Everton's Maroune Fellaini (center) vies with Manchester United's Nemanja Vidic (left) and Rio Ferdinand during their English Premier League match at Goodison Park, Liverpool, Saturday. The match ended 1-1. [Shanghai Daily/Agencies]

Hull City's flying start to the season continued as they thumped West Bromwich Albion 3-0 on Saturday to join Chelsea and Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table.

Second-half goals from Kamil Zayette, Geovanni and Marlon King awarded the promoted club the fourth successive win and took them to level on points with leaders Chelsea and second-placed Liverpool, who will play each other on Sunday.

Manchester United wasted the chance to close on the Premier League leaders as a 1-1 draw at Everton left the champions ruing missed first half chances.

United now sit fifth on 15 points, five behind the joint leaders and one behind fourth-placed Arsenal.

At Ewood Park, a dramatic injury-time header from Benni McCarthy cancelled out Afonso Alves' 74th-minute goal and gave Blackburn a 1-1 draw with Middlesbrough.

Kieran Richardson's sublime free-kick saw off Newcastle to earn Sunderland their first home win in the Wear-Tyne derby for 28 years.

Shola Ameobi's powerful header drew Joe Kinnear's men level before the break after Djibril Cisse put Sunderland ahead in the 20th minute.

But Richardson crashed home the winner 15 minutes from time with a ferocious 18-yard strike after Nicky Butt fouled El-Hadji Diouf.

United deservedly took the lead when Darren Fletcher ran onto Ryan Giggs' pass to slot home after 22 minutes.

Although Sir Alex Ferguson's side dictated the first half, Everton keeper Tim Howard kept his side in the game until Marouane Fellaini rose to head in Phil Neville's cross for a fine recovery.

Ferguson gave Everton credit for turning the game on its head and accused referee Alan Wiley of failing to protect his players.

"It was a battle, but Everton turned it into a battle in the second half. Their crowd were up for it and in fairness you have to give them credit," he said.

"I don't think the referee protected our players enough. I don't know what the game's coming to with some of the tackles going in.

"With the ferocity of the challenges, somebody's going to get a bad injury," he added.

West Brom kept a clean sheet until just after the restart and on- loan defender Kamil Zayatte volleyed in Dean Marney's corner to put Hull one-up on 47 minutes.

Phil Brown's men ran riot after that and, in a four-minute stretch, Brazilian Geovanni made it 2-0 with a diving header before King slotted in a low shot.

(Xinhua News Agency October 26, 2008)