SUNDAY, APRIL 24, 2016 SPORTS

Wenger targets strong finish to troubled campaign

SUNDERLAND: Arsene Wenger has ble,” Wenger said. “You never know what him I cannot plan whether he will play a in, year out,” Allardyce said. “It’s a bit Sunderland, who would climb out of the warned his Arsenal players to expect a happens in front of you, there could still part in the game,” Wenger said. “If I don’t unfair on a man who’s arguably got the bottom three with a draw or win on battle against relegation-threatened be twists and turns. “I don’t know where take him this weekend I will take him the best record as a manager that Arsenal Sunday, are to retain their place in the Sunderland today as he targets a strong we will finish but we have to give next certainly.” have ever had. Premier League. finish to a troubled campaign. absolutely everything in every game. “It is the generation we are living in. That means Jermain Defoe has to The Gunners saw off West Bromwich “We go to Sunderland, who are fight- OUTSIDE INFLUENCES There is a generation of supporters who shoulder the burden of scoring goals Albion on Thursday, although the 2-0 ing not to go down so that will be a bat- In contrast to Wenger’s difficulties are so well informed on what we should despite playing as a lone striker. victory, courtesy of two Alexis Sanchez tle and we have to prepare for that.” with supporters disillusioned by their and shouldn’t be doing as managers. “Everyone was brainwashed into think- goals, was achieved in front of thou- Wenger may decide to delay Jack team’s failure to win the title since 2004, “It is all the outside influences on ing he couldn’t play up front on his own,” sands of empty seats as fans stayed Wilshere’s comeback from injury Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce has them and it reflects in their opinion Allardyce said. away to show their frustration at because he anticipates a fierce challenge the full backing of their fans despite his which changes rapidly when you don’t “I think he’s probably played more Wenger’s failure to deliver a title chal- from Sunderland as they fight to avoid team’s perilous position. win just a few games. “Now it becomes regularly for us than he has for any club lenge. With third-placed Arsenal 10 relegation. The two men have often clashed in this manager is no good. We don’t want in recent years and most of those have points behind leaders Leicester City and Wilshere has not played all season the past, but their relationship has him anymore, let’s get rid of him. been up front on his own which I’m glad five adrift of second-placed Tottenham because of a leg fracture in pre-season improved recently and Allardyce is sad- “But it’s a fact of life that we are fast to say has born 16 goals in all competi- Hotspur, Wenger is mostly focused on and time is running out for the midfield- dened by the supporters’ treatment of becoming like the continentals: Get a tions. “Sixteen goals is one of the reasons qualifying for the Champions League via er to be back in action before England’s Wenger. “Arsene is a brilliant manager. I job, do a job, lose a job get another one. why we’re still in with a shout. The rea- a top-four finish rather than catching the Euro 2016 squad is picked. can understand the frustration that It is the way it is going. Sad isn’t it?” son we haven’t been in with a shout is title contenders. “At the moment I do not know if I will they’ve slipped up by not winning this Allardyce has targeted at least three vic- because we have been conceding too “We want to finish as high as possi- take him today or not. And should I take year. But he keeps getting this stick year tories from their final five games if many goals.” — AFP

Hazard ends goal drought to get Chelsea back on track

a memorable double over the west Londoners. Bournemouth 1 But it was Hiddink’s side who seized the early initiative as Pedro opened the scoring with his eighth goal of the season in the fifth minute. Chelsea 4 COOLNESS Chelsea broke away through Diego Costa and the striker picked out Fabregas, BOURNEMOUTH: Eden Hazard scored his who slipped in Pedro down the right side first Premier League goals of the season as of the penalty area. Chelsea got back on track with a 4-1 victory The former Barcelona winger was cool- over Bournemouth yesterday. Hazard ness personified as he left his marker flat- returned to the starting line-up at Dean footed and hooked a fine finish past Court after a five-game absence with hip Bournemouth goalkeeper Artur Boruc. and groin injuries and the Belgium mid- Eddie Howe’s team responded well and fielder finally provided a glimpse of the squandered a golden opportunity to vast talent that made him Footballer of the equalise after Chelsea goalkeeper Asmir Year last season. Begovic failed to collect a corner, only for He netted Chelsea’s second to end a bar- Steve Cook to fire over from just six yards. ren run of 29 league games without a goal Lewis Grabban tested Begovic with a stretching back to May and then bagged powerful strike and then flashed a header another in stoppage-time. The 25-year-old, narrowly wide as Bournemouth kept press- whose only two club goals this term had ing, but Chelsea caught them on the break come in the FA Cup, has been well below against the run of play in the 34th minute. his best this term amid rumours he could Fabregas was the catalyst with a clever be sold in the close-season, so this was a backheel to Hazard, who quickly assessed welcome return to form. his options before driving a low 20-yard Pedro Rodriguez had opened the scor- strike past Boruc. Bournemouth got one ing for Chelsea and, although Tommy back immediately through Elphick, who Elphick got one back for Bournemouth rose above two Chelsea defenders to plant before the break, Willian struck in the sec- his header past Begovic in the 36th minute. ond half to put Guus Hiddink’s team on It took a fine save from Begovic to deny course to end their two-match losing run. Grabban an equaliser, while Nigeria mid- Chelsea’s second win in their last eight fielder John Obi Mikel, looking uncomfort- games in all competitions also owed a lot able as make-shift centre-back, escaped to Cesc Fabregas, another of the club’s conceding a penalty after bundling over major underachievers this season, as the Grabban just before half-time. Spain midfielder set up three of the goals. Hiddink’s team were back on the offen- Nine months ago, it would have been sive after the interval and Fabregas and BERLIN: Bayern Munich’s Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal (2ndL), Hertha’s forward Julian Schieber (L) and Hertha’s defender Sebastian Langkamp impossible to imagine Bournemouth host- Pedro saw shots deflected wide. vie for the ball during the German first division Bundesliga football match between Hertha BSC and FC Bayern Munich in Berlin, esterday.y — AFP ing Chelsea in the final weeks of the season The Blues’ pressure was rewarded with with a chance to draw level on points with third goal in the 71st minute when Brazilian the reigning champions. winger Willian slotted home from a Having beaten Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Fabregas pass. Hazard capped the victory Bayern made to wait for Bridge in December-an embarrassing result in stoppage-time when he converted a that pushed then Blues boss Jose Nemanja Matic pass to leave Chelsea won- Mourinho closer to the sack less than two dering where that kind of display had been historic fourth title weeks later-Bournemouth were looking for all season. — AFP

