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Gross takes Totti saves maiden16 victory Roma19 blushes MONDAY, JANUARY 12, 2015

McCullum blitz sets up New Zealand victory Page 17

OLD TRAFFORD: Manchester United’s Angel Di Maria (centre right) fights for the ball against Southampton’s Florin Gardos, left, sa Nathaniel Clyne looks on during the English Premier League soccer match. — AP Tadic strike punishes shot-shy United

reverse fixture, when United had man- game. Southampton, who have now won at left wing-back. aged only three attempts at goal. four times in five league outings, flooded But it was Southampton substitute EPL results/standings It took Ronald Koeman’s side two the midfield, frustrating United captain Tadic-sent on in place of Southampton Man United 0 Arsenal 3 (Koscielny 6, Sanchez 33, 49) Stoke 0 ; Manchester points above their opponents into third Wayne Rooney in his attempts to create debutant Eljero Elia-who made the most United 0 Southampton 1 (Tadic 69). place, while United, who have won only openings from deep. telling contribution. once in their last five league games, now The visitors’ plans were compromised Five minutes after coming on, the English Premier League table after yesterday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Southampton 1 lead fifth-place Arsenal by a single point. in the 19th minute when Toby Serbian released Pelle and when the United had new goalkeeper Victor Alderweireld was forced off after appear- Italian’s low shot came back off the foot of Chelsea 21 15 4 2 46 19 49 Valdes on the bench and welcomed Daley ing to hurt his thigh as he cleared the right-hand post, Tadic, following up, Man City 21 14 5 2 45 20 47 Blind back from injury, while Angel di Rooney’s pass towards Di Maria. stroked the rebound home. Southampton 21 12 3 6 35 15 39 MANCHESTER: Southampton Maria made his first start since November, But Florin Gardos, who replaced the Van Gaal sent on the calvary, throwing Man Utd 21 10 7 4 34 21 37 leapfrogged a lacklustre Manchester Arsenal 21 10 6 5 37 25 36 but Radamel Falcao was absent from the Belgium international, produced an on Marouane Fellaini for Di Maria, but still Tottenham 21 10 4 7 30 29 34 United into third place in the Premier match-day 18. important block to thwart van Persie United failed to test Fraser Forster in the West Ham 21 9 6 6 32 25 33 League table yesterday as substitute United had not played at home since before half-time. visitors’ goal. Juan Mata was guilty of two Liverpool 21 9 5 7 29 27 32 Dusan Tadic’s goal secured a clinical 1-0 Boxing Day and as they took time to reac- Southampton forced United onto the glaring misses, shooting wide of an Swansea 21 8 6 7 26 25 30 victory at Old Trafford. Despite controlling Newcastle 21 7 6 8 25 33 27 quaint themselves with home comforts, back foot in the early stages of the second unguarded goal after Forster had swatted Stoke 21 7 5 9 22 27 26 possession, Louis van Gaal’s United failed Southampton almost capitalised, with the half and it took smart blocks from Chris away a cross from Blind and then clipping Everton 21 5 7 9 30 34 22 to muster a single shot on target and saw fit-again Nathaniel Clyne shooting wide in Smalling and Saints old boy Luke Shaw to over from six yards when the Dutchman Aston Villa 21 5 7 9 11 23 22 their 11-game unbeaten run in all compe- the first minute. deny Steven Davis and Pelle in turn. bent another centre into the box. Blind West Brom 21 5 6 10 20 29 21 titions ended when Tadic netted in the Crystal Palace 21 4 8 9 22 31 20 Di Maria, who had been sidelined by United manager van Gaal took also volleyed wide from an Antonio Sunderland 21 3 11 7 18 31 20 69th minute. The Serbian’s goal gave hamstring and pelvis problems, started action by introducing Ander Herrera Valencia cross, but despite referee Phil Burnley 21 4 8 9 19 33 20 Southampton a first win at Old Trafford up front alongside Robin van Persie, but and Tyler Blackett in place of van Persie Dowd awarding five minutes of stoppage Hull 21 4 7 10 20 27 19 since January 1988 and enabled them to QPR 21 5 4 12 23 37 19 although he flashed a few shots wide, and Shaw, which saw Rooney move fur- time, United could not avert a fourth Leicester 21 4 5 12 20 33 17 avenge their 2-1 loss in December’s United struggled to bring him into the ther forward and Blind take up a place defeat of the campaign. — AFP Arsenal back in the groove

