathan Dyer. It has been a tough start for Burnley and they wasted a couple of decent chances through Lukas Jutkiewicz and David Jones. At least Sean Dyche has seen his side battle hard in their opening two games, which is an encouraging sign as they look decent enough to scrap competently at this level.

A nightmare start to the season keeps getting worse for Crystal Palace. Still no replacement for Tony Pulis and they were soundly beaten by West Ham at Selhurst Park. After misfiring last week, Hammers fans will be delighted to see their side get three points and for new signing Mauro Zarate's debut goal. Things continue to be tough for Palace and this result showed they need a new manager ASAP.