Assaidi secures £3m Liverpool move as Morocco winger signs four-year deal

Liverpool have completed a £3million deal for Heerenveen winger Oussama Assaidi.

The 24-year-old has signed a four-year contract after passing a medical at Melwood.
Assaidi was in the final year of his contract and moves to Anfield after turning down an offer to stay in Holland from Ajax. He was also wanted by Spartak Moscow and Galatasaray.

Playing for the jersey: New signing Oussama Assaidi poses with his Liverpool shirt

 

He told the Reds' website: 'I'm very happy to play for this big club. The first time I spoke to the coach I had a good feeling. I had offers from other big clubs but I've been waiting for this moment.

'The coach gave me a good feeling. It will be a dream to play with these big players and I hope training will help me to be a good player here.
'When I watch Liverpool it's always a good atmosphere, the fans are fantastic and I'm happy to be here.'
Fulham had expressed an interest in the pacy Assaidi, who can operate on the flanks or through the middle.

He becomes Brendan Rodgers' third signing following the arrivals of Fabio Borini and Joe Allen.

Everything seems to be in order: Assaidi is put through his medical by club doctor Zaf Iqbal

Rodgers said: 'We're delighted with the signing, he's a young player who has done very well, in particular in the last couple of seasons, in Holland.
'He fits our style perfectly, he's an exciting player who is very good in one-versus-one situations and I think he's a player that will excite the crowd.
'We're not expecting too much too early, he needs time to adapt but we're delighted he's chosen to come here over a number of other clubs.

Welcome to Liverpool: Anfield manager Brendan Rodgers greets new boy Assaidi

'As I said, I'll look forward to helping his development and I hope he'll become a very good part of this club.'

Assaidi will triple the £7,000 per week wages he was being paid by Heerenveen and will plug the gaps in the squad that have been left by the departures of Dirk Kuyt and Maxi Rodriguez.
He has 22 caps for Morocco.

Bosingwa becomes latest addition to Hughes' burgeoning QPR squad

QPR have confirmed the signing of former Chelsea defender Jose Bosingwa on a three-year deal.

Manager Mark Hughes is continuing to strengthen his squad and picked up right-back Bosingwa, who has been courted by some of Europe's elite this summer.
Inter Milan, Anzhi Makhachkala and Monaco all made offers but the Portugal international chose to stay in London where his family is happy.

Short move: Jose Bosingwa clutches his new shirt

Bosingwa joined Chelsea for around £16million four years ago and went on to win the Champions League, Barclays Premier League, three FA Cups and the Community Shield.
The 29 year-old became Hughes’s eighth summer signing and the manager said: 'I am delighted to bring a player of his undoubted quality to the club. He has got plenty of pace, great technical ability and all the attributes you need to be a top player.

 

'Jose has a lot of versatility which is something I like my players to have. He can operate right across the back and can also play the holding role in midfield.

'He’s another Champions League winner, the third in the squad now with Ji-Sung Park and Djibril Cisse, and will add invaluable experience to the group.
'His experience is really important to us. He understands the Premier League and he understands what it takes to win games. He has got a winning mentality and that is what I want to have around the place.'
Bosingwa himself said: 'I’m really pleased to be here. I had the pick of many clubs, but the project here excites me greatly. 
'I spoke yesterday with the manager and owner and they showed me what they want for the future of the club.

Quality: Mark Hughes (left) has already signed a few players including Park Ji-Sung (centre)

'I played for Chelsea for four years and I love Premier League football and the supporters. It is fantastic for me to stay in England. I’m happy and all of my family are happy, and that is most important. 
'This is maybe the most important challenge of my career. I want to help my team-mates and the team with my experience.

'Now I am a QPR player, I will give my best – for the team and for the supporters. 
'All together, we will fight for the club. We need time. We start now and in one, two or three years we can win something. We have to have passion and I think the results will come.'
Bosingwa had previously been part of Porto's 2004 Champions League-winning squad.
Despite being so highly decorated, Bosingwa came under fire for his defending throughout his Stamford Bridge career and eventually struggled to hold down a regular place in the side.
He did manage to go out on a high, helping successfully shackle Bayern Munich's Franck Ribery in the Champions League final.
Otherwise, some of his better performances came playing out of position, most notably at left-back against Lionel Messi in the 2009 semi-final with Barcelona and as an emergency centre-back in this season's semi against the same opponents.

