LONDON: Manchester United surged into second place in the Premier League with a 3-0 demolition of Newcastle, while Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers suffered another Anfield nightmare as his struggling side were held to a 0-0 draw by Stoke yesterday.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s team closed the gap on leaders Chelsea to four points thanks to first half goals from Jonny Evans and Patrice Evra before Tom Cleverley struck with a superb strike after the break.
United, who are above third placed Manchester City on goal difference, have lost twice already in the league this season and, with Chelsea winning on Saturday, they could ill-afford another set-back at St. James’ Park, where they were beaten 3-0 last season.
Newcastle never had a chance of emulating that result as United, playing some of their best football of the season, raced into a two-goal lead within 15 minutes.
Evans struck first with a powerful header from Wayne Rooney’s corner in the eighth minute and French left-back Evra nodded home from another Rooney corner seven minutes later.
Newcastle were denied a goal when Demba Ba’s effort was kept out by United goalkeeper David de Gea despite claims it crossed the line.
And United midfielder Cleverley ended any hopes of a Newcastle comeback when he curled a brilliant shot into the top corner in the 71st minute.
Meanwhile, Rodgers has yet to oversee a Premier League home win in four attempts since taking charge of Liverpool in the close-season and the Reds’ barren run in front of their own supporters has now stretched to six matches in all competitions.
The hosts hit the woodwork three times, but Liverpool were unable to break down Stoke’s stubborn defense and Rodgers’ side remain in 14th place after just one win in their first seven league matches.
Liverpool, whose only home success under Rodgers came in the Europa League against Gomel of Belarus, are already eight points off the top four and more worryingly for their manager, they lie only three points above the relegation zone.
At White Hart Lane, Tottenham secured their third successive league win, goals from Steven Caulker and Aaron Lennon giving the hosts a 2-0 success against struggling Aston Villa.
After a slow start under new boss Andre Villas-Boas, Spurs have climbed to fifth place and they were always in control against struggling Villa, who slip to 16th position.
Villas-Boas, who ended American goalkeeper Brad Friedel’s run of 310 consecutive Premier League starts by selecting recent signing Hugo Lloris instead, saw defender Caulker break the deadlock in the 58th minute when he deflected in Jermain Defoe’s shot.
England winger Lennon sealed the points with a surging run and cool finish in the 67th minute.
Southampton defender Jose Fonte headed a late equalizer to salvage a 2-2 draw against Fulham in a dramatic finish at St. Mary’s.
Nigel Adkins’ side looked set for their sixth defeat in seven league matches this season when Kieran Richardson put Fulham 2-1 ahead with just two minutes to go.
But Portuguese center back Fonte, who had earlier given Saints the lead before a Jos Hooiveld own goal drew Fulham level, came to the rescue as he popped up at the far post to nod home a free kick in stoppage-time.
Fonte’s goal lifted Southampton out of the relegation zone at Reading’s expense, while Fulham remain in ninth place.
Man United crushes Newcastle, Liverpool held by Stoke
Man United crushes Newcastle, Liverpool held by Stoke
Ex-heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua injured in Nigeria highway crash
- Pictures circulating online showed a shirtless Joshua — a British national of Nigerian heritage — surrounded by what appeared to be broken window glass
LAGOS: Former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua suffered “minor injuries” in a fatal car accident that killed two people Monday, Nigerian police said.
Pictures circulating online showed a shirtless Joshua — a British national of Nigerian heritage — surrounded by what appeared to be broken window glass on the seats around him.
The circumstances around the wreck are “currently being investigated,” said police in Ogun state, just north of Nigeria’s economic capital Lagos, which throngs with visitors from across the country and diaspora each December.
Joshua “was seated in the rear of the vehicle, sustained minor injuries and (is) receiving medical attention,” the police statement said.
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn told Daily Mail Sport he was on a family holiday and “awoke to the news of this incident.”
“We are trying to contact Anthony and in the meantime we don’t want to speculate on how he is but thankfully he appears OK from what I have seen in the images,” he said.
Police said the wreck, in which two people in Joshua’s car were killed, occurred around 11:00 am, in the town of Makun, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
Nigeria’s Federal Road Safety Corps said in a statement that the Lexus Joshua was riding in “was suspected to be traveling beyond the legally prescribed speed limit on the corridor, lost control during an overtaking maneuver and crashed into a stationary truck... by the side of the road.”
Witness Adeniyi Orojo told Punch news Joshua was traveling in a two-vehicle convoy, and was seated behind his driver.
“The passenger beside the driver and the person beside Joshua died on the spot,” he said.
The police gave the same toll, saying the two killed were “passengers in the vehicle” who “lost their lives at the scene.”
The names of the victims have not been released but a spokesman for the Ogun state governor said preliminary reports indicated they were “two male foreign nationals.”
Earlier this month Joshua knocked out YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a Netflix-backed bout in Miami.
The former Olympic champion Joshua has since been linked with a fight against compatriot and fellow former world champion Tyson Fury.
Joshua’s last fight prior to the match with Paul was a fifth round knockout loss to fellow Briton Daniel Dubois in September last year.
