MONDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2014 SPORTS McDowall says sorry after Rangers thrashing

EDINBURGH: Rangers caretaker manager Kenny done during the week went up in the air after that. responsibility for the performances. It was not good tough job.” First half strikes from David Gray and McDowall said sorry to the Glasgow club’s support “Normally you get a response when there is a enough. “At the moment we’ve got to keep working Jason Cummings followed by goals from Scott after his first match in charge ended in a 4-0 thrash- change in management but that didn’t happen for away. I’ve been told to carry on so I’ll need to try Robertson and Liam Craig after the break helped ing by Hibernian. us today. and get the players up and ready for their next secure Hibernian’s biggest margin of victory over It was a painful start for former assistant boss “It was very disappointing and I’d just like to game.” The defeat, Rangers’ fifth in just 17 matches, Rangers since 1912 and closed the gap between McDowall, who was handed the reins earlier in the apologise to our support for letting them down. It’s all but ends their hopes of beating Hearts to the the clubs to four points. week after manager Ally McCoist was placed on been a very difficult day.” The hosts dominated the one automatic promotion spot back to the “I think when you are standing in this position gardening leave. It followed yet another turbulent match at Easter Road while the visitors looked Premiership, with the Jambos opening up a 15 very rarely do you talk about a complete perform- week off the pitch at the Glasgow giants, who dispirited and disjointed. point lead at the top of the table with their 1-0 ance. But I feel as if today the lads have just pro- gained approval for a new share issue to raise the McDowall said he would shoulder the blame for defeat of Livingston. It leaves Rangers in the unen- duced a complete performance,” Hibs manager Alan £8m it needs to continue trading for the next 12 the result but said the players needed to take more viable position of trying to gain promotion via the Stubbs said. “We’ve worked hard all week on where months at a stormy AGM earlier this week. responsible for their performances on the pitch. play-offs. and how we were going to hurt Rangers and it’s “I’m hugely disappointed, especially for our sup- “Obviously heads are down in there and we’ll have a “I was under no illusions that this was going to nice when everything comes together.” port who were here today. I think the best team chat on Monday and go over the game again,” the be easy. I’ve been working with Ally McCoist and Elsewhere on Saturday, Celtic increased their won and I don’t have any excuses at all,” a clearly Gers gaffer said.”They just did not look organised at Walter Smith and it’s always been tough,” McDowall lead at the top of the Premiership to five points despondent McDowall said. times. They were not where they should have been said of the task facing the Ibrox club. despite a goalless draw with bottom of the table “Obviously finding yourself 2-0 down after 12 on the park. “I will accept the responsibility for the “It’s a tough job anyway at the best of times even Ross County after nearest challengers Dundee minutes isn’t an ideal start. All the work that we result. I set the team up and the boys will accept when it’s going well so I knew it was going to be a United lost 2-1 to St Johnstone. — AFP

LONDON: West Ham United’s Cheikhou Kouyate (center) scores their first goal during their English Premier League soccer match against Arsenal at Upton Park. — AP Arsenal survive West Ham test

fourth placed Southampton only on goal dif- Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny strand- left-hand post. West Ham were still in control Ham tried to respond. But just eight minutes ference. West Ham, surprise contenders for the ed, but his view was obstructed by two West with James Tomkins wasting a glorious chance into the second-half, Kouyate gave Allardyce’s West Ham 1 coveted European places, had been punching Ham players standing in an offside position. when he blazed over from a good position. men a lifeline. Tomkins found room to deliver above their weight all season but back-to-back Replays suggested the assistant referee had But the Hammers would regret not taking a cross and Kouyate rose above Arsenal right- defeats have dented their challenge heading made the right call but Song protested angrily their chances as Arsenal opened the scoring back Mathieu Debuchy to scramble his header into 2015. They were undone by two goals in following the decision. Wenger had opted to through Cazorla in the 41st minute. home. Arsenal 2 three minutes late in the first half by Santi call up French centre-back Laurent Koscielny Cazorla was tripped up by Winston Reid’s The hosts dominated possession as they Cazorla and Danny Welbeck. Senegal midfield- to help combat the aerial power of burly West trailing leg for a clear penalty which the pressed for an equaliser, but West Ham’s er Cheikhou Kouyate scored his first West Ham Ham striker Andy Carroll. Spanish midfielder calmly converted. And it Adrian was the busier goalkeeper. He kept out LONDON: Arsenal withstood a second-half goal to give the hosts renewed hope in the But Carroll shrugged off the attentions of went from bad to worse for the hosts as Cazorla’s shot and then denied Oxlade- onslaught from West Ham to boost their second half but, despite mounting pressure, Koscielny before the former Liverpool player Welbeck struck two minutes later. Chamberlain’s 74th minute header. Sanchez Champions League charge with a 2-1 victory the Gunners held on for a hard-fought win. saw his low shot scrambled clear. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s cross saw the and Welbeck wasted chances to give Arsenal at Upton Park yesterday. West Ham midfielder Alex Song thought he Arsenal had barely got out of their own half England striker have the simple task of slotting some precious breathing space but, despite a Arsene Wenger’s side secured their second had opened the scoring against his old club in but Alexis Sanchez sparked them into life in at the far post in the 44th minute. surviving a scare when Enner Valencia headed successive win over the festive period to move the sixth minute. when he was afforded too much room before Stewart Downing should have done better over in the final attack of the game, the visitors up to fifth in the Premier League, behind Song’s 25-yard shot through a crowd left driving a deflected shot just wide of Adrian’s than shoot wide just before the break as West held on. — AFP Chelsea confirm Newcastle sink Everton Torres move

