SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2014 SPORTS Suarez inspires Barca revival MADRID: Two assists from Luis Suarez inspired Barcelona to come from behind and snap a two- game losing streak in La Liga with a 2-1 win at Almeria yesterday. Suarez had started the game on the bench alongside Neymar as Barca boss Luis Enrique made five changes from the side that defeated Ajax 2-0 in midweek. However, both men were called into action at half-time after Thievy Bifouma had fired Almeria into the lead eight minutes before the break. Suarez squared for Neymar to level the scores 18 minutes from time and his cross then teed up Jordi Alba to seal the three points nine minutes later. Victory takes Barca a point ahead of Real Madrid at the top of La Liga, but Los Blancos can reclaim top spot when they host Rayo Vallecano late yesterday. Yet, despite his team’s reaction after the break, Enrique was less than impressed by their display. “The second-half was better for the ambition and attitude shown by the players rather than for good football,” he said. “To have a good sea- son, though, you have to win even when you SPAIN: Barcelona’s Neymar (left) duels for the ball against Almeria’s Joaquin Navarro (right) don’t play well in games like today.” during a Spanish La Liga soccer match. —AP Enrique’s decision to make a host of changes handed Pedro Rodriguez and Munir El Haddadi a Jonathan Soriano released Thievy and he raced low shot just beyond Martinez’s far post. start alongside Lionel Messi in attack. past Bartra before calmly slotting past Bravo. Suarez then teed up Messi to sent another But they did little to justify their selection, Enrique had seen enough in the first 45 min- looping header off the crossbar as the pressure although Munir did force Ruben Martinez into a utes and swiftly introduced Suarez and Neymar from the Catalans continued. And they found low save after the Almeria ‘keeper had blocked for Munir and Pedro at the break. the winner eight minutes from the end when Messi’s effort from close range. It took 15 minutes for the substitutes to make after another burst from Suarez down the right Martinez had to be at his best to stop Barca an impact as Suarez acrobatically volleyed he picked out the late arriving Alba from left- taking the lead just before the half hour mark as against the bar at the back post from a corner. back to bundle home his first goal of the season. LONDON: West Ham United’s Alex Song (right) and Aston Villa’s Gabriel Agbonlahor he scrambled to keep out Ivan Rakitic’s down- Suarez was the creator when Barca did eventual- Messi’s quest to become the joint top compete for the ball during their English Premier League soccer match at Upton ward header and from the rebound Messi nod- ly level as he turned his marker just inside the goalscorer in La Liga history was frustrated once Park. —AP ded onto the crossbar. However, the visitors area and squared for Neymar to turn the ball more by Martinez in stoppage time, but Barca were caught out eight minutes before half-time home via a deflection off Ximo Navarro. saw the game out to return to winning ways as Messi lost possession deep inside the Almeria The Uruguayan was inches away from his first after back-to-back league defeats against Real Villa hold West Ham half and with one pass Barca were undone as Barca goal moments later as he spun and sent a Madrid and Celta Vigo. —AFP other end after drifting past James Collins, but the home side were quickly back on West Ham 0 the attack and there was a flurry of activity around the visitors’ goal mid-way through the first half. Guzan thwarted Collins and Noble and produced a one-handed save to Aston Villa 0 deny the in-form Stewart Downing, while fit-again top scorer Diafra Sakho headed wide after the American international came to punch a cross and missed. LONDON: Aston Villa goalkeeper Brad Guzan’s opposite number, Adrian, was Guzan produced a string of fine saves as his obliged to touch an effort from Andreas side held in-form West Ham United to a 0-0 Weimann over the bar, but West Ham end- draw at Upton Park yesterday. ed the half on top, with Downing slicing The point was sufficient to take West off-target. Ham back into the Premier League’s top Tom Cleverley shot narrowly over for four at the expense of Arsenal, who visit Villa early in the second period, and Swansea City on Sunday, but one would although West Ham continued to rack up have been three had it not been for the corners at the other end, they could not reflexes of Guzan. find a way