Arsenal got its challenge for the Premier League off to a comfortable but unconvincing start on Saturday with a 1-0 home win over newly promoted West Brom. Samir Nasri scored in the fourth minute of his Premier League debut to give Arsenal an early edge over its title rivals, with defending champion Manchester United and last season's runner-up Chelsea not in action until Sunday. Also Saturday, Liverpool won 1-0 at Sunderland, Tottenham's new-look team lost 2-1 at Middlesbrough, Blackburn won 3-2 at Everton, West Ham beat visiting Wigan 2-1, Hull defeated Fulham 2-1, and Bolton beat Stoke 3-1. Arsenal's slight lack of edge at Emirates Stadium was perhaps due to manager Arsene Wenger's decision to rest Robin Van Persie even though he was without the injured Cesc Fabregas as well as long-term absentees Tomas Rosicky and Eduardo Da Silva. With Fabregas out and Mathieu Flamini having left for AC Milan, Wenger started Denilson and Emmanuel Eboue in central midfield, with Nasri and Theo Walcott providing width. The decision paid off early as Denilson broke down the left and cut the ball back from the byline into the path of Nasri, who hit the ball first time to guide a shot low into the far corner. But Arsenal's momentum stalled slightly and, although Emmanuel Adebayor went close seven minutes into the second half and had a goal ruled out in the 60th, Wenger opted to bring on Van Persie in place of Nicklas Bendtner to provide an extra attacking threat for the last 20 minutes. The home fans started to jeer Adebayor as he seemed to hog the ball to the detriment of his team, and Van Persie almost made it 2-0 in the 87th with a turn and shot inside the area. Liverpool, which finished fourth last season, again looked disjointed but clinched victory with an 83rd-minute goal by Fernando Torres. Manchester United hosts Newcastle on Sunday, Chelsea hosts Portsmouth, and Aston Villa plays Manchester City. Schalke, Dortmund win In Germany, Schalke got two goals from Kevin Kuranyi to beat Hannover 3-0 and newcomer Hoffenheim also won 3-0 at Energie Cottbus for the two clubs to share the lead after the first round of the Bundesliga on Saturday. Borussia Dortmund, VfL Wolfsburg and Karlsruher SC also won, but last season's runner-up, Werder Bremen, drew 2-2 at Arminia Bielefeld. Schalke, third last season, overcame the absence of new signings Jefferson Farfan and Orlando Engelaar, both injured, and Rafinha – at the Olympics with Brazil – to achieve an impressive victory at home, with all goals coming off set pieces. Hoffenheim, a small-town club backed by one of Germany's wealthiest men, rose from third to top division in two seasons and the win in Cottbus showed it might stay there too. PSG edges Bordeaux In Paris, Guillaume Hoarau led Paris Saint-Germain to a 1-0 victory over Bordeaux in the second round of the French League Saturday. Hoarau collected a pass from fullback Sylvain Armand to beat goalkeeper Ulrich Rame from close range in the 53rd minute. With its first win at home this season, PSG bounced back from a loss at Monaco in the opening round and stands in the middle of the table with three points from two matches. Monaco tied Nantes 1-1 earlier Saturday with a header from playmaker Camel Meriem. Meriem connected with a cross from Croatia midfielder Jerko Lerko in the 5th. But Romanian forward Claudiu Keseru equalized for Nantes in the 66th, diverting an off-target lob from Croatia international Ivan Klasnic. Monaco has four points from two matches. Defending champion Lyon, Auxerre and Lorient can top the standings if they win on Sunday. Lyon plays at Lorient while Marseille takes on Auxerre. Also Saturday, it was: Caen 3, Valenciennes 1; Lille 1, Le Mans 3; Nice 2, Nancy 1; Saint-Etienne 2, Sochaux 1; and Toulouse 2, Le Havre 1.