LONDON: Spain striker Fernando Torres will join AC Milan per- manently from Chelsea in the New Year, the English Premier Newcastle 3 League leaders said Saturday. The news came several hours after Spanish media reports claimed the former Liverpool forward would be returning to his first club Atletico Madrid. Everton 2 The 30-year-old had joined Milan on a two-year loan at the beginning of this season. He won the Champions League, the Europa League and the FA Cup in three-and-a-half years at NEWCASTLE: Senegalese striker Papiss Cisse kept up Stamford Bridge, but never lived up to goal-scoring expecta- his impressive scoring record to inspire Newcastle tions after a £50 million (64m euros, $78m) transfer from United as they came from behind to beat Everton 3-2 in Liverpool. Torres will join Milan permanently on January 5, the Premier League yesterday. Chelsea said. Cisse’s fifth goal in six games sparked the recovery The deal does not rule out a return to Atletico in the upcom- after Arouna Kone had found the net on his full Premier ing transfer window, though. The Spanish champions have indi- League debut for Roberto Martinez’s Everton, an injury- cated they do not have the funds for a permanent deal them- ravaged 18 months after joining from Wigan Athletic. selves, but may yet sign him on another loan deal from Milan Cisse levelled before the interval and second-half goals once he has left Chelsea. from Ayoze Perez and Jack Colback enabled Alan In fact, Sports newspapers such as Marca and AS and nation- Pardew’s men to end a four-game losing streak. al daily El Pais had said earlier that Torres’s move back to Atletico Substitute Kevin Mirallas gave Everton hope by was decided after the Madrid club’s Italian player Alessio Cerci reducing the arrears in the 84th minute from Leighton agreed to move to Milan in return. Baines’s through-ball, but it was not enough to prevent A return home could be what Torres needs to reignite a Everton sliding to a third straight defeat. The Merseyside once sparkling career. The World Cup winner and double club have won just once in their last seven league European champion scored 46 goals in 172 Chelsea appear- games, losing five. ances, but only 20 of those came in 110 league outings-a poor Martinez made seven changes to the team beaten 1- return when compared with the 65 Premier League goals he 0 by Stoke City on Boxing Day, notably handing a top- scored in 102 appearances for Liverpool. flight debut to England youth defender Luke Garbutt, LONDON: Everton’s Kevin Mirallas (left) celebrates his goal past Newcastle United’s goalkeeper Jak Alnwick Torres moved to Stamford Bridge late on January transfer and saw Everton take a fifth-minute lead. (right) during their English Premier League soccer match. —AP deadline day in 2011 for a then record British fee. Initial strug- Aiden McGeady’s channel ball cut out Yoan Gouffran Cisse, who made no mistake from close range. the legs of his marker Coleman and into the bottom-left gles appeared to be a crisis of confidence, as he managed just and found Seamus Coleman making progress down the Cisse was perhaps fortunate to still be on the field at corner past a rooted Robles. one goal in 18 appearances before the end of the season. right. The Irishman sent over an inviting low cross and that point, having earlier caught Coleman in the throat Samuel Eto’o should have equalised just after the The following season he scored 11 goals, including a hat- Kone swept home confidently from six yards. It was the with a flailing arm in an off-the-ball incident that went hour, but the former Cameroon striker wasted some trick against QPR and a vital breakaway goal against Barcelona Ivory Coast international’s first goal since May 2013, his unseen by the match officials. determined approach play from Baines by firing the in the Champions League semi-final, but still looked a shadow Goodison Park career having stalled after he suffered a Pardew’s side ended the half in the ascendency, and defender’s low cross wastefully over. They were made to of his former self. serious knee injury that ruled him out for most of last it took a fine block from Sylvain Distin to deny Daryl pay with 23 minutes left as Newcastle stretched their His best season in a Chelsea shirt came in the following cam- season. Moussa Sissoko spurned a clear opening to Janmaat as the Dutch international latched onto Paul advantage through Colback’s first goal for the club. paign as he scored 22 goals across seven competitions, includ- draw Newcastle level, a heavy first touch allowing keep- Dummett’s knock-down from a Perez centre. Robles Janmaat’s ball into the Everton area should have eas- ing the winner in the Europa League final against Benfica. er Joel Robles to block as the midfielder bore down on produced a fine save low to his left to keep out a ily been cut out by Ross Barkley. But the substitute He managed only 11 goals the following season, after goal from a Cisse flick. Gouffran effort early in the second half, but Newcastle allowed the pass to reach Colback, a close-season sign- which Jose Mourinho broke up his misfiring striking trio of But the hosts drew level 11 minutes before the did not have to wait long before taking a 51st-minute ing from neighbours Sunderland, who rolled a left-foot Torres, Samuel Eto’o and Demba Ba, all of whom left the club. break, as their increasing pressure finally told. lead. As with the first goal, Tiote was prominent in the shot past Robles. Cisse almost made it four soon after, Since his move to Milan he has scored just one goal in 10 Cheick Tiote swapped passes with Colback and sent build-up, finding Perez on the edge of the Everton area. only to be denied by Robles, but despite Mirallas giving appearances. — AFP over a deep cross that Mike Williamson hooked back to The Spaniard turned and threaded a low shot through the visitors hope, it was to prove immaterial. — AFP