P20 Layout 1
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Johnson wins Murray stuns Sprint Cup race Nadal to win 17 Madrid18 Open MONDAY, MAY 11, 2015 Lee roars back from doping ban with big win Page 17 Kuwait SC crowned champions KUWAIT: Kuwait SC became Kuwaiti football league 2014- 15 champions with a 2-0 home win against Sulaibikhat, beating Al-Arabi to a 12th title by direct encounters and goal difference as both sides were equal on 66 points. Khaled Ajab scored in the 16th minute, with Tunisian Chadi El Homami adding another, two minutes before the end of the original time of the match which took place on Saturday. Kuwait SC take the VIVA Premier League without a single loss in the entire season, guided by local coach Mohammad Ibrahim, who had led Qadsia to the title last season. The result came despite Al-Arabi’s 7-0 drubbing of Al- Jahra. Al-Arabi and Qadsia are the two teams to have won the league, which was launched in 1961, with 16 titles apiece. — KUNA Chelsea close CL door on Liverpool Chelsea’s players a guard of honour crowing chants of ‘Steven Gerrard, as they emerged from the tunnel he slips when he wants!’ in reference Chelsea 1 and the hosts, a little gallingly, laid to the Liverpool skipper’s infamous out a length of blue carpet for the slip from last season’s reverse fix- purpose. ture. But expectations of a congenial But the sight of French centre- Liverpool 1 afternoon evaporated within sec- back Kurt Zouma hobbling off to be onds of kick-off as Cesc Fabregas replaced by Gary Cahill in the 34th slid in on Raheem Sterling and minute intruded upon the hosts’ LONDON: Liverpool’s hopes of caught the Liverpool forward high harmony and by half-time, Champions League qualification on the ankle. Liverpool were level. were all but ended yesterday as The Spaniard was booked, while After Branislav Ivanovic had been they drew 1-1 at newly crowned referee Andre Marriner sowed con- penalised for tugging back Adam Premier League champions Chelsea fusion by appearing to flash a red Lallana, Jordan Henderson clipped a in a langourous end-of-season card in the direction of John Mikel free-kick to the back post and encounter. Both goals were headers Obi, only to quickly return it to his Gerrard headed in. scored by former England captains, pocket. He eschewed a celebration with Chelsea skipper John Terry’s Within five minutes Chelsea led. against the club he twice came fifth-minute opener cancelled out Fabregas bent a corner from the close to joining, instead jogging shortly before half-time by his right towards the back post and back to his own half unceremoni- Liverpool counterpart Steven Terry eluded Rickie Lambert to plant ously. Gerrard. a downward header past Simon Liverpool came within a whisker Gerrard’s goal prevented him Mignolet. of completing the turnaround early from tasting defeat on his last Mikel was partnered in midfield in the second half, Coutinho side- Stamford Bridge appearance, but by Loftus-Cheek and Liverpool footing wide from Sterling’s cut- with Liverpool now six points below sought to exploit the unfamiliarity back, before Willian twice went Manchester United with six points there by shuffling the ball forward close at the other end. to play for-and a vastly inferior goal through the middle. But champions or not, Mourinho difference-their top-four bid is Sterling shot wide and Chelsea was in no mood for charity, as he effectively over. goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois saved demonstrated by sending on With the dubious consolation of with his legs from Philippe Nemanja Matic for the promising a Europa League berth awaiting, Coutinho, while Glen Johnson Loftus-Cheek, who departed having LONDON: Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard (left) competes for the ball with Chelsea’s Eden Hazard during the attention will now turn to next found the side-netting after wrig- completed all 27 of his attempted English Premier League soccer match at Stamford Bridge. —AP weekend’s visit of Crystal Palace, gling along the byline on the left. passes. when Gerrard will make his final Seemingly determined to play Liverpool manager Brendan Anfield appearance before he leaves the villain, Fabregas kept Liverpool Rodgers took the opportunity to Aguero hat-trick knocks for the Los Angeles Galaxy. on alert by springing his side for- showcase two youngsters of his There was nothing riding on the ward at every opportunity. own, sending on 18-year-old game for Chelsea, who secured