Nineteen Irishmen saw action as the Carling Premiership got under way on Saturday - and three of them scored to help their teams to victory.

Mark Kinsella hit Charlton's third in a 4-0 rout of newly-promoted Manchester City - and early lesson in the realities of top-flight survival which should not be lost on Mark Kennedy and the rest of the Maine Road squad.

Steve Carr was Tottenham's saviour after the Londoners went 1-0 down to new-boys Ipswich. First the Irish international won the penalty from which Darren Anderton equalised, then gave Spurs the lead with a superb strike from a narrow angle.

Niall Quinn was the other Irishman on target - his 53^rd-minute header proving enough to give Sunderland victory over Arsenal. Quinn was later replaced by another Irishman, Michael Reddy, bringing Sunderland's complement on the day to four - Paul Butler and Kevin Kilbane also starting for the Black Cats.

The best news for Irish boss Mick McCarthy over the weekend was that Roy Keane was fit to play the full ninety minutes in Manchester United's 2-0 win over Newcastle on Sunday.

McCarthy - shorn of Kenny Cunningham's services for the World Cup qualifier against Holland on Saturday week - was also mightily relieved that Gary Breen won a starting place for Coventry against Middlesbrough on Saturday.

Breen, who picked up a yellow card in the game, was substituted late on as Coventry chased a 3-1 deficit unsuccessfully.