Quickfire Robin van Persie keeps United on top

LONDON - Robin van Persie scored the fastest goal of the Premier League season, timed at 31 seconds, to keep leaders Manchester United a point clear at the summit after a 1-0 home win over West Ham United on Wednesday.

Second-half strikes from the recalled Mario Balotelli, his first league goal of the season, and James Milner gave second-placed Manchester City a 2-0 victory at Wigan Athletic.

The Manchester clubs, on 33 and 32 points respectively, have opened up a notable gap on their title rivals after 14 games, with Chelsea seven points off the pace in third.

Boos rang out again at Stamford Bridge where new Chelsea interim manager Rafael Benitez, brought in last week to replace the axed Roberto Di Matteo, was left waiting for his first goal and win after a second successive 0-0 draw - Fulham securing a point in the west London derby.

The jeers and abuse that greeted Benitez in his first game in charge on Sunday were notably less vocal but the Spaniard did little to win over the doubters.

“I am a little frustrated. The team is well organized and created chances against a team that works hard, so you can see us going forward, but still we have to improve,” Benitez told reporters.

Chelsea, on a run of six games without a league win, still leapfrogged West Bromwich Albion into third place on goal difference after Albion’s impressive start to the campaign was checked by a 3-1 defeat at Swansea City.

Tottenham Hotspur moved up to fifth by beating Liverpool 2-1 at White Hart Lane, rising above Everton and Arsenal, who drew 1-1 at Goodison Park.

Dutch striker van Persie needed little time to make his mark at Old Trafford, his ninth league goal of the season coming inside a minute when his shot deflected off James Collins and over the head of helpless goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen.

United has never lost a Premier League game at Old Trafford in which they have led at the break and although they failed to add to their advantage, West Ham huffed and puffed with no end product.

Unbeaten City kept tabs on its rivals with a workmanlike display at the DW Stadium - securing a sixth successive win over Wigan.

Balotelli, who has found opportunities limited under Roberto Mancini this season, drifted in and out of the game until he broke the deadlock on 69 minutes.

In Germany, Bundesliga leader Bayern Munich made sure it will go into next month’s winter break top of the table after beating 10-man Freiburg 2-0 on Wednesday to open up a 10-point lead.

Gonzalo Castro scored twice as Bayer Leverkusen claimed its fifth win in six games with a 4-1 victory at Werder Bremen to move up to second place with 27 points.

Borussia Moenchengladbach’s Juan Arango scored a sensational goal in their 2-0 victory over VfL Wolfsburg, while VfB Stuttgart edged past bottom-placed Augsburg 2-1 with Vedad Ibisevic heading in the winner in the 69th.

Reuters