Mayweather outpoints Cotto
I’ll Have Another wins Kentucky Derby
MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012
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Bolt speeds to year’s fastest 100 metres
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LONDON: Newcastle United’s Senegalese striker Demba Ba (second left) vies with Manchester City’s English midfielder Gareth Barry (right) and Ivorian midfielder Yaya Toure (left) during the English Premier League football match.—AP
City on brink of EPL title glory Newcastle 0
Man City 2 NEWCASTLE: Manchester City are on the verge of winning the Premier League title for the first time in 44 years after Yaya Toure’s brilliant double clinched a crucial 2-0 win at Newcastle yesterday. Ivory Coast midfielder Toure struck twice in the second half at St James’ Park to move Premier League leaders City three points clear of second-placed
Manchester United. Roberto Mancini’s men now know that they will be champions for the first time since 1968 if they win their remaining game at home to Queens Park Rangers next Sunday, unless United can somehow bridge City’s plus10 advantage over their local rivals in the goal difference column. By coincidence, City’s 1968 title triumph was confirmed by a 4-3 victory at Newcastle and the reaction of their supporters on the final whistle suggested they have already anointed Mancini’s team as the new champions. Toure’s goals also had significance for Newcastle, who began this game with an eye on a place in next season’s Champions League-and even a top-three
finish-in the wake of Arsenal’s failure to beat Norwich. Now, facing an awkward final game at Everton, Alan Pardew’s team may have to be content with a place in the Europa League. City certainly warranted their success, but they were far from fluent as Newcastle frustrated them for long periods and looked equipped to emerge with a point until Toure’s crucial contributions. With so much at stake for both teams, it was never likely to be a classic encounter, but it was a passionate, highly-charged affair after a slow start. That early caution was swept away, though, by the mobility and attacking instincts of David Silva, Sergio Aguero,
Carlos Tevez and Samir Nasri. All contributed to a ten-minute spell when City could have taken the lead on three occasions, starting with Silva’s angled shot that was saved by Tim Krul in the 11th minute. The Dutch goalkeeper was equally alert when he dealt with Aguero’s effort six minutes later before he was rescued by Mike Williamson after the striker beat him to Vincent Kompany’s through ball. Newcastle finally threatened when Demba Ba and Hatem Ben Arfa combined to create an opening which Ba drove over the bar from 25 yards. Then, with 34 minutes gone, Newcastle carved out their best opportunity of the opening half after Jonas
Man United 2
Swansea 0 MANCHESTER: Manchester United ensured the race for the Premier League title will go to the final game of the season as they beat Swansea City 2-0 at Old Trafford here yesterday. But it proved to be a bittersweet day for the reigning champions, who will start as significant underdogs to clinch an unprecedented 20th title as rivals Manchester City close in on their first top-flight crown since 1968. First-half goals from Paul Scholes and Ashley Young saw Sir Alex Ferguson’s side draw level on points with City at the top of the table, but with a vastly inferior goal difference. United kept the destiny of the Premier League trophy in doubt until the final round of games on May 13, but having surrendered an eight-point advantage, that promises to be scant reward for Ferguson’s men. To end the campaign, Manchester United travel to Sunderland, who have not beaten them in the league for 15 years, spanning 19 attempts. However, City will be overwhelming favourites to beat a relegation-threatened Queens Park
It was a threat that hardly surfaced, however, at the start of the second half when City were far less impressive. Tevez steered a shot straight at Krul in the 55th minute, but Newcastle were otherwise untroubled, prompting action by Mancini, who withdrew Nasri and Tevez. And, only seconds after the departure of Tevez in the 70th minute, Mancini’s team were ahead when Toure steered his shot inside the post from nearly 25 yards following neat approach play from City. Toure was deprived of a second goal when he slipped after going clear in the 75th minute, but he grabbed the clincher with a close-range strike in the 89th minute after good work by Gael Clichy.—AFP
Spurs kept outside top three
United take title race to wire after Swansea win Rangers side who have won just three times on the road this season. The Premier League title has never yet been decided on goal difference, but there is every chance this season that it will. United will have to better City’s final day result to finish above their near neighbors. Victories for bothbarring a mathematical miracle courtesy of an unlikely nine-goal swing-will spark huge celebrations in the blue half of Manchester. United kicked off knowing two goals from Yaya Toure had seen City cement their grip on the title with a 2-0 win at Newcastle United earlier in the day. Asked shortly before the start if City had a hand on the title, Ferguson replied: “Probably two.” Swansea’s Michel Vorm was by far the busier of the goalkeepers, and the Dutchman was forced into a fine double save to deny Patrice Evra from 20 yards, and then a close-range follow-up from Wayne Rooney. Michael Carrick was at the heart of things as the hosts finally broke the deadlock in the 28th minute. Antonio Valencia beat Neil Taylor to make strides down the right before pulling the ball back for the lurking Carrick, who quickly re-directed the ball into the six-yard box. Swansea had plenty of bodies back to cover, but that failed to prevent Scholes from reacting first to open the scoring with a close range flick. The lack of celebration from the veteran midfielder to meet his fourth goal of the season betrayed
Gutierrez seized on a rare mistake by Pablo Zabaleta. The Argentina international’s cross created uncertainty in the City defence, who allowed the ball to reach Ben Arfa beyond the far post. His shot was instant and on-target, but not quite accurate enough to beat a goalkeeper of Joe Hart’s calibre. But only the positioning of Davide Santon, their Italian left-back, enabled Newcastle to be level at the interval. Santon was in the right place on the line to block a 41st-minute shot from Gareth Barry at the end of an incisive move that again exposed Newcastle’s problems against a team possessing City’s sharpness in the final third.
