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Bayern go 11 5-star Crystal points clear, Palace deepen extend Hertha McClaren’s 38-year wait gloom SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 201518 19 Traditional Pacific farewell for Lomu draws thousands Page 16 BARCELONA: Barcelona’s Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez falls during the Spanish league football match FC Barcelona vs Real Sociedad de Futbol at the Camp Nou stadium yesterday. (Inset) Barcelona’s Brazilian forward Neymar (center) celebrates with Barcelona’s Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez (left) and Barcelona’s Argentinean forward Lionel Messi after scoring their third goal. — AFP Barcelona crush Sociedad 4-0, extend lead Messi, Neymar, Suarez strike to keep Barca rolling MADRID: Barcelona stretched their advantage at the top nine points adrift ahead of their trip to Eibar today. Iniesta headed Suarez’s perfectly measured cross against However, both then turned their hand to trying to set of La Liga to seven points yesterday thanks to another Barca boss Luis Enrique made four changes from the the post. The visitors’ luck eventually ran out on 22 min- up Messi. The four-time World Player of the Year fired clinical display from Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez side that destroyed Roma 6-1 in the Champions League utes, though, when Messi released Alves down the right into the side-netting and then straight at Rulli from two to down Real Sociedad 4-0. Messi was making his first in midweek, but with Messi, Suarez and Neymar and Neymar was quickest to meet his low cross and drive Neymar crosses before pulling a free-kick inches wide of league start in two months as he continues his comeback deployed once more in attack, the Catalans didn’t miss a the ball into the top corner. Alves was the creator once the far post. It looked like being a forlorn afternoon for from knee ligament damage. But the Argentine was ini- beat. Suarez should have opened the scoring after just more for Barca’s second just before the break as his float- Messi when his brilliant curling effort came back off the tially outshone by his strike partners as they each swept two minutes when he was brilliantly played in by ed cross picked out Suarez to acrobatically volley into the crossbar four minutes from time. However, a final piece home from two Dani Alves crosses to put Barca in com- Neymar, but Geronimo Rulli rushed from his line to far corner. Barca had to wait just eight minutes after the of magic between Neymar and Suarez allowed the mand at the break. Neymar then added his second shortly bravely smother the Uruguayan’s effort just inside his break for a third with the full-backs proving Sociedad’s Brazilian to roll the ball invitingly across goal for Messi to after the half-time before teeing up Messi for his first area. The Argentine goalkeeper did well once more to downfall again as this time Jeremy Mathieu squared for slot into an empty net and seal a fantastic week for Barca league goal since September in stoppage time. Atletico deny Neymar at a narrow angle from Messi’s wonderful Neymar to apply a simple finish. That strike took Neymar which has seen them take a strangle hold of La Liga and Madrid can close the gap at the top to four points when through ball eight minutes later. Even when Rulli was and Suarez’s tally in La Liga this season to 26 - the same clinch their place in the last 16 of the Champions they host Espanyol later. Meanwhile, Real Madrid are now beaten, the woodwork saved Sociedad when Andres as the entire Real Madrid squad. League. — AFP Vardy sets EPL record De Bruyne gets Man that point, erupted in celebrating a goal that City back on track looked capable of returning Leicester to the top of Leicester 1 the Premier League table. For all their critics, how- De Bruyne scored his seventh goal of the ever, United have shown great resilience under season and Delph his first for the club. Louis van Gaal, and were level before the interval, Man City 3 Southampton goalkeeper Maarten the equaliser coming from another right-wing Blind corner. This time, the Dutchman’s delivery Stekelenburg had already been forced to Man United 1 was met by Schweinsteiger, who easily shrugged make saves from Raheem Sterling and off the ineffective attempts of Shinji Okazaki to Kolarov’s curling free-kick when he was impede him, and powered a close-range header Southampton 1 beaten by De Bruyne in the ninth minute. past the helpless Schmeichel. The Netherlands international had no LEICESTER: Jamie Vardy set a new Premier League That was the culmination of a half that had chance of keeping out De