Winning starts for Mourinho, Messi does it all

LONDON. Jose Mourinho enjoyed a rapturous reception before Chelsea celebrated his homecoming with a 2-0 win over Hull City in the English Premier League.

Monday, August 19, 2013
Oscar set Chelsea going in the 13th minute and there was no way back for Hull from there. Inset Mourinho blowing kisses to the Chelsea fans. Net photo.

Sunday Premier LeagueChelsea    2 – 0    Hull CityCrystal Palace    0 – 1    Tottenham     La LigaSundaySevilla     1 – 3    Atlético     Real Madrid    2 – 1    Real BetisOsasuna    1 – 2    Granada Barcelona    7 – 0    Levante BundesligaSundayNurnberg    2-2    HerthaDortmund    2-1    EintrachtLigue 1SundayMonaco    4-1    MontpellierLorient    2-1    NantesPSG    1-1    AC AjaccioLONDON. Jose Mourinho enjoyed a rapturous reception before Chelsea celebrated his homecoming with a 2-0 win over Hull City in the English Premier League.In Spain, Lionel Messi scored two goals and set up another Sunday to help mark the debut of Neymar and Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino in a 7-0 thrashing of Levante, ensuring the Spanish champions start their title defense in style. ENGLANDManchester United manager David Moyes and Chelsea’s Jose Mourinho enjoyed winning starts to their reigns on the opening weekend of the new Premier League season.Robin van Persie and Danny Welbeck scored twice each as champions United eased to a 4-1 win at Swansea City while Oscar and Frank Lampard grabbed the goals to lift Chelsea to a 2-0 victory over promoted Hull City.Arsenal suffered a shock 3-1 home defeat by Aston Villa, Liverpool beat Stoke City 1-0 and Tottenham Hotspur won 1-0 at Crystal Palace. Last season’s runners-up Manchester City host Newcastle United on Monday.SPAINNew Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino got off to a flying start as the champions hammered Levante 7-0 at the Nou Camp in their La Liga opener on Sunday.World Player of the Lionel Messi and Spain striker Pedro both scored two apiece, while Alexis Sanchez, Xavi and Dani Alves weighed in with the others. New signing Neymar got a run out in the second half.Carlo Ancelotti had a tough competitive debut at the Bernabeu as new recruit Isco rescued his Real Madrid side with a late header, after Karim Benzema had levelled the scores in the first half.King’s Cup winners Atletico Madrid were 3-1 victors at Sevilla with Brazilian striker Diego Costa scoring two and Cristian Rodriguez wrapping up the points at the end.GERMANYTreble winners Bayern Munich beat Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0 courtesy of a Mario Mandzukic volley on Saturday to equal their club record of 27 straight league games without defeat.They are one of five teams who have won their opening two Bundesliga matches alongside Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen, Mainz 05 and Werder Bremen.Borussia Dortmund, runners-up to Bayern in both the Champions League and Bundesliga last season, beat promoted Eintracht Braunschweig 2-1.Schalke 04 crashed to a 4-0 defeat at VfL Wolfsburg and Hamburg SV fared even worse as they were mauled 5-1 at home by Hoffenheim.FRANCEA late goal by Edinson Cavani, his first in Ligue 1, salvaged a point for Paris St Germain in 1-1 with Ajaccio.Cavani, who joined for a French record fee of 64 million euros ($85.33 million) from Napoli in the close season, started alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic up front.The defending champions have two points from two games, already trailing rivals Monaco by four after the big-spending club crushed Montpellier 4-1 thanks to a Radamel Falcao goal and Emmanuel Riviere’s first hat-trick of his career.Last year’s runners-up Olympique Marseille beat Evian Thonon Gaillard 2-0 at home and are one of the four teams to maintain a perfect start along with Monaco, Olympique Lyon and St Etienne.