BERLIN: Bayern Munich must wait another week They managed just six shots on goal, com- utes. The defeat sees Wolfsburg drop to tenth in to claim an historic fourth consecutive pared to Hertha’s nine, despite the hosts being the table while Augsburg are now five points Bundesliga title although yesterday’s 2-0 win at restricted to just 26 percent possession. clear of the relegation places. Cologne are up to Hertha Berlin left them seven points clear with Dortmund, who will face the Bavarians in the ninth after backing up their 3-2 comeback win three games left. German Cup final on May 21, made Bayern wait over Mainz with a 4-1 thumping of Darmstadt as Bayern could have had the league wrapped a little longer to have their title win confirmed French striker Anthony Modeste and winger up in the capital had second-placed Dortmund with a comprehensive win at Stuttgart. Borussia Marcel Risse both scored twice. not won 3-0 at VfB Stuttgart. That result means were 2-0 up at the break after Japan midfielder Hanover have only a mathematical chance of Pep Guardiola’s Bavarians will secure the title if Shinji Kagawa netted early on, then 17-year-old avoiding relegation after Japan internationals they beat Borussia Moechengladbach at home Christian Pulisic scored for the second week run- Hiroki Sakai and Hiroshi Kiyotake scored in their next Saturday regardless of other results. ning. Just before half-time he tapped home after 2-2 draw with 10-man Ingolstadt. No other team has even won four consecu- Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s shot from outside the area Ingolstadt played for 70 minutes with ten tive league titles in Germany’s top flight. Bayern was blocked by Stuttgart’s Poland goalkeeper men after French defender Romain Bregerie was took the lead at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium when Przemyslaw Tyton. Mkhitaryan made it 3-0 when sent off for hauling down Hanover midfielder Mario Goetze’s pass found Vidal in space. The he fired home after Kagawa’s cross to striker Felix Klaus. Alfredo Morales and Moritz Chile midfielder drilled home his shot from 22 Adrian Ramos, in for the injured Pierre-Emerick Hartmann had hosts Ingolstadt 2-0 up with only metres, which took a deflection on it’s way past Aubameyang, was blocked by Tyton on 56 min- 25 minutes gone. Defender Sakai fired home on Berlin goalkeeper Thomas Kraft on 48 minutes. utes. Wolfsburg’s miserable league form contin- 58 minutes before midfielder Kiyotake made Brazil winger Douglas Costa doubled Bayern’s ues as they are now six Bundesliga games with- sure Hanover claimed a point with the equaliser lead with a breath-taking strike from the right out a win after crashing 2-0 at home to eight minutes from time. flank which looped over the Hertha goalkeeper Augsburg. On Friday, Pierre-Michel Lasogga struck on 79 minutes. But this was a far from polished Iceland striker Alfred Finnbogason, on loan twice as Hamburg eased their Bundesliga rele- performance from Bayern, ahead of from Olympiakos, scored his sixth league goal in gation fears with a 2-1 victory at home to Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final, first- ten games, with a minute gone, then set up Werder Bremen, who remain stuck in the bot- leg, at Atletico Madrid. Turkey international Halil Altintop on 57 min- tom three. —AFP

