Chelsea remain at the top of the leaderboard after a much quieter week in the Premier League goal department. New boys Blackpool played out their first home game of the season, while Wigan produced the unlikeliest of victories against European-bound Tottenham.

It was an interesting weekend of football in the English Premier League, and there were plenty of surprises to talk about. If you are looking for a secure online sportsbook to enjoy your football betting, be sure to sign up with Bodog to receive a £25 free bet.

For now, let’s get stuck into the weekend’s action.

Blackpool 2 – 2 Fulham: Blackpool’s dream start at Bloomfield road didn’t go exactly according to plan, but they managed to walk away from a tight contest with a draw.

With a hastily developed east stand finally complete, Blackpool were able to get their home campaign in the Premier League under way. And the Tangerines immediately looked the better side, putting the ball in the back of the net on 18 minutes before Brett Ormerod’s header was ruled to have been offside. Their spirits may not have been dampened after that, but the fans had plenty to grumble about when Bobby Zamora put Fulham into the lead just 10 minutes from halftime.

Displaying the sort of fighting spirit you come to expect from newly promoted teams, Blackpool finally got back in the game care of some Luke Varney magic. The 27-year-old only just signed on loan from Derby County during the week, but it was his build-up play that saw John Paintsil put the ball into the back of his own net. Not four minutes later and Varney was back at it again, this time getting his name on the scoresheet as Blackpool looked to be on course for their second win of the season. Unfortunately for the home side, Dickson Etuhu was there to spoil the party in the 86^th minute with a cool equaliser, but Ian Holloway will take plenty of positives from a tough fixture.

Manchester United 3 – 0 West Ham United: Avram Grant’s nightmare continued with a 3-0 drubbing at the hands of an in-form Manchester United.

Perhaps the biggest question leading up to this fixture was “When will Rooney score?” After a drought at the World Cup and some poor form in front of goal since the return of the season, Wayne Rooney has been overshadowed by his often out-of-favor strike partner Dimitar Berbatov. The fans were cheering Rooney’s name after half an hour though, when he converted from the penalty spot after Ryan Giggs had been brought down in the area. Despite only fashioning one more chance – this time from the feet of Darren Fletcher – Manchester United went into the break with all the momentum and looked to be on course for a decent three-pointer.

And that’s exactly what happened when they returned. Nani has been brilliant in the past few weeks and showed once again why he is so highly regarded playing on either flank. The Portuguese winger linked up well with Rooney and found some space before hammering home a left-footer. West Ham were already done and dusted, but Dimitar Berbatov made sure of the victory with an acrobatic display in the 68^th minute, giving Sir Alex Ferguson another reason to keep him in the starting 11 ahead over Javier Hernandez and Michael Owen.

Bolton Wanderers 2 – 2 Birmingham City: A 10-man Bolton squad pulled off a great escape after coming from behind to keep their unbeaten run in tact.

Birmingham got the game off to a flying start with defender Roger Johnson putting in from close range, but there was more pain to come in the opening half. Jussi Jaaskelainen had a brain snap just a few minutes out from the break where he seemed to slap Johnson after challenging for the ball; the Finn was deservedly given his marching orders and Martin Petrov made way for substitute keeper Adam Bogdan.

The young Hungarian kept the ball away from his goal for the remainder of the half, but was caught out on 50 minutes by a Craig Gardner strike that looked to kill off any hope of Bolton finding a way back into the game. But find a way they did, and it all started with a Kevin Davies penalty. The captain was fouled in the area after Johnson climbed all over his back, and he put his side back in contention with just 20 minutes remaining. Another silly foul in Birmingham’s half saw Wanderers with a golden opportunity to level things up, and Robbie Blake blasted the ball into the back of the net. Bolton could have gone on to win it had Davies not scuffed his shot in the area, but Coyle will be pleased with a respectable 2-2 scoreline.

As the Champions League and Europa League get under way for the 2010-11 season, the two reigning champions from both of those tournaments will face each other in the UEFA Super Cup. Champions League victors Inter Milan will face Europa League titleholders Atletico Madrid on Friday, August 27 in what will likely be a clash of opposing mentalities.

The chance to win a piece of silverware early on in the season is always a treat for the managers, and both Rafael Benitez and Quique Flores will be keen to see that their respective teams are the one walking away with the trophy this weekend.

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Inter Milan: -110
Draw: +230
Atletico Madrid: +270

Inter Milan: Rafa Benitez has wasted no time in announcing his 21-man squad for the Super Cup, and despite losing Thiago Motta and Davide Santon to injury the team looks incredibly strong. World Cup stars Wesley Sneijder, Julio Cesar, and Samuel Eto’o are all in the line-up, while Diego Milito, Goran Pandev, and Esteban Cambiasso will flesh out the ranks. Inter are coming off the back of their Supercoppa Italia win where they demolished Roma 3-1 care of a late Samuel Eto’o brace. The Milan club are strong favorites to win this fixture, and with the sort of team they have named it’s clear why.

