Crouch Torments His Old Club Villa
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SUNDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2013 SPORTS Newcastle thrash Palace Yohan Cabaye popped up in the 25th minute to celebrate his return from a one Palace 0 match ban with a goal. Cabaye’s shot home after Moussa Sissoko picked him out in the area to make it Newcastle’s 11th successive goal scored Newcastle 3 by a Frenchman-indeed 21 of their 22 Premier League goals have been scored by Frenchmen with the exception being Paul Dummett of Wales. However, that run was LONDON: Newcastle made it six wins in ended when Palace’s Welsh international seven games yesterday with a comprehen- defender Danny Gabbidon put Debuchy’s sive 3-0 win over Crystal Palace in their cross past his own ‘keeper Julian Speroni in Premier League clash in London. Victory the 39th minute. Newcastle were not overly leaves the Magpies-whose manager Alan ambitious-save for a Cabaye freekick that Pardew played for Palace and scored a tested Speroni-and it was Palace who famous goal for them in an FA Cup semi- missed two chances to score as first final in 1990 which took them to the final- Marouane Chamakh sent a header over the sixth in the table, six points off leaders bar and then Cameron Jerome blasted over Liverpool. from close range. Palace-who have not beaten Newcastle This stung Newcastle into action as well at home in their last five meetings now dat- as the introduction of Hatem Ben Arfa as he ing back to January 1984 in the old Division immediately produced a sublime piece of Two, when they won 3-1 - stay in the rele- skill to tee up Yoann Gouffran, but his shot gation zone, third from bottom. Palace from outside the area came back off the were under pressure from the start despite post. Ben Arfa had a go himself shortly the wet conditions which should have suit- afterwards but Speroni did well to save ed their more physical approach in contrast with his legs. However, he could do noth- to the passing game of the Magpies. ing to prevent the lively former Marseille However, the visitors were unable to turn star from making it 3-0 from the penalty their dominance into goals-Mathieu spot after Jonathan Parr fouled Shola Debuchy going closest with a header-until Ameobi.—AFP WEST BROMWICH: Hull City’s Jake Livermore (background orange) scores the opening goal against West Bromwich Albion during their English Premier League soccer match yesterday. —AP Last-ditch Vydra halts West Brom slide The draw allowed West Brom to increase the Saido Berahino in place of Sinclair at half-time gap between themselves and the Premier and West Brom improved, with Tom West Brom 1 League relegation zone to three points, while Huddlestone blocking from Youssouf Hull remain 12th. West Brom caretaker coach Mulumbu and Shane Long curling a left-foot Keith Downing made three changes to the shot just over. team beaten 1-0 by Cardiff City in Clarke’s last West Brom were indebted to Foster for Hull 1 game, with Ben Foster returning in goal after keeping them in the game, however, after the four months out with a stress fracture of the England international produced a fine double foot. Scott Sinclair and James Morrison also save to thwart Huddlestone and Ahmed came into the side, while Hull’s team was Elmohamady. Downing sent on Vydra, a loan WEST BROMWICH: West Bromwich Albion unchanged from the one that started last signing from Udinese who scored 20 goals for began life without Steve Clarke by snatching a weekend’s goalless draw at home to Stoke City. Championship side Watford when on loan with 1-1 draw at home to Hull City yesterday thanks After a low-key opening, the visitors broke them last season, and Zoltan Gera, and with to an 86th-minute equalizer from Matej Vydra. the deadlock in the 28th minute with an excel- four minutes remaining the two entrants com- A week on from Clarke’s abrupt dismissal as lent counter-attacking goal. From a West Brom bined to plunder a fine equalizer. Long found LONDON: Crystal Palace’s Jason Puncheon (left) competes with Newcastle manager, Jake Livermore’s first-half goal corner, David Meyler fed Danny Graham, who Gera with a clever backheel and from the in turn out picked out Livermore, and the on- Hungarian’s subsequent pass, Vydra finished United’s Cheick Tiote during their English Premier League soccer match at looked destined to condemn West Brom to a fifth successive defeat, only for Vydra to snaffle loan Tottenham Hotspur midfielder finished calmly to register his first goal in West Brom’s Selhurst Park, London yesterday. —AP a late leveller after climbing off the bench. from a narrow angle. Downing introduced colors.