Crystal Palace earned their second victory of the Premier League season with a 3-2 win over Wolves at Selhurst Park.

Two goals from Odsonne Edouard and Eberechi Eze’s sublime finish saw off a stubborn Wolves side who had equalised through substitute Hwang Hee-Chan and saw Matheus Cunha net a late consolation.

In a match-up between two sides who had scored just four goals between them coming into the game, the first half was unsurprisingly a somewhat dour affair lit up in flashes by the enterprising Eze.

The England international thought he should have had a penalty early in the first half when he went down under a Joao Gomes challenge but VAR official Stuart Attwell deemed the contact was insufficient to award a spot-kick.

Almost immediately the visitors should have found themselves a goal down when Jose Sa’s poor pass was nicked off the toes of Craig Dawson by Jefferson Lerma who teed up Jordan Ayew, but Wolves skipper Max Kliman blocked his shot on the line.

A Pedro Neto effort that was tipped over by Palace goalkeeper Sam Johnstone just before half-time was the only shot of note from Gary O’Neil’s side before the break, but the game exploded into life after the restart with all five goals coming in the second half.

A superb run and cross from Tyrick Mitchell down the left wing picked out Edouard who snuck between two defenders to steer the ball past Sa and give Palace a 56th-minute lead.

But Wolves hit back in the 65th minute when Hee-Chan made an immediate impact shortly after his introduction from the bench when he made contact with Neto’s superb free-kick with his shoulder with the ball looping over Johnstone.

But Palace always looked the more likely to score with Eze becoming all the more influential and it was the former QPR man who made it 2-1 in the 77th minute with a superb touch and finish after Jean-Philippe Mateta diverted Joel Ward’s pass into his path.

Six minutes later Edouard wrapped up the win after Mateta’s back-heel fooled the Wolves defence with the former Celtic striker burying the ball past the helpless Sa.

Eze almost added a fourth for Palace with another jinking run into the box but Sa saved well to his left and palmed the ball wide of the post.

Wolves pulled a goal back in the sixth minute of time added on when Neto’s cross was met in the box by the head of Cunha but Palace held on for the win.

Erling Haaland admits Fulham have a right to be angry over Manchester City’s controversial second goal in Saturday’s Premier League clash at the Etihad Stadium.

Haaland scored a hat-trick as champions City ultimately ran out comfortable 5-1 winners over the Londoners but the game turned on a highly contentious incident just before half-time.

Nathan Ake headed City 2-1 ahead but Fulham complained vociferously that Manuel Akanji, stood in an offside position, had attempted to kick the ball on its way past and hindered goalkeeper Bernd Leno.

The protests, both on the field and the touchline, continued long after VAR had ruled the goal should stand and Haaland accepts the visitors had a point.

“I think it was offside as well,” the Norwegian told beIN Sports. “I feel bad for them, I would be fuming after this as well. It must be a horrible feeling for them.”

Prior to that, the game had been rather more sedate with few chances until Julian Alvarez scored a 31st-minute opener that was quickly cancelled out by Tim Ream.

City did not dwell on the incident after the break, moving through the gears with Haaland typically coming to the fore.

He finished clinically from an Alvarez pass, fired home a penalty and then turned in a Sergio Gomez cross to claim his seventh City hat-trick in stoppage time.

“I’m back,” said Haaland, who scored 52 goals last season. “I am always hungry. It’s a new season and I am ready.

“We started a bit sloppy but we ended in a good way. It was important to win – four out of four – and we go into the international break after a really good start.”

City’s victory was their second without manager Pep Guardiola on the touchline as he continues his recovery from back surgery, but the Spaniard is expected to return for the trip to West Ham in a fortnight.

“I think he misses us,” said Haaland. “We also miss him sometimes too, so we look forward to having him back.”

Fulham go into the international break without a win since their season-opener at Everton, but veteran defender Ream expects the team to hit back.

The American said: “That’s just the nature of the squad, the mentality (manager) Marco (Silva) has instilled in us.

“It’s just a shame that we have an international break and it’s two weeks between games for some guys.

“But we’ll come back. We’ll look at things we can improve upon and we go again when we come back.”

Ben Chilwell admits Chelsea need to find a ruthless streak as their inconsistent start to the Premier League season saw them lose at home to Nottingham Forest.

Anthony Elanga came off the bench to score the only goal of the game as Steve Cooper’s visitors left Stamford Bridge with a hard-fought 1-0 win.

Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino had named the same side that beat Luton last time out in the league but, despite dominating possession, the Blues failed to find a way past Matt Turner in the Forest goal.

The hosts had 21 shots to Forest’s seven but managed to get just two on target as Nicolas Jackson – one of their big-money summer signings – missed a sitter in the search for an equaliser.

The loss leaves Chelsea on four points from four games, already eight points off the pace despite a summer of heavy recruitment.

“We are moving in the right direction,” Chilwell told the club’s official website.

“Every game we have controlled possession and the majority of matches we have played well. We need to finish chances, be more ruthless and stay composed to get back into games.

“That’s the final bit, finishing our chances. If you look at the stats we dominated the game, had the possession, but the most important stat is the goals. We lost in that department and lost the game, that is the black and white of it.”

Chilwell, who will now link up with England for their forthcoming fixtures against Ukraine and Scotland, believes results will improve once Pochettino’s new-look squad become more familiarised.

“It is a very new team still and a lot of new players still trying to find their feet at a new club,” he added.

“You have to understand their playing styles but it is a game we still should be winning. No excuses. We will hopefully turn this round as the confidence grows.”

Forest also had a busy summer in the transfer market as they recruited 13 new signings in a bid to avoid another relegation scrap.

Elanga was one of them, arriving from Manchester United for £15million, and he made the difference three minutes into the second half at Chelsea having only replaced Danilo in first-half stoppage time.

Asked if his first Forest goal was something he could now aim to build on, the Sweden international replied: “I need to play for me to build that confidence and that’s something I didn’t really get to do at United.

“But now that I’m here, I feel like I’ve got the confidence of the manager who has given me these opportunities and hopefully these opportunities will turn into starts and more goals and assists.”

Son Heung-min, Erling Haaland and Evan Ferguson matched a Premier League record with their hat-tricks on Saturday.

It was only the second time in the Premier League era that the top flight had witnessed three hat-tricks on the same day, following the efforts of Robbie Fowler, Alan Shearer and Tony Yeboah in September 1995.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the two treble-trebles.

Fowler in fact scored four goals in Liverpool’s 5-2 win over Bolton, starting when he crisply dispatched Jamie Redknapp’s through-ball with his trusty left foot.

Goalkeeper David James provided a route-one assist for his second and he completed a hat-trick just after half-time when Redknapp’s cross was not dealt with. Steve McManaman set up Fowler, sporting a distinctive blond-dyed hairstyle, to curl home his fourth.

Shearer scored a record five hat-tricks in the 1995-96 season, the first coming in a 5-1 win over Coventry and starting with a close-range left-footed finish from Tim Sherwood’s corner.

Strike partner Mike Newell laid on a simple second on the hour and also provided the flick-on for Shearer to complete his hat-trick with a first-time right-footed drive seven minutes later.

Nottingham Forest, West Ham, Bolton and Tottenham were Shearer’s other victims that season.

Leeds striker Yeboah had two to his name in the three minutes leading into half-time against Wimbledon, the first a tap-in but the second an unforgettable rocket off the crossbar which is regularly listed as one of the Premier League’s greatest goals.

An instinctive touch and volley after Phil Masinga’s run caused panic in the defence to complete his treble and Leeds’ 4-2 win.

Son was first off the mark on Saturday as Spurs hammered Burnley 5-2 at Turf Moor.

His first came in the 16th minute, cancelling out Lyle Foster’s early opener, as Son brought down Pedro Porro’s long pass and played a one-two with Manor Solomon before dinking over goalkeeper James Trafford.

The Spurs captain then stroked home Solomon’s cutback and fired home from Porro’s incisive pass in the space of four second-half minutes, by which time Haaland was up and running at the Etihad Stadium.

A crisp finish from Julian Alvarez’s deflected through-ball set the Norwegian on his way in City’s 5-1 win over Fulham and he then crashed home a penalty before Sergio Gomez laid on his third in stoppage time.

In the evening kick-off, Ferguson poached his first after keeper Nick Pope spilled Billy Gilmour’s thunderbolt and then curled home a sublime second from 25 yards.

A left-footed effort which deflected off defender Fabian Schar made it three for Ferguson, Brighton and the Premier League on a memorable day.

Eddie Howe admits defeat at Brighton is a warning Newcastle cannot allow their Champions League adventure to distract from the “ruthless” Premier League.

The Magpies are back in the group stage of European football’s premier competition for the first time in 20 years and travelled to the Amex Stadium having been drawn to face heavyweights AC Milan, Paris St Germain and Borussia Dortmund.