Atletico Madrid: Their form in the Spanish La Liga last season may not have been as commendable as their run to the Europa League title, but Atletico Madrid boast a list of world class players regardless. Players like Diego Forlan, Sergio Aguero, and Simao all made their mark on the World Cup this year, and will be looking to steal the UEFA Super Cup out from under Inter’s noses. The Stade Louis II in Monaco will host this fixture, which may play into Atletico’s favor not having to play in front of thousands of Milanese fans at the San Siro. Whatever the outcome, it’s safe to say that Atletico Madrid defied the odds to claim the Europa League title last season and really have nothing to lose.

OG Tip: Inter to win comfortably.

In stark contrast to a relatively low-scoring World Cup, the Premier League has started with a bang. Already there have been 61 goals in just two weeks of football, including three 6-0 results from the weekend. And Week 2 isn’t over yet, as Liverpool and Manchester City face each other tonight at Anfield.

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Manchester City: +130
Draw: +220
Liverpool: +210

Now, onto the weekend wrap. We were lucky enough to enjoy a weekend of football where every match was a thriller. With so many spectacular fixtures on show it’s always tough to name the best, but here’s a review of the most entertaining games from Week 2 in the Premier League.

Arsenal 6 – 0 Blackpool: The Gunners gave Blackpool a harsh lesson on Saturday, as the Premier League newcomers learned just how tough it is going to be to stay in the top tier of English football.

Things didn’t look too bad for Blackpool in the opening minutes, despite a lack of possession and chances. With their 4-0 win over Wigan still fresh in their minds, they were perhaps a little too relaxed and paid dearly for it when Theo Walcott grabbed his first goal of the new season in the 12^th minute. Things went from bad to worse on the half hour mark when Ian Evatt was given his marching orders after he was deemed to have brought down Maraoune Chamakh inside the box. Andrey Arshavin converted the resulting penalty, and seven minutes later Theo Walcott had his second.

The match was already over by half-time, but that didn’t stop Arsenal from turning on the flair. Abou Diaby struck just three minutes into the second period, before Walcott grabbed a deserved hat-trick and sent a clear message to England manager Fabio Capello. Lacklustre defending was to be the death of Blackpool, and despite missing a sitter a few moments earlier, Maraoune Chamakh netted his first Premier League goal with a clinical header in the 82^nd minute.

Newcastle United 6 – 0 Aston Villa: With their first home game back in the EPL, Newcastle United embarrassed their opposition as they ran home 6-0 winners.

Hindsight is a handy thing to have after the fact, but Kevin MacDonald will be ruing a few of his team selections after admitting to making a mistake by playing too many youngsters. Stephen Ireland should have known he wouldn’t be in for the best of birthdays with his new side after John Carew shot a 10^th minute penalty embarrassingly high. Two minutes later it was Newcastle with the edge after Joey Barton snatched a rare – and spectacular – goal. Things took off for the Magpies after that, and two goals in three minutes by Kevin Nolan and Andy Carroll put the game to bed before the half-time whistle had even blown.

The home side kept up the pace in the second half, and Carroll grabbed a brace by the 67^th minute. The young number 9 always looked dangerous with the ball, but it was Nolan who scored Newcastle’s fifth on 87 minutes. Not content to sit back and defend their massive lead, Carroll struck in injury time to complete his first career hat-trick in front of more than 43,000 supporters (including Newcastle legend Alan Shearer) at St. James’ Park.

Fulham 2 – 2 Manchester United: A late surge by the home side meant Mark Hughes’ Fulham side grabbed a point against a Wayne Rooney-free Manchester United outfit on Sunday.

Sir Alex Ferguson chose not to include Wayne Rooney in yesterday’s match squad care of a stomach bug, so the Mexican Javier Hernandez took his first Premier League start alongside Dimitar Berbatov. Things started well for the Red Devils as a wonderful move from Antonio Valencia set Paul Scholes up for his first of the season. Combination play between Berbatov and the United midfield was encouraging but ultimately produced nothing, and it was Edwin van der Sar that the players were thanking for their lead after a fabulous double save just before the break.

As the match wore on, it was obvious that Fulham were beginning to get the upper hand. Simon Davies equalized for the Cottagers thanks to a magnificently worked move that saw the ball rocket into the back of the net. However, Brede Hangeland thought he’d lost it for his team when he sent the ball into his own net after 84 minutes, and just a few moments later saw Nani with a penalty chance to give United a 3-1 lead. David Stockdale was on hand to give his side a final shot with his penalty save though, and Hangeland took full advantage of the situation by giving Fulham their second equalizer just a minute from full-time.