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London: Wayne Rooney scored to give Manchester United a 1-0 win over Birmingham City at the start of their bid for a fourth consecutive Premier League title but Liverpool lost 2-1 at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
North-west rivals United and Liverpool slugged it out for the trophy last season but both looked below-par and pedestrian compared with Arsenal who thumped six goals past Everton on Saturday.
The champions at least hung on to claim all three points and with Chelsea also victorious Liverpool were the only one of the four title favourites who failed to win on the opening weekend.
United, minus Cristiano Ronaldo, needed the quick reactions of Rooney 12 minutes before halftime at Old Trafford to see off promoted Birmingham, the England striker stabbing in a rebound after his header hit the post.
Liverpool suffered just two losses in the league last season, one of those coming at Tottenham, and they endured more frustration in north London as French defender Sebastien Bassong sealed a 2-1 defeat with a powerful header on his debut.
Benoit Assou-Ekotto fired Tottenham in front with a thumping shot past Pepe Reina just before halftime but Liverpool, narrow runners-up to United last season with their best ever Premier League points tally, levelled through Steven Gerrard's penalty early in the second half.
Liverpool could have few complaints as they lacked creativity against a Tottenham side who in winning their opening match have gained more points than they did in their first eight last season, a run that ended with the sacking of Spanish coach Juande Ramos.
"The first half was not the best for us, the second half much better," Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez told Sky Sports.
"We are disappointed because we worked hard in the second half. It's still early, but we know we have to improve."
Recent domination
With much of the pre-season talk surrounding the loss of Ronaldo, Manchester United's most influential player during their recent domination of the league, all eyes were on new signing Antonio Valencia and Nani.
Valencia had a quiet debut but Nani was involved in United's winner before being replaced at halftime by veteran Ryan Giggs, beginning his 18th Premier League campaign.
Michael Owen, another new face at United after his free transfer from Newcastle United, nearly made an immediate impact, having one shot well saved by Birmingham keeper Joe Hart and another effort ruled out for offside.
"I started with Wayne and Dimitar (Berbatov) because they have been at the club last season and were regulars but Michael will get his chances, no question about that," United manager Alex Ferguson told Sky Sports.
"There are plenty of games coming up in the next few weeks for him to take those chances."
United were dealt a blow when centre back Rio Ferdinand was ruled out with a calf injury and they often looked jittery against a Birmingham side who gradually gained belief.
The early stages were all United with Rooney having one curler tipped over the bar and another effort blocked before he struck in the 33rd minute.
Nani found space out on the left and his cross was well met by Rooney with a firm header which hit the post and rebounded for the striker to tap in.
Birmingham have never scored a Premier League goal at Old Trafford but they came close when Franck Queudrue's near-post header was cleared off the line by United defender Patrice Evra.
Rooney was United's main threat in the second half but they failed to kill off the visitors and suffered anxious moments, most notably when substitute Christian Benitez forced a great save from Ben Foster.
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