But anticipation of those upcoming fixtures was swiftly tempered by a third successive top-flight loss as a hat-trick from 18-year-old Evan Ferguson earned the Seagulls a 3-1 success.

Manager Howe, whose side were beaten 2-1 at home by 10-man Liverpool last weekend following a 1-0 defeat at Manchester City, accepts responsibility for the mini slump but insists he will not over-react.

“It’s never been lost on me how difficult the Premier League is,” he said.

“I know how tough a league it is, it’s ruthless, so if you get your focus swayed, you’re going to have big problems – I don’t think our focus has been.

“We’ve tried to very much concentrate on our next match, that will always be our focus and we’re determined to be successful in the league this year and win as many games as possible.

“But we know the demands placed upon us are going to be extreme so this is a warning, I think, that we can’t be swayed and the Premier League is a very tough division.

“We’ve lost three in a row and we have to take responsibility for that. It’s important that I don’t over-react.”

Newcastle had the better of the early chances on the south coast but fell behind to Ferguson’s 27th-minute opener following defensive errors.

The Republic of Ireland striker doubled his tally with a stunning long-range effort before becoming only the fourth teenager to register a Premier League treble thanks to an effort which deflected in off Fabian Schar.

Howe, who revealed sidelined midfielder Joe Willock will be out for a further six weeks after his hamstring issue was compounded by a fresh Achilles problem, is itching for a swift return to action going into a two-week international break.

“I’d like a game pretty quickly, if I could,” said Howe, whose team host Brentford on September 17.

“We have some great games to come and we’re looking forward to that challenge.

“I think the challenge to me is to lift everybody and keep our confidence levels because we are a very good team and we have to always have that in the back of our minds as we go into the next two weeks.

“The lads are very disappointed. Collectively we’ve got an outstanding group of individuals, great mentalities and we know what we’ve got to do.”

Ferguson’s first senior hat-trick, which was followed by Callum Wilson’s consolation, was the third in the Premier League on Saturday after trebles for Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Tottenham forward Son Heung-min.

“It’s a good day,” he told Brighton’s website. “It’s an unbelievable feeling.

“It’s not bad company to be in; Haaland’s record last season (52 City goals in all competitions) and Son’s been doing it for a number of years, so it’s good company to be in.”

Ahead of kick-off, the Seagulls paraded 20-year Spain forward Ansu Fati following his deadline-day loan switch from Barcelona.

“He’s going to be great for the squad, especially as competition,” said Ferguson.

“It’s tough up that area of the pitch and he’s going to be another one chucked in there and I reckon he’ll be very good for it.”

Thomas Frank credited his “fantastic” Brentford side after Bryan Mbeumo’s late equaliser against Bournemouth earned a 2-2 draw in the Premier League.

Mbeumo’s fourth of the season cancelled out goals from Dominic Solanke and David Brooks after Mathias Jensen took the lead for Brentford in the first half.

And Frank praised his team’s second-half display which saw them extend their unbeaten start to the season.

“First half we were good but second half we were fantastic,” Frank said. “I think we ran over Bournemouth in the second half and we created chance after chance.

“I would love to have 10 points (Brentford have six) and I think we could easily say we deserve to have more, but it’s up to others to discuss if we should have eight or 10.

“I think we had a chance to win all three draws at home (Tottenham, Crystal Palace and Bournemouth), the Tottenham and Crystal Palace games were tight but it was clear we should have won them and we have to keep going.”

Cherries boss Andoni Iraola admitted Brentford’s late goal hurt as his side searched for their first win of the season.

And the Spaniard revealed his side rued a series of mistakes which led to Mbeumo’s goal.

“The worst thing for us is the way we concede the goal,” Iraola added.

“It comes from our own goal-kick and we made two or three mistakes because we were probably not at our best but we have have to know how to finish the games because we had run a lot and (played) good stretches of football.

“To lose it in this way hurts.

“In set-pieces they have very good players and we needed maximum help in the duels and the crosses we received in the last minutes but it didn’t work as we conceded the second goal.

Iraola highlighted that Bournemouth suffered out of possession in the lead up to the final goal.

He said: “The game was a little bit territorial and the advantage was very important because we were suffering when they were playing in our half and they had set-pieces like corners, free-kicks.

“Whenever the game was in their half I think we were playing better, we were more in control of the situation and so at the end they had nothing to lose and put more bodies up front and closed with three defenders.

“We tried to defend the long balls, crosses and throw ins better because sometimes you have to suffer to win the games and be compact.”