—AFP Crouch torments English Premier League table LONDON: English Premier League table after yesterday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): Liverpool 17 11 3 3 42 19 36 Swansea 16 5 5 6 22 21 20 his old club Villa Man City 17 11 2 4 51 20 35 Hull 17 5 5 7 14 20 20 Arsenal 16 11 2 3 33 17 35 Aston Villa 17 5 4 8 17 23 19 Chelsea 16 10 3 3 32 18 33 Norwich 17 5 4 8 15 29 19 Everton 16 8 7 1 27 15 31 Cardiff 17 4 5 8 13 25 17 That was enough to give Stoke back- Stoke playmaker only six minutes to Newcastle 17 9 3 5 24 22 30 West Brom 17 3 7 7 18 23 16 to-back home wins in the Premier League break the deadlock. Ciaran Clark was Man Utd 17 8 4 5 28 20 28 West Ham 17 3 5 9 14 22 14 Stoke 2 and lift them above Villa into 10th place shown a yellow card for a crude foul on Tottenham 16 8 3 5 15 21 27 Crystal Palace 17 4 1 12 11 27 13 in the table. Villa boss Paul Lambert chose Jonathan Walters and Geoff Cameron’s Southampton 16 6 6 4 20 15 24 Fulham 17 4 1 12 17 34 13 to leave struggling striker Christian free-kick was headed on by Crouch to Stoke 17 5 6 6 17 21 21 Sunderland 17 2 4 11 12 30 10 Benteke out of his squad but the visitors Adam, who took the ball on his chest, Aston Villa 1 still began brightly, creating the first turned past Baker and placed his shot chance when Ashley Westwood’s cross beyond Brad Guzan. was headed goalwards by Nathan Baker. Villa’s equalizer came out of nothing Asmir Begovic grasped it at the second in the 66th minute as Guzan pumped a Sunderland held STOKE-ON-TRENT: Peter Crouch tor- attempt and the Stoke goalkeeper was long ball forward. Stoke looked to have mented his former club Aston Villa as the also behind Aleksander Tonev’s volley dealt with it but Pieters tried to head the Stoke striker’s second half goal clinched a from the edge of the box. Five minutes ball back to Begovic and only succeeded 2-1 victory at the Britannia Stadium yes- later Marc Wilson picked up a booking, in setting up Kozak, who gratefully by Norwich 0-0 terday. Mark Hughes’ side took the lead although Villa thought it should have accepted the gift with a cool finish. But through Charlie Adam’s goal soon after been red. Villa were level for only four minutes the break before Villa equalized thanks to Wilson’s poor touch just outside the before Crouch restored Stoke’s lead. Libor Kozak, who capitalized on a horrible area let in Andreas Weimann and Villa Glenn Whelan found Cameron down the mistake from Erik Pieters. But Pieters’ appealed in vain that the defender was right, and when Guzan and Chris Herd Sunderland 0 blushes were spared when former the last man when he brought down the tried to cut out his cross, the ball fell to England forward Crouch, who spent two forward. Marko Arnautovic was the man Crouch in front of an empty net and he years at Villa earlier in his career, restored to make way as Adam came on for the slotted home despite a suspicion of Stoke’s lead in the 70th minute. start of the second half, and it took the handball. —AFP Norwich 0 SUNDERLAND: Bottom of the table Sunderland, fresh from their League Cup exploit over Chelsea, were held to a goalless draw by Norwich yes- terday, a stalemate that extended the Black Cats’ winless league run to six. Sunderland, who ended the game with 10 men, took to the pitch seeking to follow up their midweek heroics against Chelsea when South Korea’s Ki Sung-Yueng sealed a famous extra time win with his first goal for the club to put Gus Poyet’s team into a League Cup semi-final against Manchester United. But Sunderland’s league form has been an altogether different story, and they welcomed Norwich stuck at the foot of the table after just two wins and aiming to break a five-game run without a win. But this point, combined with losses for Fulham and Crystal Palace, saw them at least reduce the deficit on those two teams immediately above them, from four to three points. Norwich started brightly, striker SUNDERLAND: Sunderland’s Italian midfielder Emanuele Gary Hooper miscuing an early shot Giaccherini (below) is tackled by Norwich City’s English midfield- in front of goal, and then only a er Bradley Johnson during the English Premier League football neat one-handed save from Sunderland keeper Vito Mannone match between Sunderland and Norwich City yesterday.