2019-2020 Premier League

Sheffield United crowned their first Premier League game at Bramall Lane for 12 years with a hard-fought victory over Crystal Palace.

Spurred on by a raucous home crowd, who were watching League One football three seasons ago, Chris Wilder's team added to their point at Bournemouth last weekend with a precious win thanks to John Lundstram's early second half goal.

The Blades are being tipped by many to get relegated, but they created the better chances and stood firm against a Palace side who earned more points away from home than at Selhurst Park last season.

The hosts should have gone ahead in the first half when David McGoldrick's close-range shot was saved by Vicente Guaita in the Palace goal. But Lundstram, who had set up that chance, gave them the lead early in the second half as he smashed in from 10 yards after Luke Freeman's shot was stopped.

A frustrated Palace were limited to very little as Wilfried Zaha - making his first start of the season after a proposed summer move away fell through - was shackled by an industrious Blades defence.

The victory will be a fillip for Wilder, who out-foxed Palace boss Roy Hodgson with a 3-5-2 formation that continues to excel at both ends of the pitch. Wilder, a former Sheffield United player, says he won't compromise his style as he seeks to establish his side in the top flight but the early signs are that he might not need to.

Frank Lampard said managing Chelsea at Stamford Bridge for the first time was the "stuff of dreams", despite Wilfred Ndidi's second-half header earning Leicester City a deserved point.

Chelsea took the lead when 20-year-old midfielder Mason Mount scored a memorable first goal for the Blues after robbing Ndidi of possession just outside the Foxes penalty area before beating Kasper Schmeichel with a low drive.

Lampard's side started with real intent, Spain forward Pedro volleying into the side-netting and France midfielder N'Golo Kante denied a goal against his former club by Christian Fuchs' fine challenge either side of Mount's goal.

Leicester were much better after half-time and secured the point their second-half dominance warranted when Ndidi got between Spain right-back Cesar Azpilicueta and France defender Kurt Zouma to head in from a corner.

Both teams remain without a win, with Leicester on two points from two games, one more than Chelsea.

"It felt great, it is a special moment for me to come back to the club and manage them at Stamford Bridge," said Lampard, who was appointed Blues boss in the summer. For me it is a huge thing, but my focus today was on the match and trying to win. Thanks very much to the fans, I appreciate that, but I am here to do a job and here to try and win for the club and we can do better than we did today."

Paul Pogba had a second-half penalty saved as Manchester United were held to a Premier League draw at Wolves.

With the score 1-1 in the second half, the Frenchman was fouled by Conor Coady and got up to take the spot-kick, despite failing with three penalties last season and Marcus Rashford scoring from one against Chelsea on the opening weekend.

Pogba's powerful shot was pushed away by Rui Patricio, who saved low to his right.

In a first half containing just three shots, Anthony Martial had put United in front with his 50th goal for the club - a fine left-footed finish - only for Ruben Neves to level with a sensational strike from the edge of the area, which bounced down off the crossbar 10 minutes after the break.

Wolves' Raul Jimenez had flicked a header against the inside of a post just before Neves' effort but neither keeper was troubled after Pogba's miss.

It did not take long for some people at West Ham to develop doubts about the wisdom of signing Jack Wilshere. The misplaced early optimism soon ebbed away and the grumbling began midway through last season, with the mood summed up by one figure muttering about how long was left on Wilshere’s contract and wondering whether West Ham should think about finding a way to part company with a player on a three-year deal worth close to £100,000 a week.

Wilshere was out with an ankle injury at the time and had made one brief substitute appearance since being substituted during the 1-0 home defeat by Wolves on 1 September, by which point the fanfare that greeted the midfielder’s arrival from Arsenal last summer was already starting to look a little overblown. The England international was a starter as West Ham lost their opening four league games and it spoke volumes that the team’s form improved only after he was sidelined, forcing Manuel Pellegrini to give his midfield a more robust feel.

It had been Pellegrini who pushed for Wilshere to be handed a three-year contract, even though others felt a one-year deal would be more appropriate for a player who did not make it out for the second half of last Saturday’s draw with Brighton after being withdrawn for tactical reasons. This is why West Ham’s board viewed Wilshere, who could be on the bench against Watford on Saturday, as a risky signing. At the moment there is little to counter the evidence that the gamble has backfired.

But why throw the dice in the first place? You might think that a club scarred by Andy Carroll’s six injury-hit years would have trodden more carefully, but there was also a desire to back Pellegrini in his first transfer window as West Ham’s manager. The Chilean loves a creative player. When his midfield was criticised after a 2-1 defeat by Bournemouth last August, Pellegrini raised eyebrows by comparing Wilshere to Andrea Pirlo.

He also insisted that he was not worried about Wilshere’s injury problems, revealing that West Ham had devised a training regime for him, but those comments felt hollow when the England international underwent ankle surgery in September of last year.

Wilshere made his comeback as a late substitute in the 3-0 away win at Newcastle in early December, only to miss a home game against Cardiff three days later. Another ankle problem, Pellegrini said. More time wasted. More false hope. There would be three more substitute appearances before the campaign was over....