Mikel Arteta praised Eddie Nketiah’s fight to be in the picture to play for England after the Arsenal striker earned his first senior call-up.

Nketiah made the cut in Gareth Southgate’s 26-man squad for the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifier against Ukraine and a friendly in Scotland.

The 24-year-old is England’s all-time record goalscorer at under-21 level but has yet to be given his chance in the senior ranks.

But that opportunity could come in the next couple of weeks and Arteta believes it would be just reward for the efforts of the Arsenal forward.

“I’m so pleased. If someone deserves to be in the England squad, that’s him,” he said.

“An academy player that had some moments when his pathway wasn’t very clear and he had to fight.

“I love his mentality, his work rate, how much he loves the game and how hard he’s fought to be recognised at that level. In this country, to play there is phenomenal.”

Nketiah had gone 14 games without a goal for the Gunners before breaking the deadlock in their Premier League opening-day win over Nottingham Forest.

He also came off the bench to score in the 2-2 draw with Fulham last weekend and will be pushing for a recall when Manchester United visit the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

“There are a lot of things that he has improved, first of all his decision-making, especially in certain phases in ball possession,” added Arteta.

“I think his aggression without the ball is intensive, the way he reacts to that. I think physically when you look at him, he is very different.

“I just had a picture of him, one of him when he was playing in (the academy) Hale End and to now and he is a different player and he’s worked so hard to achieve that.

“What I like the most is his mentality and this keeps evolving, because he’s never going to be satisfied. Never. And that’s the way he is.”

Nketiah, who hit an unrivalled 16 goals in 17 under-21 caps, feels he has now reached the top of the international football mountain.

“Obviously coming through the ranks as an academy boy and the youth groups at England, it’s a nice feeling to get that natural progression to go to the seniors,” he told arsenal.com.

“It’s the pinnacle of recognition for a player that represents England, so I’m really happy to be there and looking forward to meeting up with the boys.”

Erik ten Hag is convinced Rasmus Hojlund has the quality, confidence and bravery to flourish at Manchester United as the summer signing prepares to make his debut.

The Old Trafford giants have needed a striker for some time and plumped for potential rather than the proven Harry Kane, who instead left Tottenham for perennial Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.

United signed talented Hojlund at the start of August in a £64million deal that could reach £72million, but a back issue has prevented him featuring in the first three Premier League matches of the season.

But Ten Hag says the 20-year-old is fit to make his debut at Arsenal on Sunday, possibly even from the start, and is excited by the Denmark international’s potential.

“He didn’t even play games but now in the training sessions, he confirms the impression we had of him when we scouted him,” the United boss said.

“We really intensely scouted him. He’s acting very good this week, very good spirit. He’s very motivated, of course, to start, to be in the team.

“He can’t wait and I think we did the right thing (waiting for his debut) but, of course, I would have appreciated it if it was from the first game on, but that was not the case.

“But now he is fit, we are happy, he will definitely strengthen the squad and give a very good impact on the team.”

Boyhood United fan Hojlund began his career at hometown club FC Copenhagen, before spells with Austria side Sturm Graz and Italian team Atalanta.

The 20-year-old scored nine goals in Serie A last season, as well as six in as many appearances for the Denmark national team.

“He is brave and that’s enough,” Ten Hag said. “When he is brave and has belief, the rest will come.”

Hojlund’s profile, career trajectory and Scandinavian roots have led to some comparisons to Erling Haaland, who United tried to sign in the past and is now firing in goals aplenty at rivals Manchester City.

Asked if he can cope with the comparisons to the Norway striker, Ten Hag said: “I think he is a different character in our squad and that makes it really exciting.

“I think for the balance in the squad, it’s very good and already we noticed this week when he came in a different spirit is coming up.

“He gives that energy, so you see other players get energy from it, so it’s very good.

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“Just let him settle in, give him time. No player can act from the start.

“Of course we expect a huge impact but also he needs time to settle into the team, to settle into the way of play.

“The rest will come. I’m very convinced of that.”

Hojlund will face former club FC Copenhagen in the Champions League group stage, where United will also take on Galatasaray and face Kane-led Bayern.

“I think we have a very interesting draw,” Ten Hag said. “All big teams, but that is normal in Champions League.

“We are really looking forward because you get challenged on the highest level.”

Roberto De Zerbi believes Brighton star Evan Ferguson can develop into one of Europe’s leading strikers after he became only the fourth teenager to hit a Premier League hat-trick.

