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WEDNESDAY, MAY 3, 2017 SPORTS Top-four race not over, warns Klopp WATFORD: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp told his points against Southampton then they’ve not seen going to try.’ “Sometimes he wasn’t as good as he limetres of snatching a stoppage-time equaliser players to gird their loins for the Premier League them play this season. Another really strong side. could have been, but now those problems are sort- when centre-back Sebastian Prodl thundered an run-in after they retained control of their top-four “Nobody can take these points away from us tonight ed, he’s physically strong and he can build on these effort against the crossbar. destiny with victory at Watford. Emre Can’s stupen- and now we have time to work and prepare for the performances. “And if he can score goals like this it “I said to the players after the game, if they want dous mid-air scissors kick earned Liverpool a 1-0 win Southampton game (on Sunday).” makes even more sense.” to kill me, that’s a good way to try it. I thought I felt at Vicarage Road on Monday that provisionally gave Can settled proceedings in first-half stoppage something in this area,” Klopp said, gesturing to his them a three-point cushion over Manchester City in time, meeting Lucas Leiva’s floated pass with a pic- MAZZARRI BEMOANS BAD LUCK heart. Watford manager Walter Mazzarri, whose side third place. Victory in Liverpool’s last three games- ture-book volley that flew past Watford goalkeeper Liverpool lost playmaker Philippe Coutinho to a remain 13th in the table, said the final score was not against Southampton, West Ham United and Heurelho Gomes. Can has battled a niggling calf dead leg early in the game, which saw Adam Lallana an accurate reflection of the game. “If you look at all Middlesbrough-will guarantee them a Champions problem for the past 12 months and Klopp praised make his return from a month-long lay-off as a 13th- Liverpool’s games, they usually create five or six League berth, but Klopp said there was still much the Germany midfielder for gritting his teeth and minute replacement for the Brazilian. Klopp offered clear chances,” said the Italian.“Today we hardly con- work to be done. fighting through it. no prognosis on Coutinho’s condition, only to say ceded any chances and we also had a couple of “We need to stay focused, we need to stay con- “If he couldn’t be positive after this goal, some- that the injury-sustained in a collision with Watford’s chances, so overall it was a good performance. “I centrated,” said the German. “We have pressure until thing would be wrong,” Klopp said with a smile. “He’s Adrian Mariappa-had been “really painful”. usually don’t like to speak about luck, but today we the end of the season, but that’s a positive pressure. a good player. He’d had a calf problem, but we Liverpool also hit the bar through a dipping were completely unlucky. “Apart from Prodl’s shot It means we are fighting for something. “So we’ll do couldn’t leave him out. We had a lot of talks about Lallana volley and Watford goalkeeper Heurelho against the crossbar, there were two incorrect off- everything for the points we can get, but it won’t be this. “People wondered what was wrong with him, Gomes had to make several second-half saves to sides against (Stefano) Okaka and (Troy) Deeney. We easy. “If people think we already have the three but we needed him in these moments. He said, ‘I’m keep them at bay. But the hosts came within mil- played a really good game.” — AFP Moyes: The ‘Chosen One’ hits rock bottom at Sunderland MANCHESTER: Exactly four years ago, David Sunderland this season. “I think it will be,” he Moyes received the phone call that would said, “I don’t think you can hide the facts.” change his life. It was from Alex Ferguson, who Admirable honesty, yes, but hardly what a was about to announce his retirement as Sunderland fans would want to hear so early Manchester United manager after nearly 27 into what proved to be a joyless campaign. The years at England’s biggest club. He wanted to negativity has spread throughout a club that speak face to face with Moyes, then in charge of has spent the last 190 weeks in the bottom half Everton, and would ask him to be his successor of the Premier League. Moyes acknowledges at Old Trafford. that, these days, he says it as he sees it. It may For Moyes, it was the undoubted high point not be the wisest of policies. Meanwhile, else- of a coaching career that only seemed headed in where in the relegation battle, Swansea and Hull one direction. He would soon be christened brought in young, dynamic managers in Paul “The Chosen One” by United’s