SUNDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2016 SPORTS Sunderland off the bottom as Leicester crash again the visitors began to gain a foothold. Vardy threatened three times with Sunderland 2 headers in the 20 minutes before the interval. The best of these openings saw the Leicester forward lose his marker to meet Leicester 1 Marc Albrighton’s cross to send a looping header over Pickford’s goal. Christian Fuchs, who provided a telling SUNDERLAND: Sunderland climbed off centre for Vardy to send a glancing header the bottom of the Premier League as narrowly wide, ended the first period by Leicester City’s disastrous title defence suf- seeing his cross from the left bounce off fered another blow with a 2-1 defeat at the Sunderland bar. the Stadium of Light yesterday. Islam Slimani saw his snap shot early in Robert Huth’s own goal and a Jermain the second half strike the hand of Defoe effort put Sunderland in control in Djilobodji in the area, but his penalty the second half and Shinji Okazaki’s strike appeals proved fruitless as, boosted by the came too late to prevent a fifth defeat in introduction of experienced midfield pair nine league games for Leicester. Kirchhoff and Seb Larsson from the bench, Claudio Ranieri’s side lie just two points Sunderland quickly gained the upper above the bottom three, while Sunderland hand. continued their steady improvement They translated that superiority into under David Moyes by recording a third two priceless goals, the second of which victory in four games to move into 18th by Defoe, the 151st of his career, saw the place. former Tottenham forward move above Jamie Vardy’s Premier League goal former England international Michael drought now stretches to three months on Owen into seventh on the all-time Premier another day to forget for Leicester, who League goalscorer’s list. — AFP fell behind in the 64th minute thanks to the kind of misfortune to which they were largely immune en route to lifting the title in May. From Duncan Watmore’s corner, Matches on TV MANCHESTER: Manchester City’s Ilkay Gundogan, centre and Chelsea’s Cesar Azpilicueta battle for the ball during the English Premier League substitute Jan Kirchhoff’s off target header soccer match between Manchester City and Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, yesterday. — AP was going nowhere until it struck Huth to (Local Timings) find the bottom corner of Ron-Robert ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE Zieler’s net. After Patrick van Aanholt’s penalty claims were turned down when Bournemouth v Liverpool 16:30 beIN SPORTS 2 HD Chelsea beat Man City the Sunderland defender appeared to be tripped inside the area by Danny Simpson, Everton v Manchester 19:00 in what was a chastening afternoon for beIN SPORTS 2 HD the former Black Cats full-back, Defoe SPANISH LEAGUE PRIMERA DIV doubled the Wearsiders’ advantage with for 8th straight win Real Betis v Vigo 14:00 13 minutes remaining. beIN SPORTS 3 HD Watmore was again the line of supply, Bilbao v Eibar 18:15 Since losing 3-0 to Arsenal on Sept. 24, waves of attacks at the end of the first half. when his shot from a Victor Anichebe beIN SPORTS 3 HD Chelsea has picked up maximum points, includ- Cahill lunged at Jesus Navas’ right-wing cross cross was blocked, as the ball fell invitingly Deportivo v Las Palmas 20:30 Man City 1 ing come-from-behind wins over title rivals with his wrong leg and the ball reared up and for Defoe to fire home into the corner beIN SPORTS 3 HD Tottenham and City in the space of a week. flew into the top corner. The England defender from close range for his eighth league Sporting Gijon v Osasuna 20:30 Chelsea opened up a four-point cushion over lay with his face in the turf in despair. goal of the season. beIN SPORTS 1 HD City after 14 games. City took the lead through Cahill rectified his mistake early in the second Leicester showed the kind of character Valencia v Malaga 22:45 Chelsea 3 Gary Cahill’s own goal on the stroke of halftime half when he cleared off the line a shot from for which they became synonymous last beIN SPORTS 3 HD season as they halved the deficit two min- and will bemoan the failure of the referee to Aguero, who seized on Marcos Alonso’s weak utes later, Japan striker Okazaki stealing in ITALIAN CALCIO LEAGUE SERIE A miss Luiz’s apparent shove on Aguero in the back-pass and rounded goalkeeper Thibaut 30th when the Chelsea defender was last man. Courtois. With City pushing forward, De Bruyne at the near post ahead of Papy Djilobodji Milan v Crotone 14:30 MANCHESTER: Chelsea took down another That perhaps explained the late challenge on crashed a finish off the top of