through. Andy Carroll made his first West Ham West Ham manager Sam Allardyce intro- appearance of the campaign as a late sub- duced Carlton Cole for the final 15 minutes stitute after tearing ankle ligaments in pre- and he teed up Sakho shortly after coming season, but even he could not beat Guzan, on, only for the Senegalese striker to head who foiled the burly striker in injury time. wide. West Ham upped the pressure, but The draw ended a run of six consecutive still Villa resisted, with Downing crossing defeats for Paul Lambert’s Villa-the club’s for Sakho to head over and then setting up worst run since 1964 — and left them two Carl Jenkinson for a point-blank header GERMANY: Frankfurt’s Aleksandar Ignjovski from Serbia (left) and Bayern’s Franck Ribery challenge for the ball during the German First points above the relegation zone. that the right-back could only direct Division Bundesliga soccer match. —AP West Ham had won three games in a straight at Guzan. row prior to last weekend’s 2-2 draw at Carroll’s emergence from the bench Stoke City and they began the game in pur- drew a roar from the home supporters, but Mueller slams hat-trick poseful fashion, with Mark Noble heading he was denied a dream return when his over from a corner. close-range header drew yet another excel- Gabriel Agbonlahor shot over at the lent stop from Guzan. —AFP as Bayern extend lead EPL results/standings BERLIN: Defending champions Bayern Munich on 64 minutes. Olkowski scoring twice, including the 83rd- Burnley 1 (Barnes 50) Hull 0; Liverpool 1 (Can 9) Chelsea 2 (Cahill 14, Costa 67); Manchester United 1 opened a seven-point lead at the top of the Mueller bagged his third to leave him with minute winner. (Mata 67) Crystal Palace 0; QPR 2 (Austin 21, Demichelis 76-og) Manchester City 2 (Aguero 32, 83); Bundesliga yesterday as Thomas Mueller netted nine goals in all competitions and the league’s Leverkusen, who won 2-1 at Zenit St Southampton 2 (Long 75, 80) Leicester 0; West Ham 0 Aston Villa 0. a hat-trick in their 4-0 romp at Eintracht joint top scorer when he finished off a move Petersburg on Tuesday to stay top of their Playing today Frankfurt. from a quick Ribery throw-in to claim his sixth Champions League group, were held to a goal- Sunderland v Everton, Swansea v Arsenal, Tottenham v Stoke, West Brom v Newcastle. With main rivals VfL Wolfsburg and Gladbach Bundesliga goal. less draw at home to Mainz and drop to sixth playing Sunday, Pep Guardiola’s Bayern claimed Xherdan Shaqiri grabbed the fourth on 86 having suffered a shock 1-0 league defeat at English Premier League table after yesterday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals their eighth win in 11 league games to pull clear minutes after fellow second-half replacement Hamburg last weekend. against, points): of the chasing pack against Thomas Schaaf’s Arjen Robben had pulled the Frankfurt defence Robert di Matteo suffered his second con- Eintracht. to pieces to leave the Swiss winger to tap into an secutive defeat as Schalke coach when his side Chelsea 11 9 2 0 28 11 29 West Brom 10 3 4 3 13 13 13 “Once we get into our stride, we’re difficult to empty net. lost 2-0 at Freiburg, who pulled clear of the rel- Southampton11 8 1 2 23 5 25 Newcastle 10 3 4 3 11 15 13 stop,” said Bayern’s Germany defender Jerome “It’s always hard to play against a team from egation places to move up to 13th with Man City 11 6 3 2 22 12 21 Stoke City 10 3 3 4 10 12 12 West Ham 11 5 3 3 19 14 18 Hull City 11 2 5 4 13 15 11 Boateng, who set a new Bundesliga record of 50 Thomas Schaaf,” said Guardiola. “They were very Christian Guenter and Jonathan Schmid scor- Arsenal 10 4 5 1 18 11 17 Sunderland 10 2 5 3 11 18 11 games unbeaten in matches in which he has aggressive in defence, we had a few problems ing their goals. The 44-year-old Di Matteo has Man Utd 11 4 4 3 17 14 16 Aston Villa 11 3 2 6 5 16 11 played. Having been rested for Wednesday’s 2-0 with our structure, but the last 20 minutes was a now lost three and won three of his six games Swansea 10 4 3 3 13 10 15 Crystal Palace 11 2 3 6 14 20 9 home win over Roma, which confirmed Bayern’s completely different game.” since taking charge last month and his side Liverpool 11 4 2 5 14 15 14 Leicester 11 2 3 6 11 18 9 place in the Champions League last 16 as group Werder Bremen can move off the bottom, drop to 11th in the table-exactly where they Tottenham 10 4 2 4 13 14 14 QPR 11 2 2 7 11 22 8 winners, Mueller opened the scoring from a and leave last season’s runners-up Borussia were when he took charge.