The 18-year-old joined late former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Chris Bart-Williams and ex-Liverpool strikers Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen on an exclusive list with a match-winning treble in Saturday evening’s thumping 3-1 success over Newcastle.

Ferguson slotted home on the rebound to give Albion a first-half lead before bending home a superb second and then claiming the match ball with a deflected finish five minutes later.

Seagulls boss De Zerbi feels the Republic of Ireland international offers far more than just a threat in front of goal and has potential to rival the game’s elite marksmen.

“His improvement is important for him, for us, for his career because he’s working to complete his qualities, not only score, because he can become big, big, big,” said the Italian coach.

“His qualities are enough to become a great player, one of the top scorers in Europe.

“He’s (born in) 2004. I don’t know how many young players like Evan they score these goals in their careers.”

Ferguson, who made his professional debut for Irish club Bohemians aged just 14, now has 10 top-flight goals in just 12 starts following a standout display at the Amex Stadium.

His heroics capped a memorable week for Brighton in which they were drawn to face Ajax, Marseille and AEK Athens in their maiden Europa League campaign and signed Ansu Fati on loan from Barcelona.

With the summer transfer window closing on Friday, the Seagulls are not in imminent danger of Ferguson being poached by a bigger club.

Yet De Zerbi has no concerns about that eventually happening.

“It’s normal for Brighton to sell players,” he said.

“The most important thing for Brighton is not to keep the most important players but to find their replacement. This is the right work we have to do.

“About Ferguson, I’m really delighted today but not for the goals.

“OK, with his goals we can be happy now because we won the game but I’m really pleased for the performance, especially in the first half.

“He played very well, he found the right position between the lines. Newcastle defended 4-4-1-1 and with 4-4 there is the open space to receive the ball for the striker.

“He understood very well that position.”

Evan Ferguson hit his first career hat-trick as Brighton capped a memorable week by inflicting a third successive Premier League defeat on Newcastle with a thumping 3-1 success at the Amex Stadium.

Teenage striker Ferguson curled home a superb second from range to add to a simple first-half finish before completing his treble with the aid of a hefty deflection off Fabian Schar.

The 18-year-old’s heroics came a day after Albion were drawn to face Ajax, Marseille and AEK Athens in their maiden Europa League campaign.

Success for the Seagulls, who also pulled off a transfer coup on Friday by signing Ansu Fati on loan from Barcelona, was a third from four this season following last weekend’s loss to West Ham.

Newcastle were only beaten five times in the top flight during the whole of last term but were unable to halt their recent slide on the back of setbacks against Manchester City and Liverpool, despite Callum Wilson’s late consolation.

Striker Alexander Isak wasted two early opportunities before the Magpies were blown away to temper the excitement following their mouthwatering Champions League draw.

Eddie Howe’s men were on Thursday pitted against AC Milan, Paris St Germain and Borussia Dortmund in European football’s premier competition, while Brighton’s maiden continental campaign will also include heavyweight opposition.

Newcastle began brighter from an attacking perspective and Isak twice threatened during a shaky start from the Seagulls.

The Sweden striker was denied inside 55 seconds by Jan Paul van Hecke’s last-ditch tackle following Bruno Guimaraes’ fine through ball before shinning wastefully wide after Pervis Estupinan’s poor clearance led to Sandro Tonali cutting the ball back from the right.

Brighton, who paraded 20-year-old Spain forward Fati and fellow new signing Carlos Baleba ahead of kick-off, were dominating possession.

Yet Roberto De Zerbi’s hosts again escaped in the 16th minute when Miguel Almiron’s low cross from the right deflected off Lewis Dunk and was turned behind by goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.

Newcastle were then punished for mistakes of their own 11 minutes later.

Rushed clearances from keeper Nick Pope and midfielder Tonali led to the former spilling Billy Gilmour’s stinging effort and Ferguson was on hand to slot home the rebound.

With his team still awaiting their first attempt on target, Howe brought on England striker Wilson as part of a triple substitution in the 58th minute.

Isak’s pace remained a constant concern for the hosts but they soon secured breathing space courtesy of Ferguson’s magic.

The Republic of Ireland international was afforded time and space deep inside Newcastle’s half and duly dispatched a fine curling effort into the bottom right corner from distance.

Anthony Gordon wasted a golden opportunity to halve Newcastle’s deficit by sidefooting wide before Brighton put the result beyond doubt.

Ferguson, who made his professional debut for Irish club Bohemians aged just 14, again took aim from outside the box, only this time his bending effort benefited from a significant flick of Schar to fly beyond the stranded Pope.