Bruyne’s tap-in, record by scoring in an 11th consecutive top-flight centred around Vardy, the former non-league but the ball would never have got that far match as Leicester City drew 1-1 with Manchester player who has only been in the ranks of full-time MANCHESTER: Belgium international had Maya Yoshida not conceded posses- United yesterday. Victory would have returned professional football for three-and-a-half years. Kevin De Bruyne starred as Manchester sion to Sterling wide on the Saints right. second placed Leicester to the Premier League After 14 minutes, his determination allowed him City ended Southampton’s unbeaten away The City winger was given an uninterrupt- summit, but Bastian Schweinsteiger equalised just to dispossess Michael Carrick and set up N’Golo record in the Premier League this season ed run into the box and picked out his before the interval to stretch United’s unbeaten Kante for a shot which was deflected behind the with a disjointed 3-1 win yesterday. team-mate with a low cross. Southampton, run to 10 games and keep them firmly in title con- United goal. And just after the half hour, de Gea Having lost at Juventus in the Champions missing suspended top scorer Graziano tention. But the fixture was all about Vardy, who was forced to save with his legs from a Riyad League in mid-week and dropped five Pelle, did not help their cause by constant- took until just the 24th minute to produce the his- Mahrez shot who then followed up by almost set- points in their previous two league games ly giving the ball away in dangerous areas toric goal that the Leicester faithful, and many ting up Okazaki for a second goal. to slip from the summit, City needed any and with 20 minutes gone they were 2-0 neutrals, were hoping for. Instead, it was United who finally began to kind of victory to restore their momen- down. It made the England striker the first player in grow into the game with Schweinsteiger missing tum. And despite the threat of a Steven Davis was not penalized when a the history of the Premier League to score in 11 their first decent opening, after 21 minutes, when LEICESTER: Leicester’s Jamie Vardy cele- Southampton fightback early in the sec- header from Fernandinho struck his arm, successive appearances, breaking the tie he had of his shot from an Anthony Martial cross was easily brates after scoring against Manchester ond half, Pellegrini’s side did enough but from the resulting corner De Bruyne 10 in a row shared with former Manchester United blocked. There as more excitement for the home United during the English Premier League thanks to early goals from De Bruyne and teed up Delph to drill home from 25 yards star Ruud van Nistelrooy. It was a goal that illus- supporters soon after the restart as Marc soccer match between Leicester City and Fabian Delph, and a third, 20 minutes with the help of a deflection off defender trated the blistering pace possessed not only by Albrighton’s lobbed pass almost found Vardy, the Manchester United at the King Power from time, by Aleksandar Kolarov. Virgil van Dijk. Van Dijk tried to make Vardy himself but his team as a whole and came ball passing inches over his head. But United were Stadium yesterday. — AP City saw key striker Sergio Aguero hob- amends with a fierce 25-yard shot that hit on the counter-attack from a United corner taken looking in more direct and determined mood with ble off with what appeared to be an ankle the post while City goalkeeper Willy by Daley Blind and gathered by Kasper Schweinsteiger drawing a fine reflex save from launched another lightning attack and passed injury mid-way through the second half, Caballero, playing in place of the injured Schmeichel in the Leicester goal. A quick break Schmeichel with another powerful header, this to substitute Leonardo Ulloa whose shot was but Pellegrini played down the extent of Joe Hart, then saved from Victor upfield ended with full-back Christian Fuchs play- time from an Ashley Young free-kick, and Wayne kept out by de Gea, when a pass to the ing a magnificent pass inside United defender Rooney heading the rebound wide, albeit from an unmarked Vardy looked a better option, and the the problem. After their abject perform- Wanyama. City failed to heed that warning Matteo Darmian for Vardy to chase, beat his mark- offside position. same striker failed with an ambitious high shot ance in losing 4-1 at home to Liverpool and rather than kill off the visitors-Yaya er and score with a superb finish under David de Rooney was injured in the process and would from outside the area. Juan Mata saw a close- last weekend, City showed their intent Toure wasting a chance just before the Gea.