SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2014 SPORTS Austin powers QPR off the bottom the Foxes since the 34-year-old signed for free from Inter Milan in August. QPR 3 QPR gave away petty fouls as they tried to get back into the game but Leicester were hav- ing the better of the half and their pressure caused Rangers to lose the ball in the final third of the pitch. Leicester’s Jamie Vardy was proving Leicester 2 a menace in attack and the visitors’ play was directed at getting the ball to the target man. But QPR eventually got a lucky break thanks to good work down the left wing by defender LONDON: Charlie Austin headed a dramatic Steven Caulker. He crossed the ball and Morgan winner to lift Queens Park Rangers off the bot- slid in to clear it. The ball missed the Leicester tom of the English Premier League table yester- captain’s right foot and caught the Jamaica day as they beat Leicester City in a 3-2 thriller. It defender’s trailing boot and went in the net. And was only QPR’s second win since August, the Rangers were soon in the lead thanks to Fer’s hosts having taken just six points from their cool finish just before the interval. Mauricio Isla previous nine matches in their battle for top- crossed from the right for QPR’s top scorer flight survival. Austin, who powered a header straight at Kasper Visitors Leicester took the lead in the fourth Schmeichel. The Leicester goalkeeper could only minute at Loftus Road through Esteban parry the effort and Netherlands midfielder Fer Cambiasso before Rangers equalised thanks to a was on hand to hammer the ball in from eight Wes Morgan own goal in the 37th. yards out. Leroy Fer put QPR ahead on the stroke of Leicester came out determined to seek an half-time before Jeff Schlupp levelled for the equaliser and got it with a tremendous goal Foxes in the 67th minute. And as the match from Schlupp. After a Vardy shot was blocked, turned into a roller-coaster with both sides seek- the Ghana winger fired in a sweet left-foot strike ing the winner, Austin headed in the winner in a from 25 yards out to bring the Foxes level in the goalmouth scramble in the 73rd minute to send 67th minute. Rangers fans delirious. QPR rallied though and forced a tremen- The win in front of an 18,054-strong crowd ANFIELD: Stoke City’s Marc Wilson (right) and Liverpool’s Rickie Lambert battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match at dous save out of Schmeichel when Fur headed Anfield, Liverpool. — AP lifted QPR to 18th place in the table, one point a corner goalwards. But shortly afterwards, ahead of Leicester who were left rock bottom. with the ball pinging around in a goalmouth Cambiasso’s goal was well taken, the former Real scramble, Schmeichel conceded as Austin Johnson lifts Liverpool gloom Madrid man sending a right-foot shot into the far reacted quickly to head the ball in for a 3-2 corner beyond the dive of Rangers goalkeeper lead. Leicester went all-out again for another Rob Green. It was the second goal Argentina equaliser but the west Londoners clung for a play every game at this stage of his career”. Stoke, who had not scored in their previous defensive midfielder Cambiasso has scored for vital three points. — AFP With Lucas Leiva and Joe Allen shielding eight league matches at Anfield, then struck a Liverpool 1 Liverpool’s back four the hosts looked to have post on the hour when Bojan Krkic burst clear more defensive solidity than in recent weeks. into the penalty area. However, they also lacked a cutting edge in That seemed to shake Liverpool into life and attack and the result was the first 45 minutes they created a succession of chances from which Stoke 0 failed to yield a single shot on target by either they really should have scored. side. Stoke were dealt a blow in the 22nd minute A neat passing move saw Lucas bring a point- when midfielder Steve Sidwell injured his knee blank save out of Asmir Begovic and the Stoke after a collision with Reds striker Rickie Lambert goalkeeper then dived to gather Lambert’s skid- LIVERPOOL: Glen Johnson gave struggling and was replaced by Glenn Whelan. ding effort. Raheem Sterling’s influence on the Liverpool a much-needed lift as the defender’s Liverpool were presented with a free-kick game grew and he teed up Allen inside the six- dramatic late goal secured a hard-fought 1-0 win within shooting range shortly after, but Lambert yard box, but with the goal at his mercy the over Stoke at Anfield yesterday. fired his effort high into the crowd. Liverpool midfielder fired over the crossbar. Johnson’s stooping header five minutes from Philippe Coutinho, Liverpool’s most impres- Gerrard replaced Lucas with 16 minutes