Song's gone! Arsenal and Barca confirm Cameroon ace on his way to Spain for £15m

Arsenal have agreed terms with Barcelona for the transfer of midfielder Alex Song to the Spanish side.

The 24-year-old Cameroon international will now travel to the Nou Camp to agree personal terms and undergo a medical, Arsenal announced in a statement on their website.
Barcelona confirmed in a statement the fee for Song will be £15million.

On his way: Arsenal's Alex Song will join Barcelona for £15m

 

The Barcelona statement read: 'Barcelona have agreed a deal with Arsenal for the transfer of Alex Song to the Nou Camp. The fee is €19m (£15m).

'The Cameroon international midfielder will sign for the next five seasons with a release clause of €80m (£63m).
'On Monday he'll have a medical and then join the rest of the squad for the official team presentation at the Joan Gamper Trophy.'
Barca, who begin their La Liga campaign against Real Sociedad on Sunday, face Sampdoria in the Joan Gamper Trophy on Monday evening at the Nou Camp.
Arsenal, who saw captain Robin van Persie move to Manchester United, began their Barclays Premier League campaign with a goalless home draw against Sunderland on Saturday afternoon.

Plenty to ponder: Arsene Wenger watches his side draw with Sunderland

Wenger revealed Song had been keen on a move away from Emirates Stadium.
Speaking after this afternoon's goalless draw against Sunderland, Wenger said: 'He expressed a desire to go to Barcelona.
'It is frustrating, we have learnt to deal with that. I believe as well that the financial potential of some clubs is massive and that makes a difference.'
Wenger, however, feels Arsenal have enough cover in midfield.
'We have [Jack] Wilshere coming back, I believe in one and a half months.
'We have [Abou] Diaby back, we have [Tomas] Rosicky not far away and we might bring another midfielder in as well.
'You have to be patient a little bit [over any new signings].'
Song, primarily a defensive midfielder, joined the Gunners on loan from French club Bastia in August 2005 before Arsene Wenger made the move permanent at the end of the 2005/06 season.
In the following season he spent the second half of the campaign on loan at Charlton before returning to Arsenal and subsequently establishing himself as a key member of Wenger's squad.

Missed chance: Olivier Giroud was unable to fire Arsenal to victory

In total, Song has made 204 competitive appearances for Arsenal during his seven seasons at the club, scoring 10 goals.
If he completes his move to Barca, Song would become the Primera Division club's second major signing of the summer after the capture of Spain full-back Jordi Alba from Valencia.
Song would also be following a well-worn path to Barca, with Marc Overmars, Emmanuel Petit, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Thierry Henry, Alexander Hleb and Cesc Fabregas having all moved from Arsenal to the Nou Camp during Wenger's reign.
Denmark striker Nicklas Bendtner is also expected to leave ahead of the transfer deadline.
However, Wenger played down reports the player was set to move to Italy next week.
'He is likely to move, yes, but there is no deal done at all,' Wenger said.

Arsenal 0 Sunderland 0: Life after RVP proves hard to bear as Gunners draw blank

He was the man who wasn't there, airbrushed from Arsenal's history. Almost no one dared mention his name.
No one, that is, other than the Sunderland fans chanting 'He leaves when he wants, Robin van Persie, he leaves when he wants' and Arsene Wenger, who was admirably honest in his assessment of how much the striker will be missed.
But between Arsenal and their fans it seemed there was an unspoken pact not to dwell on the week's sorrow.

No way through: Arsenal dominated possession but were unable to force their way past Sunderland

MATCH FACTS

Arsenal: Szczesny, Jenkinson, Mertesacker, Vermaelen, Gibbs, Diaby (Ramsey 69), Arteta, Cazorla, Walcott (Arshavin 77), Gervinho, Podolski (Giroud 64).
Subs not used: Mannone, Andre Santos, Djourou, Coquelin.
Sunderland: Mignolet, Gardner, Cuellar, O'Shea, Richardson, Larsson (Meyler 78), Colback, Cattermole, McClean, Sessegnon (Saha 63), Campbell (Elmohamady 68).
Subs not used: Westwood, Wickham, Kilgallon, Bramble.
Referee: Chris Foy.
Attendance: 60,078.

