Manchester City 3-0 Sunderland – match report
Roberto Mancini: “It was a very good performance. We played very well and took no risks. To score three goals I am happy for us today. It was not easy, Sunderland are a good team and it was a very difficult game. All players who played today played very well.”
Martin O’Neill: “We were well beaten by a superior team. I have very little complaint. My complaint obviously is with us. When we had possession of the ball we gave it away too easily and when we came in at half-time we could have been in trouble, but we were still in with a chance. They deserved to win. They were much, much better than us.”
Wigan 2-2 Everton – match report
Roberto Martinez: “These calls are difficult for referees and from where I was it looked like he came across with his arm. If the referee was not certain then I think a yellow card was the right call because you can’t gamble on a red card. My only disappointment is that the first goal is too soft. We need to learn to defend better in terms of concentration and intensity. But I’m pleased with the performance.”
David Moyes: “Their first goal was definitely half a yard offside and the linesman was nowhere in line with the ball. And (Nikica) Jelavic is definitely a penalty so I think we’ve had a really rough day and what we got today we earned. We thoroughly deserved the point, no doubt about that. We played really well in the second half and kept having a go at them, and Kevin Mirallas had a great chance. They did what I asked in the second half to make sure we got something out of the game.”
Chelsea 4-1 Norwich – match report
Roberto Di Matteo: “I think the results are telling us that we are able to blank things out surrounding us externally and that we could focus on what is our aim and target and job, to win football games. It’s proven how professional the group is and how well they respond to it.”
Chris Hughton: “I was probably more annoyed and disappointed at half-time than I was at the end of the game. When you come here, particularly with the quality that they have got – you know it’s going to be a tough ask. But, when you score so early, you need to stay in the game longer. At the moment, as a team, we’re not defending well enough.”
Swansea City 2-2 Reading – match report
Michael Laudrup: “Who knows what would have happened if we got the penalty we should have? It should have been a penalty – obviously, it is football so you can’t use your hands if you are not the goalkeeper. But the referee didn’t give it and that is what can happen. It is a little difficult to say if it was a point gained or two lost – you can say both or neither.”
Brian McDermott: “Our goalkeeper has pulled off some fantastic saves, Swansea played really well and that is a point gained for us. I couldn’t tell you how many, but I do know he (Alex McCarthy) has made some fantastic saves. We need to affect the game better than we did in the second half. But having said that, that is a good point gained here.”
West Brom 3-2 QPR – match report
Steve Clarke: “I’ve got to be honest, I’m not over-surprised. I’m delighted and obviously 14 points is a great return from the first seven games. But I’m not surprised. I knew we would be competitive. We don’t get carried away with ourselves because we know what our primary objective is to ensure another season in the Premier League. That’s got to be the bottom line.”
Mark Hughes: “Am I still the right man? Oh yes, absolutely. We knew where we might possibly be at the beginning of the season because of the amount of changes we’ve made. We are disappointed because in a number of games we’ve played well and not got what we’ve deserved out of games. We’ve got to give ourselves the chance to win games. It is disappointing.”
West Ham v Arsenal – match report
Sam Allardyce: “We are disappointed with the result and disappointed with those injuries we have picked up but I’m not disappointed with the lads’ application and performance. We tried our best, it wasn’t quite good enough, but we are pleased with our performance and perhaps a little disappointed that we didn’t get a draw.”
Arsene Wenger: “I don’t listen to that (abusive chants from the West Ham fans) – I don’t want to talk about that. Stupidity is left to people, it’s not my problem. It only punishes those who talk stupid. (On Olivier Giroud) he is slowly getting there. You’re confident now when he gets in front of goal that he will score. Of course he scored an important one today at a moment where the game was a bit 50-50.”
