SUNDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2018 16 Sterling sparkles as City excel Manchester City strengthen grip at top of with Bournemouth win

Palace end winless run• with victory over struggling Burnley AFP | London 72 per cent possession was enjoyed by Manchester anchester City moved City throughout the game five points clear at Mthe top of the Premier League as Raheem Sterling in- spired a 3-1 win over Bourne- Bissouma. mouth, while Crystal Palace Brighton drew level in first clinched a crucial 2-0 victory half stoppage-time through over relegation rivals Burnley ’s towering header. yesterday. The Seagulls sealed their first Pep Guardiola’s side racked win in four games thanks to up their sixth successive league Florin Andone’s maiden goal win thanks to a second half surge in English football in the 69th after Bournemouth shocked the minute. Etihad Stadium. Leicester won for just the sec- City hold a significant lead ond time in seven league games over second placed Liverpool, as Watford slumped to a 2-0 de- but they can close the gap back feat at the King Power Stadium. to two points if they beat Ever- Claude Puel’s side won an ton in the Merseyside derby at 12th minute penalty when Jamie Anfield today. Vardy was brought down by Guardiola left City’s re - Manchester City’s English midfielder Raheem Sterling (C) takes on Bournemouth’s Dutch defender Nathan Ake (L) Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster cord goal-scorer Sergio Ague- and the England striker convert- ro out of the squad, but even City were stunned in the 44th Ilkay Gundogan put the result Roy Hodgson’s team finally ed it himself for his fifth goal of the Argentine star’s absence minute when Callum Wilson beyond doubt when the German ended their drought from open Farcical twist the season. couldn’t halt the champions’ headed Bournemouth’s equal- finished a fine move involving play in bizarre fashion when Brighton conceded the fast- James Maddison, back in the momentum. iser from a Simon Francis cross. Bernardo Silva and Sane in the James McArthur’s 16th minute est goal in the Premier League team after a ban for diving, dou- City had scored 40 goals in But the leaders restored order 79th minute. cross was missed by players from this season, but Chris Hughton’s bled Leicester’s lead in the 23rd their previous 13 league games in the 57th minute as Sterling At Selhurst Park, Palace ended both teams, hit the far post and team recovered to win 2-1 at 10- minute with a fine finish. and it took them just 16 min - continued his mastery of Eddie their eight-game winless league trickled into the net. man Huddersfield. Watford’s misery was com- utes to shatter Bournemouth’s Howe’s team. run at the expense of fellow Andros Townsend’s 77th min- David Wagner’s side took just plete when Etienne Capoue was resistence as Bernardo Silva Sterling netted from close- strugglers Burnley. ute curler ensured Palace would 54 seconds to open the scoring sent off in the 90th minute for a bagged his second goal of the range after Begovic spilled Heading into this weekend, win for the first time since Sep- through Mathias Jorgensen. lunge on Kelechi Iheanacho. season. Danilo’s shot, making it eight Palace had managed two points tember and condemn third bot- But fourth bottom Hudders- West Ham ended Newcastle’s Leroy Sane’s shot was saved by goals in six league appearances at home this season, scoring only tom Burnley to a seventh suc- field were reduced to 10 men three-match winning run as Asmir Begovic, but Silva was on against Bournemouth for the two home goals, which were cessive league game without a when Steve Mounie was sent off Javier Hernandez struck twice hand to tap into the empty net. City winger. both penalties. win. for a 32nd minute foul on Yves in a 3-0 victory at St James Park.

Friendship with Emery will survive derby outcome: Pochettino Bayern Munich up to third with first league win for a month AFP | Bremen, Germany

ayern Munich earned their Bfirst win for a month as Serge Gnabry scored twice in Saturday’s 2-1 win at Werder Bremen but the defend- ing champions remained nine points behind leaders . Bayern’s victory lifted them two places in the table to third, but they will drop back to fifth if Tottenham Hotspur’s coach Mauricio Pochettino attends a training session Eintracht Frankfurt earn a fifth straight win at home to Wolfs- AFP | London friendship. burg on Sunday and RB Leipzig “The opposite I think,” said beat Moenchengladbach. ottenham Hotspur man- Pochettino “Of course we are Bayern built on their 5-1 mid- Tager Mauricio Pochettino in different clubs and it is a week thrashing of Benfica in is not going to let the north derby we are going to play. the Champions League, but still London derby clash on Sunday “In the moment we are go- lag well behind Dortmund, who affect his friendship with Ar- ing to compete, we are going won 2-0 at home against Frei- senal boss Unai Emery. to try to find the way to beat burg. The two old friends will each other but before and after The last time Bayern were meet for the first time in the the game (we are) always very so far behind in the table was Premier League with third- good friends.” placed Spurs three points bet- Pochettino, who has gar- ter off than the Gunners. nered much praise for the Bayern Munich’s German forward Serge Gnabry and Bremen’s Turkish forward Nuri Sahin vie for the ball Pochettino is especially style his young team play al- touched by the memory of Em- though they are yet to win in 2010/11, when Dortmund Thomas Mueller then fired Bayern grabbed the winner five ery, who at 47 is a year older any silverware in his four won the title, and their bid for wide with the goal at his mercy, minutes into the second period then the Tottenham boss, rec- years in charge, says he is still KNOW WHAT a seventh straight Bundesliga but Bayern’s defensive frailties when Mueller delayed his pass ommending he replace him at moved by Emery’s generous crown is in danger after only returned to haunt them as Bre- into the box for Gnabry to de- Valencia when the latter left gesture. their third win in their last nine men equalised 14 minutes later. flect the ball into the net. for Spartak Moscow in 2012. “I called Unai who was in The last time Bayern league games. Centre-back Jerome Boateng There was more good news Pochettino declined the of- Spartak Moscow and said, were so far behind in Gnabry, who started for Arjen was out-leapt by Japan forward for Bayern coach Niko Kovac. fer, preferring to remain at the ‘Thank you very much for Robben, put Bayern ahead on 20 Yuya Osako after a pin-point Winger came less prestigious out- recommending me’. I chose to the table was in 2010/11, minutes in Bremen after Joshua accurate cross as Bremen drew on for his first appearance since fit Espanyol, and insists that stay at Espanyol at the time,” when Dortmund won the Kimmich’s chip into the area level after midfielder Nuri Sahin tearing ankle ligaments on the their roles at the head of such said the Argentinian. “I am title shortly after the visitors had a had gone close. opening day of the season in big rivals will not affect their loyal.” penalty appeal turned down. It was 1-1 at the break, but August.