The match-winner was withdrawn to a standing ovation nine minutes from time after making it 10 Premier League goal in just 12 starts.

In spite of the scoreline, Newcastle’s sold-out following continued to vocally back their side.

They were given scant reward on a punishing evening two minutes into added time when substitute Wilson burst forward and escaped Van Hecke to poke home.

Fulham manager Marco Silva claims it should have been “impossible” to allow Manchester City’s controversial second goal to stand in his side’s 5-1 loss to the champions.

The Cottagers had been holding their own against the treble winners at the Etihad Stadium when City went 2-1 ahead on the stroke of half-time with a Nathan Ake header.

Fulham argued long and hard that City defender Manuel Akanji, stood in an offside position, had played at the ball and impacted goalkeeper Bernd Leno.

Despite a VAR review and further lengthy protests, the goal was given and City went on to win comfortably with a second-half hat-trick from the prolific Erling Haaland.

Silva said: “The second half was not at the level that it should be. I tried to tell the players not to lose focus from things that we cannot control but, of course, that moment made a huge impact on them.

“Even all the explanations that we listened to during that period didn’t make sense at all.

“What I can say? Everyone that plays football, everyone that has played football, everyone that has some knowledge about football – I’m 100 per cent sure – has to disallow that goal.

“Everyone has to be furious if a goal like that comes against you. For the linesman I believe that it can be difficult but, for the VAR, it is impossible not to disallow that goal. It is a clear offside.”

Silva admitted Joao Palhinha had not been in the right frame of mind to play after his proposed deadline day move to Bayern Munich collapsed.

Silva said: “It was a tough day for him, definitely, probably one of the toughest days of his life.

“He loves Fulham, he loves football, he loves to be with us. He had the fantastic season last season and he’s always a player that gives 100 per cent for the shirt but he had a big chance to go to one of the biggest clubs in the world and he was really close.

“You can imagine the impact that has on a football player when these type of things happen.”

City were not at their best in the first half and saw their opening goal from Julian Alvarez quickly cancelled out by Tim Ream.

Yet after the stormy end to the first half, they moved through the gears after the break with Haaland, scorer of 52 goals last season, coming to the fore.

Assistant boss Juanma Lillo, who has won both of his matches in charge since manager Pep Guardiola underwent back surgery, said of the Norway striker: “This guy was born scoring goals and he’ll go through his whole life scoring goals, so it’ll be no surprise if he manages to get those same figures as last time.

“But it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t as he’s great at providing play for the players. Today he made one assist and also put a ball through to another player. I’d always look at his intelligence as well as his goalscoring stats.”

City midfielder Jack Grealish missed the game with a thigh injury and is now doubtful for England’s upcoming internationals against Ukraine and Scotland.

Lillo said: “It would be difficult to be able to make it for the national team but I am not a doctor and it would be difficult for me to explain.”

Fulham manager Marco Silva claims it should have been “impossible” to allow Manchester City’s controversial second goal to stand in his side’s 5-1 loss to the champions.

The Cottagers had been holding their own against the treble winners at the Etihad Stadium when City went 2-1 ahead on the stroke of half-time with a Nathan Ake header.

Fulham argued long and hard that City defender Manuel Akanji, stood in an offside position, had played at the ball and impacted goalkeeper Bernd Leno.

Despite a VAR review and further lengthy protests, the goal was given and City went on to win comfortably with a second-half hat-trick from the prolific Erling Haaland.

Silva said: “The second half was not at the level that it should be. I tried to tell the players not to lose focus from things that we cannot control but, of course, that moment made a huge impact on them.

“Even all the explanations that we listened to during that period didn’t make sense at all.

“What I can say? Everyone that plays football, everyone that has played football, everyone that has some knowledge about football – I’m 100 per cent sure – has to disallow that goal.

“Everyone has to be furious if a goal like that comes against you. For the linesman I believe that it can be difficult but, for the VAR, it is impossible not to disallow that goal. It is a clear offside.”

Silva admitted Joao Palhinha had not been in the right frame of mind to play after his proposed deadline day move to Bayern Munich collapsed.

Silva said: “It was a tough day for him, definitely, probably one of the toughest days of his life.

“He loves Fulham, he loves football, he loves to be with us. He had the fantastic season last season and he’s always a player that gives 100 per cent for the shirt but he had a big chance to go to one of the biggest clubs in the world and he was really close.

“You can imagine the impact that has on a football player when these type of things happen.”