BOURNEMOUTH: Chelsea’s Brazilian-born Spanish striker Diego Costa (2nd L) wins a header during the English Premier League football match between Bournemouth and Tadic’s Southampton Chelsea at the Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth, southern England yesterday. —AFP Flores future overshadow brace adds to Villa woe Watford’s bid for FA Cup glory behind in the second minute courtesy of some fired straight at visiting goalkeeper Fraser LONDON: Quique Sanchez Flores will who meet in the other semi-final yester- comical defending. Forster. The Saints doubled their lead on 39 min- ignore mounting speculation about his day. “This is the time to talk about Watford, Aston Villa 2 Micah Richards, who was restored to the utes as Villa imploded again. Bacuna’s awful pass future as the under-fire Watford manager to talk about Watford fans and how impor- team at centre-back, totally missed a header, was intercepted by Long, who outpaced Lescott tries to save his job with a victory over tant this match is for this club,” Flores said. Joleon Lescott failed to make a challenge and and although Guzan blocked the ball at Long’s Crystal Palace in the FA Cup semi-finals “It is not the time to talk about me. I Long hit the bar with the goal at his mercy. feet, he managed to tee up Tadic to make it 2-0. yesterday. can just transmit to the Watford fans that I Southampton 4 But it was merely a temporary reprieve for Villa reduced the arrears out of the blue just Flores’ team are looking to reach their am completely focused and happy. “I have Villa, who were behind on 15 minutes as before the interval when the visitors failed to first FA Cup final for 32 years, but reports an amazing family, amazing kids, I am Southampton scored the simplest of goals. clear Jordan Ayew’s cross from the left and it that Watford’s owners are unhappy with happy with my profession and I am com- Ryan Bertrand’s cross from the left found broke for Westwood, who scored from 10 yards. their poor recent form threaten to cast a pletely happy with Watford fans. BIRMINGHAM: Aston Villa suffered a 10th suc- Long, who ghosted away from the flat-footed Villa threatened briefly to equalise when Aly shadow over the big day at Wembley. “This conversation is about this match cessive Premier League defeat as a double from Lescott and planted an unmarked header past Cissokho advanced down the left and crossed Despite securing Premier League sur- and Crystal Palace. The only thing I am Dusan Tadic helped Southampton to a 4-2 win the helpless Brad Guzan in the Villa goal. for half-time substitute Rudy Gestede, but his vival and enjoying a fine Cup run, Flores’ worried about is this match.” Flores’ fall over the hapless relegated club yesterday. Tadic Villa had the chance to draw level on 22 min- header looped over the bar. hold on his position suddenly appears from grace is surprising after he was wide- twice added to Shane Long’s opener for the utes when Alan Hutton found space on the right But with 19 minutes remaining, the visitors tenuous after just three league wins in ly praised in the first half of the season for Saints as Villa’s shambolic defending made life and crossed for Leandro Bacuna, but he headed killed off any hopes of a Villa comeback when 2016. quickly establishing Watford as a competi- easy for Ronald Koeman’s side, who added a wide of the target. The visitors thought they had they scored their third goal. A poor pass from Hornets owner Gino Pozzo is not averse tive force in their first season back in the fourth goal in stoppage time through substitute doubled their lead 12 minutes before half-time Idrissa Gueye triggered a counter-attack for the to changing managers, with former top flight. Sadio Mane. Ashley Westwood scored twice for when the ball broke for Long and he finished Saints, Long’s pace forced Lescott to backpedal Atletico Madrid boss Flores his fifth Villa to draw them within a single goal of their coolly past Guzan. and the defender’s failure to make a challenge appointment in the space of 12 months ‘No fears’ visitors on two occasions at Villa Park. But that allowed long to tee up Tadic for the simplest of when he was hired last year to replace While publicly he remains confident, he was not enough to silence the angry home fans, OUT OF THE BLUE finishes. Westwood then added his and Villa’s Slavisa Jokanovic, who had led Watford to is surely aware his job security could rest who booed their players, called for the depar- But the Irishman’s celebrations were cut short second with five minutes remaining as the visi- promotion from the Championship. on winning Watford’s first FA Cup semi- ture of owner Randy Lerner and bombarded the as the officials correctly ruled out his effort for tors only half-cleared a corner and the midfield- But the 51-year-old Spaniard insists he final since 2007, so it was no surprise pitch with paper planes on another day of dis- offside. Villa ought to have levelled the scores er scored from long-range. But after Long had has tuned out the rumours to focus on Flores rested Ben Watson, Etienne Capoue, sent. Villa are now just one loss away from eight minutes before the break after Hutton hit the side-netting, Mane made no mistake in how to beat Palace and set up a final clash Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney for a 3-1 equalling a grim club record of 11 in a row, set in powered through midfield and fed Bacuna to his stoppage time as he arrived unmarked to nod against Everton or Manchester United, defeat at West Ham in midweek.— AFP the 1962-63 season. Villa should have been right. Bacuna’s cross found Westwood, but he home a Cedric Soares cross. — AFP