There was an oblique reference to Van Persie when defender Thomas Vermaelen was announced as 'our new skipper'. This received the loudest roar of the afternoon.

And although everyone knew the damage inflicted by the exit of the captain, coming on the back of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri leaving this time last year, the time for grieving was over and a new season awaited.

When £10million replacement Olivier Giroud was through on goal, eight yards out with eight minutes to play - having been played in delightfully by Santi Cazorla - he skewed his shot wide rather than finishing cleanly as he might have done last season for Montpellier, where he scored 25 goals.

Tempting though it must have been, there could be no comparison to Van Persie. Thoughts that Van Persie would have finished the chance, or that Arsenal might have won the game with their former talisman, must be banished, however compelling they are.

Bright start: Lukas Podolski put in a solid hour-long shift up front for his new club

'Maybe (people who say that) are right, maybe they are wrong,' said Wenger.

'You can never check that. We have played some draws at home with Van Persie, we have lost some games as well with Van Persie.

'But it's true that last year in every game he found something special.
'I never denied that we lost a world-class player and it's very difficult to replace. Lukas Podolski is not ready yet - physically he lacks a change of pace at the moment - but he has the quality. Giroud, you can see he has presence.

'But, look, Manchester United looked everywhere, they bought Van Persie at 29 years old because they realise that quality is difficult to find on the market.'

Attacking threat: The likes of Abou Diaby, Gervinho and Santi Cazorla all banged on the Sunderland door

There was more for Arsenal to be positive about after this draw than the smattering of boos at the end indicated.

Walcott had three chances - his best a shot into the sidenetting on 64 minutes - Abou Diaby shot wide on 28 minutes and Giroud went close on 76 minutes then missed late on.

Not all sides will defend as resolutely as Sunderland. Lee Cattermole marshalled his troops superbly, Jack Colback and Sebastian Larsson rarely faltering in midfield and centre-halves Carlos Cuellar and John O'Shea were generally sound.

Most encouraging for Arsenal was Cazorla, sparkling in the sunshine, the closest you might get to a Fabregas replacement. His every touch seemed to be a deft one or a switch of the play.

Running man: Theo Walcott was a thorn in the side of the visitors' defence for the most part

Old friends: Sebastian Larsson, formerly of Arsenal, tried his best to give Sunderland a presence in attack

'Basically, he created the chances,' said Wenger, who complained that his side lacked quality in the final third of the pitch. For 64 minutes Podolski looked bright and eager.

As early as the ninth minute he streaked away and struck a shot from 20 yards that Simon Mignolet did well to tip over. Then there was a curling 59th-minute free-kick, just over but dipping goalwards. At times he combined exquisitely with Cazorla, but at other times he threw his hands up in exasperation as Gervinho failed to read his intentions.
For Sunderland, there was an early chance for James McClean, whose snap-shot was well parried by Wojciech Szczesny. On 12 minutes the Polish keeper had to be on call again when Colback struck well from 20 yards.

Don't forget us: Jack Colback was at the heart of the good things being done by the Mackems

Manager Martin O'Neil said: 'In the first half we maybe should have done better with our chances, but in the second half Arsenal had most of the possession and we had to defend. But as we get stronger and better we need to do the attacking.'

There was a cameo for new signing Louis Saha but O'Neill has yet to bring in the names he wants, adding: 'Given that we were unable to get our squad up to strength, coming here was always going to be difficult.' Difficult, but not as hard as forgetting about your lost love.
He wasn't here, Robin van Persie, but everyone felt his absence.

West Ham 1 Aston Villa 0: Nolan gives Allardyce that ring of confidence

Sam Allardyce was all smiles as West Ham extended east London’s Olympic feelgood factor with a deserved victory on their return to the Premier League.
Kevin Nolan’s winner after 40 minutes was the difference between sides who know that early points this season will reduce the risk of getting stuck in a relegation battle.
‘I was a bit nervous because you never quite know how it’s going to go after pre-season,’ said Hammers boss Allardyce.

