19
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2012
SPORTS
Liverpool roll over Norwich Norwich 2
Liverpool 5
LONDON: Everton’s Marouane Fellani (center) and Southampton’s Steven Davis battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match at Goodison Park. —AP
Jelavic brace sinks Saints Everton 3
Southampton 1
LIVERPOOL: Everton striker Nikica Jelavic scored twice to clinch a 3-1 win over Southampton yesterday and maintain his side’s impressive start to the season. David Moyes’ team have equalled their best opening to a Premier League season, when they took 13 from six matches in 2004-05, and the Toffees currently sit in second place in the table, just three points behind leaders Chelsea. Jelavic was the hero as the Croatian striker scored twice to take his tally to 10 in his last 11 league matches after Leon Osman had cancelled out Gaston Ramirez’s early opener. Everton have made notoriously slow starts to their seasons in the recent past but they have been quickly into their stride this time and the good run continued against the Saints, despite the shock of an early goal for the visitors.
From Adam Lallana’s corner, Uruguay forward Ramirez was given the freedom of the penalty area to head home in the sixth minute. It was the Uruguay international’s first goal in English football following his club-record £12 million transfer from Bologna. But Jay Rodriguez squandered a good chance to increase Southampton’s lead and Everton took full advantage with three goals in 13 minutes. In the 25th minute Kevin Mirallas swung over a right-wing cross and Jelavic diverted it back to Osman, who smashed the loose ball into the roof of the net from close range. Seven minutes later Osman’s throughball sent Jelavic clear and he smashed a powerful strike across Saints goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga and into the net. Gazzaniga was powerless again when Everton made it three in the 38th minute. This time Seamus Coleman’s cross to the far post found Jelavic and the Croatian’s header raced in. Marouane Fellaini hit the crossbar with a header before half-time, but Everton already had enough of a lead to hand Southampton their fifth defeat in six league matches.—AFP
LONDON: Stoke City’s Charlie Adam (left) challenges Swansea City’s Ki SungYung during the English Premier League soccer match.—AP
Crouch steers Stoke past goal-shy Swans Stoke 2
Swansea 0
STOKE: Peter Crouch struck a first-half brace to fire Stoke City to a 2-0 victory over goal-shy Swansea in a mid-table battle in the English Premier League yesterday. The former England international striker, signed from Tottenham for a club record £10 million, opened the scoring with a close-range header in the 12th minute and doubled up 10 minutes before half-time, striking home from inside the area. The result was the perfect riposte to Stoke’s 1-0 loss to leaders Chelsea last week and bucked a 11-match run without a victory, although they have only lost three times this season.
It also further cemented the Britannia Stadium as a hard place for visiting teams to win, the home side not having lost here since the first week of February. Michael Laudrup’s Swans opened the season with 10 goals in their first three games, but have now failed to find the net in three matches while conceding seven. And although they dominated possession against Stoke, they did not manage a single strike on target, a lack of attacking flair that will doubtless worry Laudrup, the former Denmark, Barcelona and Real Madrid midfielder. It was 30 minutes before Swansea even threatened the Stoke defence, Spanish striker Miguel Michu going close with a first time shot from the edge of the box. But for all their possession, the Welsh side invariably lacked a cutting edge, and it was Crouch who went closest at the end, the crossbar denying the giant a hat-trick 10 minutes from time. Swansea and Stoke now sit in 11 and 12th spots in the 20-team Premier League, both on seven points.—AFP
NORWICH: Luis Suarez scored a hat-trick as Liverpool tasted victory in the Premier League for the first time under manager Brendan Rodgers with a 5-2 win at Norwich yesterday. Nuri Sahin and Steven Gerrard were also on target at Carrow Road as Liverpool inflicted a second successive defeat upon Norwich, who saw Steve Morison and Grant Holt score their goals. Victory lifted Liverpool out of the bottom three and left Norwich still searching for a first league win under their new manager, Chris Hughton. Suarez was outstanding, just as he had been at Carrow Road last season when he scored all three goals in a 3-0 win. Rodgers chose a youthful starting line-up by handing first Premier League starts to 19-year-old Andre Wisdom and 18-year-old Jesus Joaquin Fernandez Saez de la Torre, the Spanish midfielder better known as Suso. The changes appeared to work instantly as Liverpool took the lead through Suarez after just 67 seconds. Glen Johnson’s pass to Sahin in the Norwich penalty area was intercepted by Michael Turner but Suarez was first to the loose ball and planted it low in the corner of the net. Pepe Reina, the Liverpool goalkeeper, made a good save at his near post after Simeon Jackson, Norwich’s Canada inter-