fans. Things have Clement and Marco Silva, respectively, midway gone badly wrong ever since. Fired by United through the season. They both gave their teams after just 10 months. Fired by Real Sociedad one a lift, expressing positivity and hope. Results day before completing a year in charge of the have improved, and Swansea and Hull are still in Spanish team. Now, at the helm of a belea- with a chance of survival with four games left. guered Sunderland side that has just been rele- gated from the English Premier League with TRANSFER POLICY barely a whimper. Moyes was hired three weeks before the start “We want Moyes out” was the chant that of the season, giving him little time to assess the rang around the Stadium of Light on Saturday squad before the season and set his transfer tar- after Bournemouth’s 88th-minute goal in a 1-0 gets. As such, he ended up making last-ditch win over Sunderland sealed the fate of the signings. They weren’t exactly inspiring, either - league’s last-place club with four matches still to injury-prone pair Steven Pienaar and Victor play. Fans had been singing the same thing dur- Anichebe were players Moyes managed at ing the past few games. Everton while Donald Love and Adnan Januzaj Moyes’ coaching reputation is at rock bot- were Moyes’ former players at Man United - and tom. His feats at Everton from 2002-13 - when have proved disappointing. he managed one fourth-place finish and two It was clear from the start that Sunderland’s fifth-places with a team that had no star players squad was lacking quality, especially with center - are now largely forgotten or viewed as no back Younes Kaboul leaving for Watford for fami- longer relevant. Away from the field, he is even ly reasons. And with injuries ruling out Fabio facing a Football Association charge for telling a Borini, Jordan Pickford and Lee Cattermole for female reporter that she “might get a slap” for long periods, Moyes has been short on players. the questions she asked during a BBC interview. Beyond 34-year-old striker Jermain Defoe, who WATFORD: Liverpool’s German midfielder Emre Can connects with this overhead kick to open the scoring in the English Premier League football His one season at Sunderland has been such has scored 14 goals despite being isolated up match between Watford and Liverpool at Vicarage Road Stadium. — AFP an unmitigated failure that he might not be front, and young goalkeeper Pickford, no player trusted to head up the club’s attempt to bounce has stood out. Defoe and Pickford are likely to back into England’s lucrative top division. “It’s a be the Sunderland players who are most Crazy Can cracker tightens question for two or three weeks’ time,” Moyes sought-after in the forthcoming offseason. If said, a resigned look across his face. The Black Moyes does go, the decision needs to be made Cats - as Sunderland is nicknamed - finally ran early so the new manager has longer to plan for Liverpool’s hold on third out of lives. They have narrowly avoided relega- a season than Moyes did. tion for the past four years, doing so by the same formula: Change manager midway SHORT-HANDED WATFORD: Emre Can scored a sensational over- through the season and embark on a late run to Moyes wasn’t handed much money to spend head bicycle kick as Liverpool galvanized their English Premier League table safety in the final few months. Martin O’Neill, by Sunderland’s American owner, Ellis Short, grip on third place in the Premier League by win- Paolo Di Canio, Gus Poyet, Dick Advocaat and intensifying the belief that Short was looking to ning 1-0 at Watford on Monday. Having seen Sam Allardyce all kept Sunderland in the get out of a club he has owned since 2009. top-four rivals Manchester City, Manchester LONDON: English Premier League table after Monday’s match (played, won, drawn, lost, goals Premier League, but Moyes has fallen short. A Sunderland recorded a loss of 33 million pounds United and Arsenal all drop points on Sunday, for, goals against, points): look at what went wrong: ($43 million) in the last financial year, with a Liverpool capitalized thanks to Can’s jaw-drop- Chelsea 34 26 3 5 72 29 81 debt of 110 million pounds ($142 million). Yet, in Tottenham 34 23 8 3 71 22 77 WRONG RHETORIC a statement released soon after Sunderland’s ping effort in first-half injury time. Liverpool 35 20 9 6 71 42 69 Soccer fans crave openness and honesty relegation was confirmed, Short hinted that he’d The Germany midfielder’s fifth goal of the Man City 34 19 9 6 65 37 66 from players and managers, but Moyes took it be hanging around, saying: “There is a strong season took Liverpool three points above Man Utd 34 17 14 3 51 25 65 too far.