Off and running: Kevin Nolan celebrates after scoring the only goal of the game for West Ham

MATCH FACTS

West Ham: Jaaskelainen, Demel, Reid, Collins, McCartney (O’Brien 71), Noble, Diame, Nolan (Tomkins 73), Vaz Te, Cole (Maiga 81), Taylor. Subs not used: Henderson, Maynard, Diarra, O’Neil.
Scorer: Nolan 40
Aston Villa: Given, Lowton, Vlaar, Clark, Baker, Holman (Weimann 61), El Ahmadi, Delph (Bannan 77), N’Zogbia (Gardner 74), Ireland, Bent. Subs not used: Guzan, Lichaj, Herd, Burke.
Booked: Clark.
Referee: Mike Dean.
Attendance: 34,172.

 

‘A good start is so important to a team such as us because it helps secure your position as early as possible. It takes the pressure off the players and the fans and it makes everyone enjoy their football.
‘It has been a very, very good day for us today because we won our first game of the season and we kept a clean sheet as well. To keep a striker as dangerous as Darren Bent down to three touches speaks volumes for our defensive performance.’
Nolan’s goal came after Ciaran Clark received the only yellow card in the game for blocking Ricardo Vaz Te. Mark Noble lofted the free- kick into the box and although it was Clark whose head the ball skimmed off to Vaz Te, the linesman believed it had reached the West Ham winger via James Collins’s head, making the Portuguese player offside.
While some of the Villa defence stopped, Vaz Te sent a low cross into the area and Nolan swivelled to slot the ball past Shay Given into the far corner. At this point referee Mike Dean ran across to the touchline to tell his colleague that it was Clark, not Collins, who provided Vaz Te and allowed the goal to stand.

Winner: Nolan got on the end of Ricardo Vaz Te's cross to put West Ham in front

‘It was a very good decision by the referee because it clearly came off a Villa head but refs don’t always question their linesmen,’ Allardyce added.
Villa’s new manager, Paul Lambert, concurred. ‘I wasn’t sure at the time of the goal but after studying a tape the ref was correct,’ said the former Norwich manager.

Controversy: Aston Villa felt there was an offside in the build-up to West Ham's goal

‘I’ve got no complaints about the result, nor about my players’ efforts. We had plenty of the ball but we couldn’t turn this into chances and that’s what we need to work on.’
The man who took Norwich up visibly winced when he heard about his old side’s thrashing at Fulham under new boss Chris Hughton.

Olympic stars: Members of Team GB were at Upton Park including boxing gold medalist Nicola Adams (below)

In sweltering heat, not a single save was made in the first half, and Given’s only action was to pick the ball out of the back of his net.
After the break West Ham’s new keeper, Jussi Jaaskelainen, saved from Stephen Ireland’s volley but it was West Ham who should have scored more. Carlton Cole seemed to be pushed over in the area by Ron Vlaar but failed to win a penalty.

Sandwiched: Aston Villla's Karim El Ahmadi is tackled by Mark Noble and Mohamed Diame

Then Nolan saw his goal-bound shot blocked before Modibo Maiga, on for Cole, rounded Given but saw his injury-time shot cleared off the line by Nathan Baker.
As Allardyce said, West Ham are back in the big time and, by the looks of it, they intend to enjoy it.

Duel: Winston Reid of West Ham United and Darren Bent of Aston Villa battle for the ball

Fulham 5 Norwich 0: Five-star Cottagers are fine without wantaway Dempsey

Fulham showed they can manage admirably without Clint Dempsey with a stunning opening-day victory.

The United States striker, fined for refusing to play in the game as he tries to force a move to Liverpool, was not missed in the slightest as Martin Jol's side turned on the style.
Although the fans chanted 'Are you watching, Clint Dempsey?'

Easy does it: Mladen Petric was in scintillating form as he took apart the Norwich defence

MATCH FACTS

Fulham: Schwarzer, Riether, Hangeland, Hughes, Riise, Duff (Kasami 74min), Diarra, Dembele, Kacaniklic, Ruiz (Sidwell 81min), Petric (Rodallega 68min). Subs not used: Stockdale, Kelly, Baird, Halliche.
Scorers: Duff 26, Petric 21, 54, Kacaniklic, 66, Sidwell 87 pen
Norwich: Ruddy, Russell Martin, Ryan Bennett, Turner, Tierney, Pilkington, Howson, Johnson, Surman (Morison 46min), Snodgrass (Elliott Bennett 56min), Holt (Hoolahan 77min). Subs not used: Rudd, Vaughan, Barnett, Lappin.
Referee: Michael Oliver.
Attendance: 26,062.