the crossbar from to poke home a cross from Demarai Gray. beIN SPORTS 4 HD major rival en route to an eighth straight win in Luiz by a frustrated Aguero, who has now been inside the six-yard box after meeting Navas’ Lazio v Roma 17:00 the English Premier League by rallying for a 3-1 dismissed twice this season. cross. Then City fell apart. EARLY STORM beIN SPORTS 4 HD win at Manchester City, which finished with nine The heavyweight clash ended up hinging on Fabregas picked out Costa with a superb Jordan Pickford saved brilliantly from Sampdoria v Torino 17:00 men after late red cards to Sergio Aguero and a three-minute period when City playmaker diagonal pass, and the Spain striker chested the Wes Morgan at a stoppage-time corner as beIN SPORTS 1 HD Fernandinho. Kevin De Bruyne somehow struck the bar from ball inside Nicolas Otamendi and finished low Leicester pressed in vain for an equaliser. Sassuolo v Empoli 17:00 Diego Costa was the architect of the turn- close range before Costa equalized against the past Claudio Bravo. They could have few complaints at the beIN SPORTS 7 HD around, equalizing in the 60th minute with a run of play. Costa played an integral role in the winner, outcome after enduring an early storm Pescara v Cagliari 17:00 league-high 11th goal of the season before set- It was pure opportunism from Antonio beating Otamendi - who dived into the tackle where they could have found themselves beIN SPORTS 8 HD ting free substitute Willian for the second goal in Conte’s visitors, who were under pressure for rashly - in the center of the field and setting free two goals down. Fiorentina v Palermo 22:45 the 70th at Etihad Stadium. Eden Hazard much of the game but always looked dangerous Willian, who ran clear and drove a shot across Nigeria forward Anichebe thrived beIN SPORTS 4 HD clinched victory in the 90th. down Sunderland’s left and saw a goal- In a chaotic ending, City had two players sent on the break with the pace of Hazard and the Bravo into the corner. bound effort blocked by Morgan inside GERMAN BUNDESLIGA 1ST DIV off in injury time - Aguero for a lunge on David ruggedness of Costa. They scored from all three The third goal came from another counterat- of their shots on target. tack as City piled forward, this time Hazard out- the six-yard box. Darmstadt v Hamburger 17:30 Luiz and Fernandinho moments later for push- There’s no doubt that City’s opening goal was pacing Aleksandar Kolarov and smashing a finish Anichebe had justifiable penalty beIN SPORTS 5 HD ing Cesc Fabregas by the neck over the advertis- a lucky break, but it was fully deserved after past Bravo. —AP appeals turned down when he appeared Augsburg v Eintracht 19:30 ing hoardings in the ensuing melee. to be held back by the busy Leicester skip- beIN SPORTS 5 HD per as his close-range shot was blocked by Huth after the Foxes failed to deal with FRENCH LEAGUE 1ST DIV Didier Ndong’s centre into the area. Stade Rennes v Etienne 17:00 Striker Benteke Anichebe created another chance soon beIN SPORTS 6 HD after, using his pace and power to beat Marseille v Nancy Lorraine 19:00 Simpson and centre for Defoe, who beIN SPORTS 6 HD double ends uncharacteristically scuffed his shot from Nice v Toulouse 22:45 10 yards. Leicester eventually got to grips beIN SPORTS 6 HD with Ndong in Sunderland’s midfield as Palace misery Kane’s double gets Crystal Palace 3 Spurs back on track Southampton 0 Fabianski, while Son missed the target from a Kane lay-off. Tottenham 5 LONDON: A double from Belgian international INSTRUMENTAL striker Christian Benteke inspired Crystal Palace to a Eriksen’s free-kick was too close to 3-0 win over Southampton and saved manager Fabianski as Tottenham’s chances contin- DORTMUND: Moenchengladbach’s Belgian midfielder Thorgan Hazard, Dortmund’s Alan Pardew’s job in ending a six match Premier Swansea 0 ued and Swansea struggled to get out of Spanish defender Marc Bartra and Dortmund’s defender Marcel Schmelzer vie for League losing streak yesterday. their own half. Eventually Spurs took the the ball during the German first division Bundesliga football match between Benteke’s brace-taking his tally to seven this sea- lead on 39 minutes as Alli, going away Borussia Dortmund and Borussia Moenchengladbach at the Signal-Iduna-Park in son-and a goal from James Tompkins gave the LONDON: Tottenham claimed only their from goal, was controversially adjudged Dortmund, western Germany, yesterday. —AFP hosts a deserved victory against a poor second win in 11 matches as Harry Kane to have been tripped by Kyle Naughton Southampton side, who ended the week with the celebrated signing a new long-term con- just inside the area.