time earned Liverpool’s first win of November in sive performer in a subdued first half, injected a remaining, although it was Stoke that initially all competitions and ended a run of three con- bit of life on the stroke of half-time with a jinking threatened following his arrival as Diouf’s shot secutive Premier League defeats to ease the run toward goal only to be dispossessed at the on the turn was cleared off the line by Sterling. pressure on manager Brendan Rodgers. key moment. However, Liverpool’s overall pressure finally Rodgers had responded to Liverpool’s recent told when right-back Johnson put them ahead poor form with a surprise team selection as he HIGHER TEMPO in the 85th minute. Henderson’s high cross was dropped Steven Gerrard from his starting line- The home side started the second half with a met by Lambert and his header bounced down up. The Liverpool skipper, who made his debut higher tempo, and Henderson went close with a off the bar towards Johnson, who stooped to for the Reds exactly 16 years ago to the day left-foot shot from the edge of area which went head the ball over the line from close range. against Blackburn, relinquished the armband to just past a post. Stoke threw everything at Liverpool in the fellow midfielder Jordan Henderson. With Liverpool more expansive, Stoke also remaining minutes but the home side hung to Rodgers said before kick-off he wanted “to showed greater ambition and Reds goalkeeper secure a vital three points which took some of freshen up team” and admitted Gerrard, who is Simon Mignolet saved well at his near post from the heat off Rodgers, while also raising ques- out of contract at Anfield in June next year, “can’t Mame Biram Diouf’s low effort. tions about Gerrard’s future. — AFP Hammers ends Newcastle run West Ham 1 Newcastle 0 LONDON: Aaron Cresswell’s first goal for West Ham was enough to bring Newcastle’s six-match winning run in all competitions to an end with a 1-0 win at LONDON: Queens Park Rangers’ Joey Barton ( left) tries to stop Leicester’s Jeffrey Schlupp Upton Park yesterday. during an English Premier League soccer match at the Loftus Road ground. — AP Cresswell collected Cheikhou Kouyate’s pass in the area on 55 minutes and fired the ball low into the bot- tom right hand corner with visiting goalkeeper Rob Elliott beaten. Palace hold Swansea Newcastle, with a patched-up defence and a string of injuries to key players, almost hit back immediately the game that Garry Monk had taken Swansea when Perez’s shot from the right side of the box was to a new level and that compliment seemed saved in the bottom left corner. Swansea 1 justified as Palace were overrun in the opening Despite having the greater share of possession, 20 minutes. Jefferson Montero caused mayhem Newcastle’s cause was dealt a killer blow when in-form down Palace’s right flank and Bony twice went Moussa Sissoko was sent off a quarter-of-an-hour close and Gylfi Sigurdsson sent over an angled from the end for a second booking inside 40 seconds. free-kick before Swansea took a deserved 15th Crystal Palace 1 The second was for a bad foul on former Magpies minute lead. striker Andy Carroll after he had kicked the ball away Sigurdsson, so often the provider for in disgust for his first yellow card. Swansea this season, found Bony on the edge Even then, Stewart Downing and Carroll had of the penalty area and his smart turn and shot chances to put it beyond Newcastle’s reach at the SWANSEA: Australia captain Mile Jedinak paid death, but both hit their shots wide. an emotional tribute to Phillip Hughes and gave Julian Speroni no chance in the Palace The winning streak had taken Alan Pardew’s men then scored the goal that gave Crystal Palace a goal. It was the Ivorian’s 18th Premier League from 18th into the top six, but the Hammers made 1-1 draw at Swansea yesterday. goal of the calendar year - the best in the divi- sure there was no happy return to east London for the Palace midfielder Jedinak laid a bat on the sion. It seemed a matter of time before manager who took them to within seconds of FA Cup field before kick-off at the Liberty Stadium in Swansea would build on their lead, but the final glory against Liverpool at Wembley in 2006. honour of the 25-year-old Australia cricketer, game turned in the 25th minute when Jonjo There was revenge in the air, though, for Allardyce, whose death on Thursday after being hit by a Shelvey got on the wrong side of Marouane Chamakh in a congested penalty area and the who was dismissed by Newcastle six years ago after a ball while batting earlier in the week has poor run of results and fan protests at the style of foot- shocked the world of sport.