Jol refused to gloat and has not given up hope that the club's leading scorer last season will remain at Craven Cottage.
'It was an awkward situation,' said the Fulham manager. 'There was no bid on the table but maybe Clint knows more than us. Hopefully, he will play for us again.'
On this evidence big clubs could move in for other Fulham stars, with the watching Sir Alex Ferguson sure to have been impressed by Moussa Dembele, for whom the Manchester United manager is rumoured to have already made a bid.
The Belgium midfielder, so well balanced and clever on the ball, was outstanding in a fluent Fulham display. But so were Mahamadou Diarra, Alex Kacaniklic and Bryan Ruiz.
Then there was Mladen Petric, the 31-year-old bought from Hamburg to score goals, who netted twice on his Premier League debut. What a start for him and the team. The fans sang 'Don't leave us, Moussa' but Jol was unfazed. 'Moussa is different (to Dempsey),' he said.
'He wants to play every game, he wants to play for Fulham, and that's what I like.'

And we're off: Damien Duff opened the scoring for Fulham at Craven Cottage

Rare surge: Anthony Pilkington (right) and his fellow attacking players could not get into the game

Dropping in at the Cottage: Former Fulham boss and England manager Roy Hodgson was joined by Sir Alex Ferguson at the game

It was no surprise when Fulham went ahead after 26 minutes. Norwich keeper John Ruddy had already produced excellent saves to deny John Arne Riise and Petric, while Ruiz had volleyed over from Ruddy's misplaced clearance. Ruddy was left exposed when Marc Tierney was slow to react to Riise's crossfield pass and Damien Duff nipped in to stab the ball home.
Petric added a second, flicking in Duff's corner, which Johnny Howson, on the line, could not keep out. Fulham showed no signs of letting up after the interval as Petric drove in his second, with the aid of a deflection off Michael Turner.
Kacaniklic finished off a delightful move involving Dembele and Petric before substitute Steve Sidwell added the fifth from the spot after former Sunderland defender Turner, on a miserable debut, had brought down Hugo Rodallega and was lucky not to be sent off.
Norwich were in shock as memories were rekindled of the 7-1 opening-day defeat by Colchester three years ago, which changed their history.
This trouncing will not have the same effect but new manager Chris Hughton has to pick the players up quickly for next Saturday's home clash against QPR, who also lost heavily yesterday.
Hughton said: 'It was a surprise and I certainly didn't see it coming. The performance wasn't acceptable but we know we will lose games in this division. It's a question of how we react.'

Bossed: The likes of Mahamadou Diarra (centre) dominated in the centre of the park

Red hot: Petric bagged two goals and a brilliant assist

Up we go: Petric expertly took his side's second goal

The Cottagers put on a sublime display to tear Norwich apart and demoralise the Canaries fans who had travelled to south-west London hoping to see Chris Hughton win his first match in charge of the Norfolk club.
Petric scored twice after Damien Duff had poked home a brilliant pass from John Arne Riise to open the scoring.
Alex Kacaniklic, chosen to play in Dempsey's position, scored his first Fulham goal to make it 4-0 and substitute Steve Sidwell blasted home a penalty four minutes from the death to seal the rout.
Norwich looked a shadow of the team that finished 12th under Paul Lambert last year, and had it not been for a good performance from John Ruddy, the Canaries could well have conceded seven or eight.
A Fulham victory looked on the cards from the off. The home side started confidently, with Kacaniklic and Bryan Ruiz both swinging in dangerous crosses that just evaded Petric.
Brede Hangeland sent a raking ball over the Norwich defence to find Duff, but Michael Turner came to the Canaries' rescue by nudging the winger out wide.
Norwich raced up the other end and forced Mark Schwarzer into a save when Andrew Surman fired at goal, but that proved to be the visitors' only chance of the first half as Fulham dominated.