their efforts to revive their top four challenge the Stoke box at the second time of asking, in the wake of the New Year’s Day defeat at Koscielny had pulled away from the inatten- Arsenal 3 Southampton that had left them in sixth place. tive Glenn Whelan and directed a free header Tottenham’s loss at Crystal Palace on beyond Begovic. Saturday offered Wenger’s side a chance to Already it appeared as though Arsenal were leapfrog their north London rivals, while they in for a relatively routine afternoon, although were also keen to avenge a chastening 3-2 they were forced to overcome the 12th minute Stoke 0 defeat at the Britannia Stadium last month. loss of Debuchy who was stretchered off with On that occasion, Mark Hughes’ side had a shoulder injury after crashing into the pitch- gone ahead after just 19 seconds and were in side hoardings after colliding with Marko complete control when they reached half-time Arnautovic. LONDON: Alexis Sanchez capped an out- three up, sparking fierce criticism of Wenger. Debuchy has already missed three months standing individual display with two goals as But Stoke had lost on each of their 12 visits of the season with an ankle problem and Arsenal moved up to fifth in the Premier to Arsenal since 1981 and it soon became clear another prolonged absence will be a major League with a 3-0 victory against Stoke yester- that run would continue as Wenger’s men set loss during a crucial part of the campaign. day. about the game like a side with a score to set- On this occasion though, Arsenal coped LONDON: Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez runs past Stoke City’s Ryan Shawcross during Laurent Koscielny set Arsene Wenger’s side tle. Almost immediately Stoke were forced easily without the France international, with their English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Stoke City at on course for the win with a sixth minute onto the back foot and had cause to thank the David Ospina rarely troubled. The Colombia the Emirates stadium. — AP header but it was Sanchez who stood out, outstanding reactions of goalkeeper Asmir goalkeeper was selected ahead of Wojciech scoring either side of half-time at the Emirates Begovic who saved well from Sanchez’s curl- Szczesny, with Wenger keen to insist the deci- brilliance. vincing defensive wall after Alex Oxlade- Stadium to take his season tally to 18. And ing shot. sion had been made on form and not as a He exchanged passes with Rosicky Chamberlain had been brought down by while a serious looking shoulder injury to Then in the sixth minute the Bosnia keeper result of Szczesny being fined for smoking in and cut into the Stoke area from the left Geoff Cameron. Arsenal right-back Mathieu Debuchy took produced an even better full length dive to tip the showers after the Southampton defeat. before deceiving Begovic with an angled The contest was effectively over some of the gloss off the win, the return of Tomas Rosicky’s angled shot wide. Whelan should have done better with a shot that flew in at the near post. although Arsenal should have added to Mesut Ozil for his first appearance since early The respite was short-lived however, with clear shot on goal but that was the only A double substitution at half-time did Stoke’s embarrassment with Santi October provided Wenger with another wel- Begovic left exposed when Sanchez whipped time Stoke threatened and Arsenal doubled nothing to lift Stoke and Sanchez put the Cazorla, Theo Walcott and Ozil all spurn- come boost. in the resulting corner. The Chilean’s set-piece their lead in the 33rd minute when Sanchez game beyond the visitors’ reach when he ing good chances to widen the margin of Arsenal had no shortage of motivation in was half-cleared but when he returned it into produced his latest moment of individual drilled a low free-kick through an uncon- victory. — AFP