the His pass from deep to Loic Remy Jerome Sinclair for his league debut QPR out of Premier League title by beating Palace last weekend, forced Mignolet to race from his line and 19-year-old Jordon Ibe. and save, and he later saw a shot There were openings at either in an embarrassing display and defended half-time whistle, Leroy Fer lobbed a shot but manager Jose Mourinho gave a abysmally to surrender their Premier against the bar with Bobby Zamora’s from a tight angle on the right end for Sterling and Fabregas, but nod to the future by handing a full Man City 6 League status with barely a whimper as weak follow-up header allowing England debut to 19-year-old Ruben Loftus- deflected wide by the Belgian. neither player tested the goalkeep- James Milner and David Silva completed goalkeeper Joe Hart time to recover and Cheek. Gerrard tumbled while pursuing er and the game faded out in the the rout for deposed champions City, who save comfortably. But they were rare Liverpool elected to grant Fabregas at one point, prompting sunshine. — AFP stayed second behind title-winners moments of respite for a QPR side with- Chelsea. out Brazilian Sandro because of visa QPR 0 Meanwhile, with QPR facing a reported issues and dominated in every aspect of EPL results/standings £58 million ($90 million, 80 million euros) the game. fine by the Football League under complex Milner should have converted a far- Chelsea 1 (Terry 5) Liverpool 1 (Gerrard 44); Manchester City 6 (Aguero 4, 50, 65-pen, Kolarov 32, Milner 70, Silva 87) QPR 0. Financial Fair Play regulations, the future for post cross from Aguero after 16 minutes, MANCHESTER: Sergio Aguero’s hat-trick the London club appears far from rosy. Fernandinho shot into the side-netting Playing today helped relegate Queens Park Rangers to Arsenal v Swansea Their fate was as good as sealed in the from a difficult angle, Eliaquim Mangala the Championship as Manchester City fourth minute when Aguero collected a missed a simple conversion from six strolled to a 6-0 win at the Etihad Stadium English Premier League table after yesterday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Pablo Zabaleta pass just inside the QPR yards following a Milner cross and the that secured their place in next season’s half and powered his way into the area, over-worked Green saved well from a Chelsea 36 25 9 2 70 28 84 — champions Crystal Palace 36 11 9 16 43 50 42 Champions League. bundling over a half-hearted challenge Silva drive. Silva ended the first period by West Brom 36 10 11 15 34 47 41 Man City 36 22 7 7 77 36 73 — Champions League After an early goal from the Argentina by Steven Caulker before burying a shot firing just over before Rangers once more Aston Villa 36 10 8 18 30 50 38 Arsenal 34 21 7 6 66 33 70 — Champions League forward, Aleksandar Kolarov’s majestic free- past Robert Green. Any faint hope of a committed defensive suicide four min- Leicester 36 10 7 19 41 54 37 Man Utd 36 20 8 8 61 36 68 kick handed City a 2-0 interval lead before Rangers fightback ended after 31 min- utes after the restart from their own cor- Sunderland 35 7 15 13 30 50 36 Liverpool 36 18 8 10 50 39 62 Aguero scored twice more, taking his utes when Richard Dunne’s foul on ner. Newcastle 36 9 9 18 37 61 36 Tottenham 36 17 7 12 55 53 58 league tally for the season to 25 goals, five Aguero handed Kolarov a free-kick 22 He punted a clearance forward which Hull 36 8 10 18 33 49 34 Southampton 36 17 6 13 48 30 57 more than Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry yards from goal which the full-back Yun Suk-young allowed to roll under his Burnley 36 6 11 19 27 53 29 — relegated Swansea 35 15 8 12 43 44 53 Kane, and effectively ensuring he will end planted through the defensive wall and boot, freeing Aguero to sprint half the QPR 36 7 6 23 39 67 27 — relegated Stoke 36 14 8 14 42 44 50 the campaign with the Premier League’s past Green’s desperate dive. length of the field and plant an unstop- Note: top four teams qualify for next season’s Champions League; fifth-place Golden Boot. With the score still at 1-0, QPR’s pable finish past Green. Aguero then West Ham 36 12 11 13 43 43 47 team qualifies for Europa League; bottom three teams relegated to Rangers, needing to win to keep alive Charlie Austin had a headed ‘goal’ ruled claimed his treble in the 65th minute to Everton 36 11 11 14 46 48 44 Championship their hopes of avoiding relegation, turned out for a clear offside and, just before the compound the visitors’ misery. — AFP.