Premier League scores, Week 2: Hull City does not accept your pity

Poor Hull City. Their players fought so hard to get promoted, they have great fan support, Steve Bruce was a loyal servant as manager, and their big meanie evil owner is screwing it all up. What could have been if they only had some support. Better get that obituary prepped, because 20th place is nailed on, and it won’t be anyone’s fault but ownership’s.

Oh hey, Hull won 2-0 on Saturday!

They’re joint-top of the Premier League, ahead of Chelsea on goal difference and trailing only The Manchesters. And they’re doing it playing some very smart soccer. Here’s more on that story, plus all the other scores and stories from Week 2 in the Premier League.

Friday’s game

Saturday’s scores

Sunday’s scores

Hull’s ownership debacle has been one of the biggest stories of the offseason in the Premier League. Assem Allam is trying to sell the club, and because of that he hasn’t sanctioned any spending in the transfer market. Hull is the big favorite to get relegated because of it. Betting websites are doing what they do on Twitter and making jokes, which Hull’s social media person got a bit touchy about this week.

But Hull won this week, just like they won last week. Their 2-0 win away to Swansea looks a bit lucky on the stat sheet -- they lost the possession and the shots battles -- but interim manager Mike Phelan says he had a plan all along that his team executed.

Hull’s players and coaches haven’t taken the attitude that they’re hopeless and that relegation is certain. They’re playing like they would if they had a full squad and the full support of their ownership. After this result, the rest of the Premier League will have learned not to take them lightly.

In three competitive matches, Sergio Aguero has six goals. He scored in last week’s win, added a hat trick in Champions League qualifying this week (despite two missed penalties!), then notched two goals for City against Stoke on Saturday. One was from the spot and the other was this excellent header.

This is a great reminder that Aguero is not just a small, quick false nine type. He’s a complete striker, able to score in every way, despite standing just 5’7.

*tugs collar*

A 1-0 win at home against Crystal Palace, off a late set piece goal, doesn’t look particularly impressive for Tottenham Hotspur. However, they really just experienced a combination of poor finishing, bad luck and very good goalkeeping by Wayne Hennessey.

This is a lot better than their sputtering attack from Week 1 against Everton. The double-defensive midfield duo of Eric Dier and Victor Wanyama had better chemistry this time around, while moving Harry Kane into the hole behind Vincent Janssen paid dividends. This probably won’t be Spurs’ preferred tactic going forward, but Mauricio Pochettino will be happy to know that he has another look he can go to that’s much different from his default.

Two seasons ago, Cesc Fabregas was the Premier League’s best setup man. Last season, he was horrific. He’s not first choice for Antonio Conte so far this year, but he came off the bench to assist Diego Costa’s winner against Watford. Here’s what We Ain’t Got No History had to say about it.

With full time approaching, Fabregas, allegedly unfavored by Conte because of defensive frailty and a limited workrate, stepped in front of a pass just outside of his own box. A touch later, the Spaniard had released Costa down the inside-left channel with a pass that can only be described as angelic. This from Fabregas was the kind of influential display so common just two seasons prior.

This pass does not fix the problems with Fabregas’ work rate or positioning, but it is a reminder that he’s still very good at some valuable things. Conte just might have to find a way to use him.

Having to talk about referees after soccer matches isn’t fun. Especially when it’s a game like Leicester vs. Arsenal, a poor match from which neither team deserved to take three points. But Hector Bellerin probably fouled Ahmed Musa in the box at the end of the match. Clattenburg had a clear view of it and strangely called nothing.

You will be stunned to learn that Arsenal blog The Short Fuse sees it differently.

Bellerin definitely made contact, but I guess Mark Clattenburg was unimpressed by the attacker throwing his legs into Bellerin’s.

Maybe it’s good that Clattenburg’s gone and spiced things up. The actual soccer didn’t give us much to talk about.

Middlesbrough beat Sunderland 2-1 thanks to two goals by Cristhian Stuani, who got pranked by his teammates after the game. West Ham beat Bournemouth 1-0, with Michail Antonio scoring the first ever goal at the Olympic Stadium after Harry Arter was shown a red card.

There’s no Monday game this week and no Friday game next week. The Premier League returns on Saturday.