City were not at their best in the first half and saw their opening goal from Julian Alvarez quickly cancelled out by Tim Ream.

Yet after the stormy end to the first half, they moved through the gears after the break with Haaland, scorer of 52 goals last season, coming to the fore.

Assistant boss Juanma Lillo, who has won both of his matches in charge since manager Pep Guardiola underwent back surgery, said of the Norway striker: “This guy was born scoring goals and he’ll go through his whole life scoring goals, so it’ll be no surprise if he manages to get those same figures as last time.

“But it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t as he’s great at providing play for the players. Today he made one assist and also put a ball through to another player. I’d always look at his intelligence as well as his goalscoring stats.”

City midfielder Jack Grealish missed the game with a thigh injury and is now doubtful for England’s upcoming internationals against Ukraine and Scotland.

Lillo said: “It would be difficult to be able to make it for the national team but I am not a doctor and it would be difficult for me to explain.”

Steve Cooper said his Nottingham Forest players used the “belief and frustration” from their narrow defeat at Old Trafford to steer them to a surprise win at Chelsea.

Anthony Elanga hit the only goal of the game early in the second half, making the most of Moises Caicedo losing possession as Forest secured a 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge.

Having already suffered close defeats at Arsenal and Manchester United in the opening weeks of the Premier League campaign, a win in west London would have pleased Cooper.

Asked if the belief from the performance at United had helped his players heading into the game at Chelsea, he replied: “Yes, I definitely think that – and also the frustration.

“We took that into the week and the guys spoke quite passionately in the dressing room after the (United) game and I reminded them of what some of them said in the build-up to this one and fair play to them, they took that into today.

“We knew it was going to be the type of game that it was – you don’t come here to plan to dominate possession and have chance after chance, but if you do certain things well you can create chances and keep a clean sheet. That is how it unfolded.”

Cooper reserved special praise for Joe Worrall, the Forest captain putting in a fine display just days after the death of his police officer uncle.

“He’s been incredible,” Cooper said of his skipper.

“I personally have known what was going on before it came to public (knowledge) and he’s put his family second for the football club.

“I think the club has helped them in terms of giving them a bit of a release and the guys just showed him a huge amount of respect in the dressing room after what he’s been through.

“I cannot speak highly enough of the man that he’s been over the last week or so. I know how important today will be for him and it will give him and his family some respite because nothing can really make what happened any better, but at least it gives them some nice feelings.”

Defeat for Chelsea means they have won just one of their first four league games under Mauricio Pochettino.

The head coach stuck with the same starting XI that beat Luton last time out in the Premier League but was also able to turn to Noni Madueke, new signing Cole Palmer, Ian Maatsen and Mykhailo Mudryk off the bench as Chelsea searched in vain for an equaliser.

“We were not clinical in both areas,” Pochettino said of the Chelsea performance.

“We made a mistake and then we created opportunities, but if you don’t score it is difficult to win games. This type of game I think will help us to be more mature, it is not only about having quality, it is also about competing in different ways.

“Of course we can’t say that we didn’t deserve more, but in football the stats sometimes reflect what you do and in that case we created but we didn’t score and we only had a few shots on target.

“We are building something and it is always up and down. We are unlucky because I think we deserved more against West Ham and today – but I have said before, it is only a matter of time.”

Ange Postecoglou promised there is still more to come from his Tottenham side after Son Heung-min’s hat-trick helped them demolish Burnley 5-2.

Coming off the disappointment of a midweek Carabao Cup defeat to Fulham, there was more bad news for Spurs when they fell behind to Lyle Foster’s fourth-minute goal but Postecoglou was delighted with the way his side responded.

Son got the equaliser in the 16th minute and Spurs then punished mistakes at the back from Burnley as Cristian Romero and James Maddison put them in charge, before Son scored twice in four minutes just after the hour for his first hat-trick since September 17 last year.

Josh Brownhill’s late consolation goal did nothing to dent a victory which gives Spurs 10 points from their first four league games under Postecoglou, with the mood around the club changed markedly following the Australian’s arrival.

Asked if Son’s performance showed how Spurs can cope without the departed Harry Kane, Postecoglou said: “No, it’s not exactly why but it’s one of the reasons. I’ve got a picture in my head about what I want the team to look like and I keep saying we’re still at the beginning of it.

“We’re still building and there’s a lot to be done. It’s about putting all the pieces together. There are some really good footballers in this club and they have the ability to play in the way this team needs to set up.

