Reds fail to end winless run in Dutch stalemate September 30, 2010 LIVERPOOL failed to win for a fourth successive match last night when they scraped a 0-0 draw at Utrecht. The result in Holland keeps Roy Hodgson’s men top of Europa League Group K, but does little for the team’s fragile confidence. Captain Steven Gerrard may have been rested but it was an otherwise strong side [...]
Van der Vaart relief after 10-man Spurs win thriller September 29, 2010 TOTTENHAM (4) vs FC TWENTE (1) TOTTENHAM tasted Champions League victory at White Hart Lane for the first time, but only after a helter-skelter night of extreme drama typified by Rafael van der Vaart missing a penalty, scoring a goal and then being sent off. Forward Roman Pavlyuchenko was more successful from the spot, twice [...]
Butt retracts England fixing claims, but doesn’t say sorry September 29, 2010 PAKISTAN Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt last night officially retracted his allegation that England players accepted “enormous amounts of money” to throw a match. Butt spent yesterday in talks with the England and Wales Cricket Board, which had threatened to launch legal action against him unless he made a “full and unreserved apology”. That apology [...]
Easy peasy: Hernandez is a Fergie fave September 29, 2010 VALENCIA (0) vs MANCHESTER UTD (1) MANCHESTER UNITED boss Sir Alex Ferguson bizarrely claimed Javier Hernandez finished “as if he was shelling a pea – it was so natural” after the Mexican hit a late winner. Hernandez, whose nickname Chicharito means ‘Little Pea’, fired his first competitive goal for the club with five minutes to [...]
Ballesteros pep talk fires up Montgomerie’s rookies September 29, 2010 EUROPE captain Colin Montgomerie last night revealed the secret weapon in his bid to wrest the Ryder Cup back from the United States: Seve Ballesteros. The Spanish great, who is still not well enough to travel to Wales after his recovery from a brain tumour, was invited by Montgomerie to rally his troops in a [...]
Pavin cool on McIlroy-Tiger grudge match September 29, 2010 UNITED STATES captain Corey Pavin says he will not collude with Europe’s Colin Montgomerie to set up a Ryder Cup grudge match between Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. McIlroy has boasted he would fancy his chances against the world No1 who, he said, had lost his aura, while Woods responded by saying he would welcome [...]
Fabianksi: I’m ready for crunch Chelsea trip September 29, 2010 ARSENAL goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski insists he is ready to face Premier League leaders Chelsea after his confidence-boosting display at Partizan Belgrade. Fabianski could be called on to face the free-scoring Blues, who have netted 21 goals in six league games, if Manuel Almunia fails to recover from an elbow injury by Sunday. That prospect will [...]
Rangers break European spell as Barca held at Rubin September 29, 2010 RANGERS striker Steven Naismith played the hero as Walter Smith’s men beat Bursaspor 1-0 at Ibrox to record their first Champions League victory in 14 attempts. Naismith reacted first to poke home a clever volley in the 18th minute after Kirk Broadfoot had headed a Steven Whittaker cross back across the penalty box. The win, [...]
Terry and Drogba targeting Gunners after shaking off the losing habit September 29, 2010 CHELSEA captain John Terry has urged his team-mates to re-establish their early-season momentum by beating Arsenal in Sunday’s top-of-the-table clash. Having started the campaign with a six-match winning streak, the Blues lost their way slightly by succumbing to back-to-back defeats against Newcastle and then Manchester City. But normal service was resumed when Marseille were easily [...]
SPORT | IN BRIEF September 29, 2010 Pooley makes history for Britain CYCLING: Great Britain’s Emma Pooley won the time trial at the Road World Championships in Australia. The 27-year-old Londoner, who won a silver medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, is the first British woman to win the event. She said: “Now I get to wear the world champion’s jersey [...]