NORWICH: Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard (center) celebrates scoring against Norwich City with teammates Luis Suarez and Oussama Assaidi during the English Premier League soccer match.—AP national forward, diverted a wayward shot from Russell Martin. Suarez felt he should have been awarded a penalty in the 22nd minute when Leon Barnett challenged him from behind as they chased a bouncing ball. Contact was certainly made on the forward’s shoulders but referee Mike Jones waved play on. Norwich had goalkeeper John Ruddy to thank for the save that kept out a powerful header from Liverpool and England captain Gerrard. The home side retaliated with a spell of pressure but Liverpool doubled their lead through Suarez in the 38th minute. The Uruguay forward had wasted a straightforward opportunity seconds earlier by firing across goal and wide after being put clear of the Norwich back-line
by Daniel Agger. But the resulting goal-kick proved to be Norwich’s undoing as Suarez robbed Turner of possession on the edge of the box, pushed the ball through the unfortunate defender’s legs and then beat Ruddy. Norwich sent on Holt for Jackson at the break but within two minutes Liverpool were three ahead through Sahin, the on-loan Real Madrid midfielder. Andrew Surman lost possession in the middle, which allowed Raheem Sterling to run at the Norwich back-line and release Suarez on the left of the box. Suarez beat a defender skilfully but saw his cross blocked. Again it was only half-cleared, however, and Suarez set up Sahin for a simple finish from six yards. Suarez’s third came soon after-
wards in the 58th minute via a shot curled low past Ruddy’s reach from the edge of the box after Sahin had set him up. Norwich pulled a goal back in the 61st minute through Morison after Martin, the right-back, had charged forward and blasted a shot that rebounded off Reina’s chest. Liverpool lost little time in restoring their four-goal advantage however, with Sterling, the 17-year-old winger, getting goalside of Javier Garrido to accept a pass and crossing for Gerrard to find the net via a hefty deflection off Barnett in the 68th minute. Holt pulled another goal back four minutes from time after capitalising on Martin Skrtel’s failure to intercept a pass than allowed the forward to stride forward and plant a shot beyond Reina.—AFP
Ba double hands Newcastle a draw Reading 2
Newcastle 2
READING: Newcastle snatched a controversial 2-2 draw at Reading yesterday as Senegal striker Demba Ba appeared to knock in the late equaliser with his hand. Alan Pardew’s side were heading for a defeat with seven minutes left at the Madejski Stadium, but Ba rose to meet Shane Fergson’s cross and deflected the ball into the net off his hand after missing with his attempted header. It was Ba’s second goal of the game after he had earlier produced a stunning strike to cancel out Jimmy Kebe’s second half opener. Noel Hunt had restored Reading’s lead, but Brian McDermott’s side were denied their first Premier League win of the season thanks to Ba’s late intervention. Newcastle took the bold step on Thursday of handing Pardew a new eight-year contract and the Magpies boss was back on the touchline at Reading following his recent ban. Yet even Pardew’s presence close to the action couldn’t inspire Newcastle in a dour first half. Reading had the best chance of the opening period when Pavel Pogrebnyak’s header was palmed over by Steve Harper. The Royals kept pressing after the break and took the lead in the 58th minute when Kebe was played in by Jobi McAnuff and slotted a low shot inside the near post. Newcastle were level within a minute as Cheick Tiote clipped a pass towards Ba who unleashed a sublime volley on the run that gave Alex McCarthy no chance. McDermott’s side hit straight back and McAnuff whipped in a 62nd minute cross which Hunt met with a glancing header that beat Harper at the far post. But Newcastle salvaged a point seven minutes from time when Ba stooped to meet Ferguson’s cross, missed his header and handled it into the net. Reading were furious and tried to make amends, but McAnuff saw a late shot hit a post.—AFP
LONDON: Reading’s Pavel Pogrebnyak (left) and Newcastle United’s Steven Taylor battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match. —AP
Fletcher sinks Wigan Sunderland 1
Wigan 0
SUNDERLAND: Sunderland recorded their first victory of the Premier League season and ended a 12-game winless streak in the English top flight by beating 10-man Wigan Athletic 1-0 yesterday. On a windy afternoon at the Stadium of Light, Steven
Fletcher claimed the only goal of the game in the 51st minute, shortly after Wigan midfielder Jordi Gomez had been sent off for sliding in on Danny Rose. Despite having registered a first win after four consecutive draws, Martin O’Neill’s Sunderland slipped one place to 13th in the table, while Roberto Martinez’s Wigan remained 15th. It took a fine, point-blank save from Simon Mignolet to prevent Arouna Kone from giving Wigan the lead after 15 minutes, while at the other end, Ivan Ramis had to clear Sebastian
Larsson’s free-kick off his own goal-line. Wigan midfielder James McCarthy shot narrowly wide of Mignolet’s goal shortly before half-time but the visitors were dealt a heavy blow two minutes into the second period when Gomez was shown a straight red card for an ugly foul on Rose. It left the Latics facing over 40 minutes of football with a numerical disadvantage and it took Sunderland just four minutes to capitalise. After a strong run and cross from Irish winger James McClean, Fletcher applied the
finishing touch to claim his fifth league goal of the season. The Scot, a reported £15 million ($23 million) summer signing from Wolverhampton Wanderers, remains the only player to have scored for Sunderland since the start of the campaign. The hosts turned the screw, with Ali Al Habsi saving from Stephane Sessegnon and McClean bending an inviting cross across the face of goal, and Wigan were unable to respond despite the introduction from the bench of striker Franco Di Santo.—AFP