Arsenal goes top as Liverpool held at home

LONDON, Sept. 21 -- Arsenal went top of the Premier League table for the first time this season after a 3-1 win at Bolton Wanderers while Liverpool were held to a home goalless draw by Stoke City on Saturday.

Thanks to goals from Emmanuel Eboue, Nicklas Bendtner and Denilson, Arsenal overcame Kevin Davies' 14th minute goal for an impressive success at Bolton.

Arsenal now lead the table with 12 points, one better than Liverpool, which was unable to follow up wins over United and Marseille in the previous week as the newly-promoted Stoke secured a clean sheet through the inspired performance of keeper Thomas Sorensen.

Chelsea, sitting third with 10 points, can reclaim top spot with victory over champions Manchester United on Sunday.

Gianfranco Zola started his West Ham United reign with a 3-1 victory over troubled Newcastle United as Blackburn bounced back from a couple of recent heavy defeats to snatch a 1-0 home win over Fulham in a hard-fought encounter.

The day's early kick-off saw Sunderland beat local rivals Middlesbrough 2-0 at the Stadium of Light courtesy of a Michael Chopra double.

Liverpool had started the campaign as co-leaders on points and thought they made the perfect start to victory after just two minutes when Steven Gerrard had the ball in the back of the net from a free-kick.

The captain celebrated what he thought was his 100th goal for Liverpool only for his efforts to be controversially ruled out for offside.

Liverpool controlled possession from that on but struggled to find the breakthrough.

The Reds manager Rafael Benitez was left frustrated and fuming over the referee Andre Marriner's decision.

"Nobody knows why it was disallowed," he said, "With the position the referee was in, how could he disallow it?"

"It was unbelievable and we have to talk about it because it was a key decision. It is impossible to explain."

At the Reebok stadium, Bolton took a 14th minute lead when Kevin Davies rose powerfully to head home a corner.

But Arsene Wenger's Arsenal demonstrated their title credentials as Eboue equalized from close range and Bendtner bundled home Denilson's cross a minute later.

Denilson sealed the win with three minutes left, side-footing Emmanuel Adebayor's low cross.

Kiev wary of Adebayor

Dynamo Kiev coach Yuri Semin watched Emmanuel Adebayor score a hat-trick at Ewood Park but insists he will not man-mark the striker on Wednesday in the Group G clash at Valeri Lobanovsky Stadium.
''We knew very well prior to this the capabilities of the Arsenal forward,'' said Semin.
''But we will not be putting a man-marker on him. Adebayor plays all over the pitch, and in every zone there will be one of our players to meet him.''
Emmanuel Adebayor is ''hungry'' to end his Champions League heartache and fire Arsenal to European glory this season.
The Togo striker smashed a hat-trick against Blackburn on Saturday and will once again spearhead the Gunners attack as their Champions League campaign kicks off.
Adebayor - who netted 30 goals last season - has come a long way since arriving in north London from Monaco as a relative unknown during January 2006, and recently agreed a lucrative new deal with the Emirates Stadium club after a summer of speculation over a £35million move to AC Milan.
The powerful 6ft 3ins 24-year-old, though, has yet to taste success at the highest level, having watched from the bench as his old club were beaten 3-0 by Jose Mourinho's Porto in the 2004 Champions League final and then being cup-tied when Arsenal lost out to Barcelona in Paris two years later.
Adebayor is determined to make up for that bitter disappointment this time around.
''We have every chance to win the Champions League with Arsenal,'' he declared.
''I had the chance to be in the final with Monaco, but I was on the bench and I could see all these special things going on.
''Then with Arsenal, I could not play because I was cup-tied and in my head it was difficult - but now I have a chance to play so there is an argument for me to be more hungry than most of my team-mates.
''However, I am not the only one. Cesc [Fabregas] and Kolo [Toure] lost in the [2006] final as well and so all these players would like to win it in their career.
''These are the things that we are going to pin together as brothers and help each other on the pitch and off the pitch and try to achieve something this season.''
Adebayor added: ''I do not know whether we are going to win the Champions League or the Premier League - but we have to achieve something because we have the quality within the squad.
''We just have to believe in the squad and believe in ourselves to do it.
''I know if I have the chance to win something like the Champions League with a team like Arsenal I will be very happy and very glad.''
Arsenal remain without summer signings Sami Nasri and Mikael Silvestre.
Midfielder Nasri (ankle) and defender Silvestre (thigh) are certain to miss the game but Gael Clichy and Emmanuel Eboue are available to manager Arsene Wenger after recovering from minor knocks.
Mexican striker Carlos Vela has made the trip to Ukraine and is set to be a substitute, along with fellow youngster Jack Wilshere.
Adebayor is happy to be back in form, finally getting his domestic account up and running.
''My confidence has always been high because I have had a few chances,'' he said.
''I know if I keep working hard for the team and we keep on playing the football for the team, you always have a chance to score.
''Those are the things that I always put in my head and it made the goals that went in on Saturday against Blackburn easy.
''For me, the most important thing is to work hard for the team and I think up until now I have been doing that quite well.
''I am very happy and for sure my confidence is higher than before.''
While a win in the Stadion Valeriy Lobanovskyi would put them on course nicely, Arsenal do not have the best of records in the old Soviet bloc - losing on their last visit to Moscow, against CSKA two years ago, while also going down twice to the Ukrainians in 1998 and again in 2003.