Liverpool, Man City cruise as Man Utd, Chelsea flop again

Liverpool players celebrate their third goal during their match against Burnley on Saturday. (Reuters)
Updated 01 September 2019
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Liverpool, Man City cruise as Man Utd, Chelsea flop again

  • The Reds stay top with club record-breaking win at Burnley

LONDON: Liverpool maintained their 100 percent start to the Premier League season with a 3-0 win at Burnley to retake top spot from Manchester City, who earlier thrashed Brighton on Saturday.

But Manchester United and Chelsea lost further ground on the leaders in disappointing draws with Southampton and Sheffield United.

Liverpool have now won a club record 13 straight Premier League games stretching back to last season when they missed out on the title to City despite amassing 97 points.

Another titanic title race between the two looks on as Liverpool withstood an early Burnley assault before two goals in four first-half minutes took the game away from the Clarets.

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross looped in off Chris Wood for a fortunate opener, but Burnley were masters of their own downfall for the second as Bee Mee presented the ball to Roberto Firmino and the Brazilian teed up Sadio Mane to slot home. Firmino added Liverpool’s third himself 10 minutes from time.

City’s 4-0 victory came at a cost as influential center-back Aymeric Laporte was stretchered off with a knee injury that looks set to rule him out for the forseeable future.

“He has gone to the hospital. Tomorrow we will know exactly what he has. I think he will be out for a while,” said City manager Pep Guardiola on Laporte’s injury.

Kevin De Bruyne opened the scoring after just two minutes at the Etihad before Sergio Aguero made the game safe by blasting high into the net just before the break.

The Argentine produced another sublime finish to curl into the top corner for his second 10 minutes into the second-half before Bernardo Silva then rounded off the scoring.

How United must wish they had some of their local rivals’ firepower as Southampton clung on for a 1-1 draw at St. Mary’s despite playing the last 17 minutes plus stoppage time a man down after Kevin Danso’s red card.

Daniel James had given the visitors the perfect start with his third goal in four appearances for United, but Jannik Vestergaard headed home an equalizer just before the hour mark.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men have now failed to win in their last three games and won just one of their last 10 dating back to last season.

“We’ve been dominating, creating chances and just haven’t been clinical in front of goal to win the games,” said Solskjaer. “It’s not a dip in form, (but) it’s a dip in results definitely.”

Frank Lampard is still waiting for his first win at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea manager after the Blues threw away a 2-0 half-time lead given to them by Tammy Abraham.

The Blades hit back at the start of the second half through Callum Robinson and Kurt Zouma’s own goal a minute from time earned the visitors an unlikely point in a 2-2 draw.

“We have to take responsibility, we allowed that to happen. It was on us to take the game away from them and we allowed them to get back into it,” said Lampard.

“If we can’t go on and get a third goal that’s something we have to work on, this is the Premier League, it’s ruthless.”

As United and Chelsea stumble, Leicester are the closest challengers to the top two as their unbeaten start continued with a 3-1 win over Bournemouth.

Jamie Vardy scored twice and set up Youri Tielemans for the Foxes’ second goal.

Crystal Palace backed up their shock victory at Old Trafford last weekend with a 1-0 win over 10-man Aston Villa thanks to Jordan Ayew’s goal 17 minutes from time to go fourth.


India tune up for Super Eights with hard-fought win over the Dutch

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India tune up for Super Eights with hard-fought win over the Dutch

  • India beat minnows Netherlands by narrow 17 runs after scoring impressive 193-6 from 20 overs
  • India will face a tough South African side on Sunday at same venue in Ahmedabad Super 8 clash

AHMEDABAD: Defending champions India beat a spirited Netherlands team by 17 runs on Wednesday ahead of their meeting with South Africa in the Super Eights of the T20 World Cup.

India posted 193-6 and then kept the Dutch down to 176-7 with spinner Varun Chakravarthy returning figures of 3-14 in Ahmedabad to stay unbeaten in their four matches in Group A.

But a tough test awaits the co-hosts at the same venue on Sunday when they face South Africa, who emerged top of a potentially tricky Group D that featured New Zealand and Afghanistan.

India finish top of their group ahead of arch-rivals Pakistan, but need to fix holes in their batting including the form of opener Abhishek Sharma, who fell for his third straight duck in the tournament.

“I mean, you can’t say that we have ticked almost all the boxes, but even if you win, you learn something out of it,” skipper Suryakumar Yadav said.

“And we have learned a few areas. We’ll go back to the rooms, have a day off tomorrow, and have a chat on that.”

Abhishek was bowled on the third ball by off-spinner Aryan Dutt after India elected to bat first at the world’s biggest cricket stadium.

India were teetering at 110-4 before Shivam Dube hit a counter-attacking 66 and put on a key stand of 76 with Hardik Pandya (30).

“This is a World Cup and the game gets difficult sometimes,” player of the match Dube, who also took two wickets, told reporters.

“It was a little tough on the wicket, but yeah, this is the situation I love to bat and I was enjoying.”

DUBE EFFECT

Several batters got starts but failed to capitalize as Ishan Kishan fell for 18, Tilak Varma made 31 and Suryakumar contributed 34.

But Dube kept calm and hit a few lusty blows including two sixes and a four off off-spinner Colin Ackermann, reaching his fifty off 25 balls.

He and Pandya ensured India’s innings finished strongly although both were dismissed in the final over at the 110,000-capacity stadium, which had a turnout of over 68,000 fans.

Dube, who hit four fours and six sixes in his 31-ball knock, was caught by substitute fielder Tim van der Gugten on the boundary rope, with Pandya picking out a fielder in the deep off the final delivery by Logan van Beek.

Dutt returned impressive figures of 2-19 from his four overs.

In reply, the Dutch openers started cautiously before Max O’Dowd fell bowled for 20 off Chakravarthy and Pandya dismissed Michael Levitt, for 24.

Bas de Leede and Ackermann attempted to put the chase back on track in their stand of 43 but Chakravarthy broke through with his mystery spin.

He sent back Ackermann, for 23, and then bowled Dutt on the next ball, before the hat-trick was avoided by skipper Scott Edwards.

The ever-increasing run rate forced the Dutch to take risks and in the process lose their wickets as De Leede (33) fell to Dube and Jasprit Bumrah took down Edwards.

Zach Lion-Cachet (26) and Noah Croes, who made an unbeaten 25, hit regular boundaries in a desperate attempt to pull off a miracle but India had runs to play with and, despite two dropped catches in the last over, saw out the match.