Aston Villa 1
Tottenham 1
LONDON: Manchester United’s English striker Wayne Rooney shoots during the English Premier League football match against Swansea at Old Trafford. —AP the true feeling in the United camp, one that their chase was a forlorn one. United’s second goal arrived four minutes before the break. Swansea were made to pay for being caught in possession as they attempted to pass out of their own area, Scholes winning the ball to square for Rooney in the penalty box. The England forward’s snapshot was blocked, but fell invitingly for Young to curl his eighth goal of the season into the bottom-right corner with a calm right-foot finish from 15 yards. Rooney wasted a clear opening to claim a career-best 27th Premier League goal of the season after being released by Carrick as Welsh club Swansea were again carved open in ruthless fashion. Having already secured another season in the top flight, Swansea
rarely looked like improving on a dire record at Old Trafford that now sees them without a victory there in nine visits. Nathan Dyer curled an early long-range effort narrowly over, and David de Gea made a meal of a low 25-yard shot from Gylfi Sigurdsson, before the Spaniard made amends with a fine save to deny Danny Graham from close range after the break. When De Gea clawed out Sigurdsson’s long-range free-kick shortly after Dyer blazed high and wide from a promising position, the last chance of mounting an improbable comeback had gone. Defeat left Swansea in 12th place, with only one victory in their last eight league matches going into their final game at home to Liverpool.—AFP
BIRMINGHAM: Ten-man Tottenham Hotspur spurned the chance to go third in the Premier League yesterday after a 1-1 draw at Aston Villa, for whom a point all but assured their top-flight survival. Ciaran Clark gave the hosts the lead at Villa Park via a deflected first-half opener and their cause was aided further still when Spurs were reduced to 10 men when Danny Rose was sent off for a challenge on Alan Hutton. Harry Redknapp’s team soon responded, though, via Emmanuel Adebayor’s penalty, yet they were unable to force a winner, meaning they remain a point adrift of North London rivals Arsenal in fourth place going into next weekend’s final round of fixtures. It leaves their Champions League prospects hanging in the balance, with fifth-placed Newcastle still just a point behind. Chelsea, meanwhile, could yet snatch the final spot for Europe’s elite competition that would normally go to the team finishing fourth if they beat Bayern Munich in this season’s final. Alex McLeish’s Villa team are now three points clear of 18th-placed Bolton Wanderers and have a 17-goal advantage over the Trotters, making them virtually safe. McLeish’s line-up yesterday included midfielder Chris Herd, one of a trio of Villa players disciplined this week after their involvement in a nightclub fracas during the early hours of Tuesday morning, which followed the club’s annual awards dinner. Despite their recent
struggles, Villa began brightly, with a deflected effort from Charles N’Zogbia looping onto the roof of the net, while Adebayor threatened with a shot on the turn that flashed beyond Shay Given’s right post. A golden opportunity came Villa’s way when a wayward pass from Kyle Walker, the former Villa loan player, was intercepted by Stephen Ireland, who sent Emile Heskey clean through. But the striker’s hesitation allowed Younes Kaboul the time to make a recovery tackle that referee Lee Probert deemed fair. However, Villa’s commitment was rewarded with a lucky goal 10 minutes before half-time. N’Zogbia fed Clark 25 yards from goal and his strike took a wicked deflection off the shoulder of William Gallas and sailed beyond the reach of the wrong-footed Brad Friedel. Tottenham, who had seen manager Redknapp overlooked for the England job in favour of Roy Hodgson earlier in the week, almost responded immediately but Gareth Bale’s stinging shot was superbly tipped around the post by Shay Given. Then, two minutes before the interval, Kaboul teed up Rafael van der Vaart on the edge of the area only for the Dutch international to see his shot curl inches past the right post. There was a flashpoint within four minutes of the restart when Rose was dismissed for a lunge on Hutton that left the Scotland international in agony and brought a premature end to the former Spurs defender’s match. James Collins, another of the Villa players caught up in the drinking controversy, was introduced in Hutton’s place, with Heskey making way for the fresh legs of Andreas Weimann. Spurs continued to attack but Villa only had themselves to blame for the visitors’ equaliser after Richard Dunne dived in unnecessarily on Sandro inside the penalty area, with Adebayor sending Given the wrong way from the resulting spot kick. —AFP