Jubilant: The home faithful were treated to a perfect start to the season with the 5-0 hammering

Ruddy's awful clearance landed straight at the feet of Ruiz, but the Costa Rican cleared the bar while the Canaries stopper raced back to his line.
Ruddy made amends by saving well from Riise and Petric, but the Norwich goalkeeper was beaten soon after by Duff's opener.
Riise hit a delightful cross-field pass to find the former Blackburn man and his shot trickled in off Ruddy's outstretched leg.
Fulham almost added a second when Petric found Ruiz in the box but Ryan Bennett raced across the back four to put in a crucial tackle.
The Cottagers had their second from the resulting corner, however, as Petric glanced home Duff's cross in. Jonathan Howson hooked the ball clear, but the linesman correctly ruled it had already crossed the line.
Ruddy pulled off a terrific flying save to deny Ruiz just before half-time as Fulham threatened to run riot.
Hughton brought on Steve Morison for Andrew Surman and switched to 4-4-2, but Norwich were still by far the worst team on the pitch.
Eight minutes into the second half Fulham scored their third.

Contrast: Martin Jol and Chris Hughton (right) look on during the match

Too easy: Fulham's opening game went without a hitch as they battered Norwich 5-0

Ruiz found Petric in space and the Croatian fired home a 30-yard shot that took a wicked deflection off Turner.
Thirteen minutes later it was 4-0. Petric backheeled into the path of Kacaniklic from a Mousa Dembele pass and the 21-year-old finished calmly.
The backheel proved to be Petric's last contribution to the game as he was substituted for fellow debutant Hugo Rodallega.
Bradley Johnson found space on the edge of the Fulham box and forced Schwarzer into a rare save, but the home side hit back and were not willing to settle for four.
Kacaniklic lost his marker after drifting in from the flank and fired a powerful shot that Ruddy did well to save.
Four minutes from the end Fulham were gifted another goal when Turner's awful tackle on Rodallega earned the London club a penalty and Sidwell hammered the spot-kick into the roof of the net.

West Brom 3 Liverpool 0: Humiliation for Rodgers as Agger dismissal sparks collapse

Even Kenny Dalglish was never humiliated like this.
As mocking West Bromwich fans chanted the name of the former Liverpool manager, Brendan Rodgers squirmed uncomfortably on the touchline watching his new charges taken apart by a squad tipped in some quarters for relegation.
And to add to the embarrassment, the mastermind behind Albion’s great victory was Steve Clarke, Dalglish’s good mate who was also shown the door at Anfield this summer to make way for the Rodgers revolution.

Hit man: Zoltan Gera opens the scoring with a thunderbolt (above) before celebrating (below)

MATCH FACTS

West Brom: Foster, Reid, McAuley, Olsson, Ridgewell, Morrison (Brunt 82), Yacob, Mulumbu, Odemwingie, Long (Lukaku 68),
Gera (Fortune 68). Subs not used: Myhill,El Ghanassy, Jara Reyes, Dawson.

Booked: Fortune.

Scorers: Gera 43, Odemwingie 64 (pen), Lukaku 77.

Liverpool: Reina, Kelly, Skrtel, Agger, Johnson, Lucas (Cole 68), Allen, Gerrard, Downing (Carragher 60), Suarez, Borini, Cole (Carroll 79). Subs not used: Jones, Henderson, Adam, Shelvey.

Booked: Johnson, Suarez, Lucas, Carroll.
Sent off: Agger (58).

Referee: Phil Dowd.
Attendance: 26,039.

Those thousands of Liverpool fans who travelled to The Hawthorns with great optimism will fear the Champions League is even further away than last season, when Dalglish was jettisoned by hard-faced owner John W Henry for finishing 17 points off a top-four finish.
For Albion, there was unbridled joy, with Zoltan Gera celebrating his return from a serious cruciate injury by smashing in the opener.
Liverpool, who played well enough in the first half without hurting Albion, capitulated.
Daniel Agger conceded a penalty and was sent off. And though Pepe Reina saved a weak effort from Shane Long, Martin Skrtel then tripped the same player to give West Bromwich a second spot-kick.
This time Peter Odemwingie nearly broke the back of the net and celebrated by stuffing the ball up his jersey as a good-luck message to his pregnant wife.
Poor Rodgers was even forced to send on as damage limitation Andy Carroll, the centre-forward he is so keen to get rid of. And things would not have got any easier when he walked off the pitch to hear that the club he left in the summer, Swansea, had won 5-0.
Rodgers described the final scoreline as ‘harsh’ and felt the turning point arrived when Agger chased Long and the Republic of Ireland striker collapsed to the turf after the gentlest of touches.

