SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2018 20 Chelsea, Liverpool maintain lead over chasing City AFP | London

helsea and Liverpool Leroy Sane strikes continue to throw down early as dominant Cthe gauntlet to Premier Manchester City League champions Manchester City as all three were victori- brush Fulham aside. ous on their return to Premier Firmino and League action yesterday. Wijnaldum seal Liver- Liverpool showed their cre- pool win as Spurs pay dentials in targeting a first ti- price for Vorm errors tle since 1990 are for real and such was the Reds’ dominance the scoreline did not do Jurgen Klopp’s men justice in winning 2-1 at Tottenham. Chelsea also made it five and Sterling completed the rout. wins from as many games un- Sarri is still to taste anything der Maurizio Sarri thanks to the but victory in English football, brilliance of Eden Hazard, who but had a scare early on at home scored a hat-trick in a convinc- to Cardiff when Sol Bamba put ing 4-1 win over Cardiff to edge the visitors in front at Stamford ahead of Liverpool on goal dif- Bridge. ference. However, Cardiff’s failure to City remain just two points significantly strengthen over the back and looked back to their summer means they are liable to best in tearing apart Fulham being outclassed at this level and 3-0 thanks to goals from Leroy were undone by the brilliance of Sane, David Silva and Raheem Hazard. Sterling. The diminutive Belgian scored Liverpool’s first win away at twice in seven minutes to send Tottenham in four attempts for Georginio Wijnaldum heads in the opener for Liverpool Chelsea in ahead at half-time Klopp was another sign of the and completed his hat-trick progress made under the Ger- were denied by Vorm. from the penalty spot before man, particularly as they suf- However, the visitors had to Willian added a fourth. fered a 4-1 thrashing at Wembley see out a nervy final few seconds Mesut Ozil quietened his crit- last season. when Erik Lamela skillfully vol- ics with his first goal since Feb- “Nobody will play the perfect leyed home from a narrow angle ruary as Arsenal continued to season. It’s still early, five games, and Son Heung-min had a penal- creep up the table with a 2-1 win fantastic we won all five and im- ty appeal waived away with the at Newcastle. proved. I like that development,” final attack of the game. The Gunners are still not fir- said Klopp. ing on all cylinders under new “Now we have to prove that Sane returns in style boss Unai Emery, but Gran - and do it again and again.” City and Chelsea await in Liver- it Xhaka’s free-kick put them Spurs paid a heavy price for pool’s next three league games on course for a third straight the absence of captain Hugo and remained in touch with the win before Ozil compound- Lloris through injury as stand- leaders with comfortable home ed Newcastle’s misery as the in goalkeeper Michel Vorm victories. Magpies remain rooted in the flapped at a corner six minutes Pep Guardiola started Leroy bottom three. before the break and Georgin- Sane for the first time this cam- Bournemouth moved up to io Wijnaldum looped a header paign and last season’s Premier fifth with an impressive 4-2 vic- over the line before Vorm could League Young Player of the Year tory over 10-man Leicester with scramble clear. looked more like his old self as Ryan Fraser scoring twice. Roberto Firmino tapped home Fulham were put to the sword. And Wilfried Zaha underlined a second nine minutes into the Sane tapped home Fernand- his importance to Crystal Palace second-half and Liverpool inho’s inviting cross inside two with the only goal in his return should have added to their lead minutes before Silva smashed from injury in a 1-0 win at Hud- as Sadio Mane and Naby Keita his 50th Premier League goal Leroy Sane scores Manchester City’s first goal against Fulham dersfield. Parma’s Dimarco stuns Ronaldo will break the ice AFP | Milan

n-loan Parma defender against Sassuolo, insists Allegri OFederico Dimarco stunned his parent club Inter Milan AFP | Milan new club after failing to score player of the year prize -- and with a brilliant winner in a 1-0 in their opening three Egyptian Mohamed Salah. victory at the yester- ristiano Ronaldo is sure to games. “With no offence to Luka day, just days before the hosts Cbreak his scoring duck Sun- “Cristiano worked well and Modric, I’d give the Ballon d’Or meet Tottenham in the Cham- day against Sassuolo, Juventus I think tomorrow he will score to Ronaldo for what he did last pions League. coach Massimiliano Allegri in- and break the ice,” Allegri told season. I think he deserves it,” Luciano Spalletti’s Inter fell sisted as he backed the Portu- a press conference ahead of said Allegri. to their second league defeat guese star to win the FIFA Sunday’s game against sec - Ronaldo scored 44 goals for this season and have only four world player of the ond-placed Sassuolo. Real Madrid last season includ- points from as many Serie A year award. “I don’t expect Ronaldo to do ing 15 in the Champions League games ahead of their return to Ronaldo more or less than what he did in on the way to a third straight the Champions League for the Parma’s Italian defender Federico Dimarco (C) celebrates after opening the skipped Por- the first three games, everyone title. Meanwhile, Allegri said first time since the 2011-2012 scoring during the Italian Serie A football match Inter Milan vs Parma tugal’s Nations was waiting for Ronaldo and he he would make changes against season. League win over set up (Mario) Mandzukic. Sassuolo -- second in the league The 20-year-old Dimarco Two-time UEFA Cup winners with a muscular injury. Italy to fo - “I believe tomorrow could be behind Juventus -- with a view came on as a substitute just af- Parma were declared bankrupt But the hosts failed to threat- cus on his his day.” And Allegri insisted to next week’s Champions ter the interval and unleashed and demoted to the amateur en despite early chances for the five-time Ballon d’Or win- League trip to Valencia. a fierce long-distance strike leagues in 2015, before back- new signing Radja Nainggolan ner should lift the FIFA world “This is where the season into the top corner to score his to-back promotions saw them and Marcelo Brozovic, with player award for a sixth time starts in earnest. first Serie A goal in the 79th return to Serie A. Ivan Perisic also forcing a save Cristiano after his performance for Real “Our first objectives are to minute. Spalletti had rang the changes from Parma goalkeeper Luigi Ronaldo Madrid last season. qualify from our Champions It gave promoted Parma their with a view to Tuesday’s Cham- Sepe. Ronaldo has been shortlist- League group and lead the first league win this season, pions League opener, resting Icardi came on after the ed alongside Croatian World way in the league in order to and first victory at the San Siro last year’s top scorer Mauro break for Keita Balde and was Cup star Luka Modric -- who be fighting on all fronts come since May 1999. Icardi who had been struggling also denied by Sepe. beat the Portuguese to the UEFA March.”