“Sonny, whether he’s playing central or right, he’s got all the characteristics to play the way we want to play.”

While Son’s goals took the headlines, Maddison was also integral to their performance as he exploited every gap afforded him by Burnley, with his goal early in the second half heading off any threat of a comeback from the hosts.

“I thought today was a real testament to Sonny, Madders and Romero, the way they embraced that responsibility not just with words but with actions and not just on game day but on a daily basis,” Postecoglou said.

“That’s as encouraging for me as anything because as good as they are individually, they have that team spirit and that’s important for me. Madders is so creative and today he showed how clinical he is in front of goal and his preparedness to work hard for the team is a great example.”

Defeat leaves Burnley without a point after their opening three Premier League games, all at home with a total of 11 goals conceded to Manchester City, Aston Villa and Spurs combined.

But Vincent Kompany said it was not a reality check for him as he insisted he did not need one.

“I spent 11 years of my life in the Premier League and I have a pretty good understanding of what the level is,” he said. “I don’t think anyone is naive going into this division.

“We know it’s a challenge and if you look at the total amount of points the promoted teams have got this season (one, from a combined 10 games) you realise that every game is going to be tough.”

After a bright start, Burnley were guilty of giving the ball away too many times in their own final third, inviting pressure from Tottenham that soon told.

“It’s not something I’m happy about but I always think it’s easier to solve the defensive side than to solve a lack of chance in the team. I think we’re creating chances at a very high level against Villa and City and then today against Tottenham.

“It’s something we have to keep in our game. Obviously we need to become more solid but that’s something you can work on and our team still has a lot of improvement in it.”

Erling Haaland grabbed a second-half hat-trick as Champions Manchester City maintained their 100 per cent Premier League start with a stormy but ultimately comfortable 5-1 win over Fulham.

The prolific Norwegian came to the fore to wrap up victory after Fulham had left the field at the Etihad Stadium fuming at half-time over a highly-contentious goal from Nathan Ake.

Ake had put City back ahead after Tim Ream had quickly cancelled out Julian Alvarez’s opener.

Fulham complained vociferously that Ake’s goal was allowed to stand as Manuel Akanji, stood in an offside position, had appeared to play at the ball.

City, and notably Haaland, put those issues aside with a confident display after the break, securing another win for absent manager Pep Guardiola, who continues to recuperate following back surgery.

The game began in sedate fashion, with not a hint of the controversy that was to flare up later. City, missing Jack Grealish due to a thigh injury, were unusually sloppy in possession and Fulham were without the drive of Joao Palhinha following the collapse of his deadline day move to Bayern Munich.

The visitors suffered a further blow as captain Tom Cairney was forced off injured with just 16 minutes gone.

City came to life when Phil Foden, who started in Grealish’s berth on the left, switched flanks with debutant Jeremy Doku.

Foden opened up the defence by playing a one-two with Akanji and weaving his way into the area but his ball across goal was cleared by Issa Diop.

They claimed the lead just after the half-hour mark as Haaland raced onto a Mateo Kovacic pass and swiped the ball across the area for Alvarez to stab home.

The advantage lasted just two minutes as Fulham grabbed a quick equaliser.

Raul Jimenez lashed a shot at goal from a corner and, after a touch by Bobby De Cordova-Reid, Ederson could only parry. Ream pounced for a tap-in at the far post.

City regained the advantage in controversial circumstances in first-half injury time.

The hosts won a corner when Diop just managed to get a head to a delicate cross from Foden that seemed destined for Haaland.

The goal came from the resulting set-piece as Ake, stationed near the penalty spot, planted a firm header into the bottom corner.

Fulham argued that Akanji’s movements had impacted goalkeeper Bernd Leno and their protests were long and hard, even continuing after a VAR review had concluded the goal should stand.

Manager Marco Silva was furious on the touchline and the players were still disputing the decision after the ball had been placed in the centre circle for the restart. Referee Michael Oliver did not back down and, not for the first time this season, Silva was shown the yellow card.

The stormy end to the first half appeared to take its toll on Fulham as City moved through the gears in the second period.

Haaland made it 3-1 just before the hour with a clinical low finish after Alvarez put him through on goal with a quick flick from a long Rodri pass.

The striker was then given the chance to add another when City were awarded a penalty soon after for a clumsy challenge on Alvarez by Diop.

Haaland struck the post with his last spot-kick against Sheffield United last week but this time he made no mistake.

He completed his treble injury time as he turned home following good work by substitute Sergio Gomez.