Cool head: Peter Odemwingie scores West Bron's second goal from the penalty spot

‘The sending-off killed us,’ he said. ‘An appeal is certainly something we will look into. I’m not going to go on about referees but I don’t think either were penalties. They were harsh.
‘I know Shane Long very well and he is a big strong boy.
‘Our players will be hurting over the result. We had good control and rhythm in the first half and it looked as if we would get the first goal.’

Over and out: Romelu Lukaku scores West Brom's third goal to complete the rout

Inevitably, Clarke had a different view. ‘There was contact for both penalties. Shane is an honest player.
‘Overall, I thought Liverpool were under more pressure than us, and it showed.
‘I’ve no axe to grind with Liverpool. I’d be just as happy beating any team like that. We spent the week talking about what we could do to them.'

Plenty to ponder: Brendan Rogers (right) has work to do after his Liverpool side were beaten

Liverpool roared out of the traps and Luis Suarez was a whirl of clever twists and turns as he twice tested Ben Foster. But he was also isolated at times, with Fabio Borini, Stewart Downing and Steve Gerrard slow to support. And Liverpool paid the price when Skrtel cleared a corner to Gera, who needed only one touch to control before dispatching the perfect half-volley into the ‘postage stamp’ of the top corner.
The Hungarian’s exuberant celebrations were understandable — this was his first game since seriously damaging his knee in November.
Until that point, Liverpool had scored well for artistic impression, with debutant Joe Allen pulling the strings.

Gutted: Luis Suarez is consoled by Gareth McAuley after Liverpool were soundly beaten

But they also looked flimsy in both areas, something that cost Dalglish his job despite reaching two cup finals.
Suarez must have unleashed half-a-dozen shots and was booked for dissent as his frustration grew.
And it was a horror story at the other end, too, as Long got goalside of Agger and waited for the Dane to gently shove him in the back, which he duly did.
Long’s penalty was tame but after Downing had been sacrificed for Jamie Carragher, Skrtel left his foot in and Long tumbled over for another penalty, converted by Odemwingie Liam Ridgewell then crossed for Chelsea loanee Romelu Lukaku to head a third on his Baggies debut and from then on only Reina kept the score down, with one fine save in particular to deny Marc Antoine Fortune.

Not punished: West Brom could even afford to miss a penalty as Pepe Reina saved Shane Long's effort

Carroll’s only contribution was to threaten a scrap with Ridgewell until wisely dragged away by  Gerrard. And substitute Joe Cole suffered a suspected hamstring pull.
It made for a sobering start for Rodgers, who is under no illusions one game into his Premier League career at Liverpool.
‘It is all very well talking about patience but you have to win games,’ he acknowledged. Next up, Manchester City.

Newcastle 2 Tottenham 1: Ben Arfa's penalty condemns Villas-Boas to defeat on return

Hatem Ben Arfa's typical flash of football dexterity ruined Andre Villas-Boas's hopes of a happy return to Premier League football, leaving the Tottenham boss pinning his hopes of a six-point return from two successive home games to get his season off the ground.
Jermain Defoe's 76th-minute equaliser looked like earning the visitors a well-deserved point, but twinkle-toed Ben Arfa's attempt to dance between Rafael van der Vaart and Aaron Lennon ended when the pair combined to bring him crashing to the floor just inside the penalty area 10 minutes from the end.

Winner: Newcastle United's Hatem Ben-Arfa scores his goal from a penalty kick

MATCH FACTS

Newcastle: Krul, Simpson, Steven Taylor, Perch, Santon, Ben Arfa, Tiote, Cabaye (Anita 71), Gutierrez, Cisse, Ba (Obertan 85). Subs not used: Harper, Williamson, Gosling, Ryan Taylor, Shola Ameobi.
Booked: Simpson, Cabaye.
Scorers: Ba 54, Ben Arfa 80 (pen).
Tottenham: Friedel, Walker, Kaboul, Gallas, Assou-Ekotto, Livermore, Sandro (Kane 85), Lennon, Sigurdsson (Van der Vaart 68), Bale, Defoe. Subs not used: Cudicini, Vertonghen, Naughton, Jenas,Townsend.
Booked: Livermore, Sandro.
Goals: Defoe 76.
Referee: Martin Atkinson.
Attendance 52,385.

