Sunderland maintain perfect start at Pompey

Sunderland continued their perfect start to the Championship season with a 3-1 win over Portsmouth. The Black Cats have a 100 per cent record and, despite conceding for the first time in almost seven hours in stoppage time, they cruised to victory on the south coast. Zak Swanson’s calamitous own goal, Alan Browne’s close-range effort and Romaine Mundle’s fine end to a counterattack continued Sunderland’s best start to a season for 99 years – where they also began with a quartet of victories.
West Brom climbed into the top two by continuing their unbeaten start to the season with a 1-0 win against Swansea at The Hawthorns. Jayson Molumby’s first goal for 16 months gave Albion a deserved lead in the first minute of time added on at the end of the first half. Carlos Corberán’s side dominated that first period and could easily have been four goals to the good. But it was a different story after the break as Swansea created several chances.
Ten-man Blackburn held off a dominant Burnley side to grab a point in a fiery east Lancashire derby which finished 1-1 at Turf Moor. The hosts enjoyed the bulk of possession and the better chances on an afternoon when Rovers striker Makhtar Gueye saw red for a second bookable offence for brandishing an imaginary yellow card. But while they played more than half an hour a man down the scores remained level, Andreas Weimann cancelling out Lyle Foster’s first-half header with a long-range strike. Referee Tony Harrington showed ten other yellows.
Mateo Joseph and Joel Piroe scored second-half goals to hand unbeaten Leeds a 2-0 victory and condemn Hull to their first loss of the league season. Joseph neatly turned in a left-wing cross from debutant Manor Solomon at the near post in the 63rd minute before substitute Piroe finished coolly nine minutes from time from Junior Firpo’s cross. Those second-half strikes in an entertaining Yorkshire derby ensured Daniel Farke’s men made it four leagues games without defeat.
Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough side had two second-half goals to thank for their first away league victory as they won 2-0 at Cardiff. Goals from Matt Clarke and an own goal from Aaron Ramsey ensured Boro completed a quickfire double over the Welsh teams this season following their 1-0 home win over Swansea on the opening day.
The defeat kept Cardiff rooted to the bottom of the table with one point from four games, on goal difference behind Luton Town, who lost 2-1 at home to QPR on Friday night. A first-half own goal from Jimmy Dunne put the Hatters in front at Kenilworth Road, only for Nicolas Madsen to level for the visitors at the hour-mark and Michael Frey to fire home shortly after.
Tyler Goodrham struck a brilliant 25-yard goal as Oxford came from behind to beat Preston 3-1 and inflict a first defeat for the Lilywhites’ new manager, Paul Heckingbottom. Danish striker Emil Riis gave Preston a third-minute lead, but Championship new boys Oxford drew level in the 20th minute when Mark Harris scored for the fourth league game in succession. Goodrham, 21, effected the turnaround with a stunning curling effort eight minutes into the second half after darting in from the right. And after visiting defender Liam Lindsay was sent off 20 minutes from time for a second yellow card, Greg Leigh bagged a third Us goal.
Derby delivered a 3-0 victory that ended Bristol City’s unbeaten start. City had chances but could not find a way past Swedish goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom, who twice denied Sinclair Armstrong before Dutch midfielder Kenzo Goudmijn scored his first goal for Derby. Zetterstrom made another top save from Armstrong early in the second half and Derby took full advantage when Kayden Jackson followed up his winner against Middlesbrough two weeks ago with the second. Midfielder David Ozoh, on loan from Crystal Palace, then capped an impressive display for the home side with his first County goal in the closing minutes.
Borja Sainz’s second-half strike proved enough to secure Norwich their first win of the league campaign as they edged a 1-0 victory at Coventry. Sainz’s heavily deflected effort left the Sky Blues goalkeeper Oliver Dovin completely wrong-footed in the 49th minute and secured all three points for the Canaries.
Josh Coburn opened the scoring on his debut as Millwall picked up their first league win of the season with a convincing 3-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday at The Den. Coburn only joined the Lions on loan from Middlesbrough on Friday but he quickly made an impact, as he also had a hand in Duncan Watmore’s goal to make it 2-0. Captain Jake Cooper then headed home a late third to wrap up victory for the hosts. For the Owls this was a third straight league defeat without scoring.
Steven Schumacher returned to former club Plymouth for the first time since becoming Stoke manager and departed with a narrow 1-0 win. Dutch attacker Million Manhoef’s persistence was rewarded in the 83rd minute with the winning goal, fired in low from the right edge of the penalty area.