Goal feast for fans as Man U, Chelsea, Liverpool win in EPL

By STEVE DOUGLAS
AP Sports Writer

The return of near-capacity crowds fueled a barrage of goals and a bunch of home wins on the first Saturday of the English Premier League season. Fans at Old Trafford particularly enjoyed themselves. More than 72,000 spectators saw Bruno Fernandes’ hat trick and Paul Pogba’s four assists sweep Manchester United to a 5-1 thrashing of fierce rival Leeds. It was the highest-scoring encounter on a day where the seven matches averaged 3.57 goals which is much higher than a typical season’s average. The presence of fans may also have contributed to there being five home wins. Another of them was Chelsea’s 3-0 victory over Crystal Palace. Liverpool won 3-0 at Norwich.