Referee Martin Atkinson pointed to the spot and the Frenchman picked up the ball and sent Brad Friedel the wrong way.

Villas-Boas said: 'We deserved more than we got. We created most of the chances, hit the post and had a lot of opportunities, but we still ended up losing the game.

'We let it slip through the penalty but the lad went between two of our players and went down, and it was a difficult one for the referee.

'But I'm happy with the performance and I think we'll do well this season.'

Alan Pardew was, naturally, happy with a gritty three-point start, but it was accompanied by an ugly brush with authority.

The home manager, protesting against a throw-in, pushed assistant referee Stuart Burt in the back and was promptly sent to the stands by Atkinson.

Demba Ba's first goal for six months launched Newcastle into a winning start. Kyle Walker's attempted headed clearance from Danny Simpson's right-wing cross was weak and, when it dropped at Ba's feet, the Senegal striker curled a superb right-foot shot into the far corner.

First blood: Demba Ba curls the ball home to give Newcastle the lead against Tottenham

Level pegging: Jermain Defoe scores Tottenham's equaliser but his joy was short lived

Spurs' response was immediate, with Gareth Bale just running out of pitch as he charged down the left and Benoit Assou-Ekotto stinging the hands of Newcastle goalkeeper Tim Krul.

But the heat was not just confined to the muggy Tyneside atmosphere. Three bookings inside the first 20 minutes reflected the game's competitive edge - no Corinthian camaraderie here, then.
But who would expect less? Certainly not Pardew, seeking to repeat Newcastle's topfive finish last season and Villas- Boas, seeking solace after his disastrous spell at Chelsea.

Pardew said: 'Sometimes you have to rely on spirit and character to get you through, and we had plenty of that today.

'Spurs were better than us in the first half but we changed things tactically at half-time and kept the strikers on - and it paid off.'

Wing wizard: Arron Lennon (centre) had a lively first half for Tottenham

Battle: James Perch (left) vies for the ball with Tottenham's Jermaine Defoe

Off: Newcastle's Alan Pardew was sent to the stands

Simpson received the first yellow card after 14 minutes for a heavy challenge on Bale; Jake Livermore followed three minutes later and Sandro two minutes after that, each penalised for hauling down Ben Arfa.

It was 22 minutes before the first goal attempt and it almost brought a fortuitous lead for the home side.

Ben Arfa's raking through-ball found Ba, whose weak shot appeared to be covered by Friedel, but the goalkeeper was wrong-footed when it took a deflection off Papiss Cisse's boot and trickled a fraction wide of the post.

It was close enough for Pardew to punch the air in delight, but it quickly turned into a scowl of disappointment. After that it was all Spurs, who could count themselves unfortunate not to have scored at least twice.

Krul made a brilliant one-handed save to push a Gylfi Sigurdsson free-kick around for a corner in the 26th minute, then Defoe in the 32nd minute and Bale, four minutes later, were each denied by the woodwork.
Defoe finished a fine solo left-wing run by shooting against a post and the Welshman headed Defoe's cross against the bar.
Spurs finished the first half in clear ascendancy but Newcastle went close just before the break when Younes Kaboul edged a Cisse effort away for a corner.
And the visitors remained so much in control after the restart that it was certainly against the balance of the game when Newcastle took a shock lead through Ba.
In spite of walkie-talkie problems from his seat in the stand, Pardew was still able to supervise the arrival of new £6.75million signing Vurnon Anita, who replaced Cabaye in the 71st minute.
But the Dutchman was in for a quick disappointment. He was on the field only five minutes when Spurs drew level.

Krul could only scramble away Defoe's header but the Spurs striker was quickest to react to fire home. But parity lasted barely four minutes, with Ben Arfa winning it with his penalty.

Bad start: Andre Villas-Boas tasted defeat on his return to the Premier League

Stuck in: Cheick Tiote of Newcastle United competes with Gylfi Sigurdsson of Tottenham Hotspur