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One game does not make a season, but to title chasers, one point can make a differerence as Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle all grabbed three vital points on the start of the new season while Champions Manchester United were held to a 0-0 draw against Reading at Old Trafford yesterday.

To add insult to injury, Wayne Rooney suffered a hairline fracture to his left foot which could rule him out for around three months, a major blow to both club and country, who were already facing a real battle to qualify for Euro 2008.

With Rooney out of the picture, Sir Alex Ferguson might field Carlos Tevez as early as Wednesday as United prepare to face Portsmouth at Fratton Park in an away game. However, fans would have to wait longer for the combination of Rooney/Tevez to materialised.

But Sir Alex would also be anxious to see their rivals showing tremendous fighting spirit with Chelsea and Arsenal all came from behind to beat their opponents. Chelsea had debutants Claudio Pizarro and Florent Malouda on the scoresheets while Michael Essien lashed home a curling first time shot to get them back infront after Birmingham took a shock lead.

At the Emirates Stadium, Alexander Hleb scored on the 90th minute as Arsenal produced a remarkable late fight back, after the Gunners looked set for a shock defeat when Jens Lehmann’s early blunder had gifted David Healy a debut goal.

Arsenal, Chelsea, english premier league, EPL, Manchester United

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