Cavs cruise to Australia rout victory Afghanistan THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 201517 18 From Bradford to Napier, all for the love of Pakistan Page 19 SOUTHAMPTON: Crystal Palace’s Yannick Bolasie (top) collides with Southampton’s Maya Yoshida during the English Premier League soccer match. — AP Saints back into top-four race placed Manchester United, who crossbar. the scoring when he burst play their game in hand against Palace had already won at St through and shot tamely straight EPL results/standings Southampton 1 Newcastle late yesterday. Mary’s in the FA Cup in January at Forster. Then seconds later Zaha With the race to qualify for the and they came close to taking the skimmed a low shot against the Aston Villa 2 (Agbonlahor 22, Benteke 90-pen) West Brom 1 (Berahino 66); Hull 1 (N’Doye 15) Champions League hotting up, lead when Saints goalkeeper far post after Southampton’s for- Sunderland 1 (Rodwell 77); Southampton 1 (Mane 83) Crystal Palace 0. this was an essential victory for Fraser Forster dropped a Yannick mer Palace defender Jose Fonte English Premier League table after Tuesday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals Crystal Palace 0 Saints, who had gone three games Bolasie cross. took too long to clear. against, points): without a win or a goal. Wilfried Zaha should have tak- Those misses eventually came Chelsea 26 18 6 2 56 22 60 Newcastle 27 9 8 10 32 42 35 Eljero Elia had the first sight of en advantage, but he hesitated back to haunt Palace. Saints goal for Southampton, but he and Forster recovered to scoop pressed for the winner and Japan’s Man City 27 16 7 4 57 27 55 Crystal Palace 28 7 9 12 31 39 30 Arsenal 27 15 6 6 51 29 51 West Brom 28 7 9 12 26 36 30 SOUTHAMPTON: Southampton couldn’t keep his shot on target. the ball clear. Speroni showed Maya Yoshida reached a corner at climbed to fifth in the Premier Koeman’s team should have been Forster how to do it as the Palace the far post, only to drag his effort Man Utd 27 14 8 5 46 26 50 Everton 27 6 10 11 33 39 28 League after Sadio Mane’s late ahead soon after as Victor goalkeeper made a fine stop to just wide. Southampton 28 15 4 9 39 20 49 Hull 28 6 9 13 26 37 27 strike clinched a 1-0 win against Wanyama miscued a 25-yard shot keep out Elia’s low shot. Palace’s The deadlock was finally bro- Liverpool 27 14 6 7 40 30 48 Sunderland 28 4 14 10 23 39 26 Crystal Palace on Tuesday. into the path of the unmarked first shot on target came early in ken in the 83rd minute when sub- Tottenham 26 13 5 8 41 36 44 Aston Villa 28 6 7 15 15 38 25 Filip Djuricic. the second half when Bolasie stitute James Ward-Prowse drove Senegal winger Mane netted Swansea 27 11 7 9 31 34 40 QPR 26 6 4 16 27 45 22 with seven minutes remaining at With just Julian Speroni to beat crossed to Jason Puncheon, who in a low cross that Speroni could West Ham 27 10 9 8 39 33 39 Burnley 27 4 10 13 25 45 22 St Mary’s to move Ronald from inside the penalty area, the fired in a shot that Forster only push towards Mane, who Koeman’s side above Liverpool Serbian midfielder snatched at the punched away. clipped a cool chip back over the Stoke 27 11 6 10 31 34 39 Leicester 26 4 6 16 24 42 18 and to within one point of fourth chance and it flew high over the Bolasie should have opened keeper and into the net. — AFP Benteke keeps nerve to Sunderland hold Hull The England international was not in end Villa losing run the visitors’ squad, having been suspend- Hull 1 ed by Sunderland pending the outcome of the police investigation, but the visi- hand on Villa while Burnley have tors were able to call upon centre-back one and both have slightly better Wes Brown after his red card in Saturday’s Aston Villa 2 goal difference. Sunderland 1 2-0 defeat at Manchester United was “This result will give us confi- rescinded. dence,” said Agbonlahor. “We After a frenetic start, Hull went ahead believe we can stay up and we’re when N’Doye cleverly found the net with not going to look back now. Any West Brom 1 LONDON: Sunderland manager Gus a back-heel from Tom Huddlestone’s point is crucial but to get all three... Poyet angrily clashed with Hull City coun- “We’ve not had any luck all sea- drilled free-kick. terpart Steve Bruce after being sent off The game’s main talking point arrived son but we did today with the late during a stormy 1-1 Premier League draw penalty.” Villa’s lack of goals this sea- in the 36th minute when Sunderland BIRMINGHAM: Christian Benteke’s between the teams on Tuesday. After midfielder Rodwell was booked for diving penalty in time added on ended a son has become something of a Senegalese striker Dame N’Doye had put running joke but they were nearly after going to ground inside the Hull box. run of seven successive defeats for Hull ahead in the 15th minute at the KC handed one early in the game Poyet’s furious reaction saw him sent Aston Villa as they emerged 2-1 Stadium, Poyet was sent to the stands for winners over West Brom in their through a terrible error by West to the stands and he reacted by marching Brom ‘keeper Ben Foster. BIRMINGHAM: West Brom’s Saido Berahino (left) holds the ball protesting about referee Mike Dean’s over to Bruce and proffering his hand, Premier League clash on Tuesday. decision to book Jack Rodwell for diving. Benteke-who also scored the The England international some- from Villa’s Ashley Westwood during the English Premier League provoking an angry response from the how scooped Gabriel Agbonlahor’s soccer match. — AP He reacted by striding over to remon- Hull manager, who had to be held back winner from the penalty spot in the strate with Bruce, a former Sunderland corresponding fixture last term shot through his legs and Foster went on a 50 yard run of celebra- himself some space and curled a by the fourth official. manager, who had to be restrained by though that was a seven goal only spared himself severe embar- tion. delightful effort round Foster only Hull continued to press in the second thriller- restored the hosts one goal rassment by getting back to pre- Barely having got his breath for it to cannon to safety off a post. the fourth official as Poyet walked away. half, with N’Doye spooning a shot over advantage after Saido Berahino vent the ball going over the line. back the former Spurs manager Finally the visitors produced a Poyet had the last laugh in the 77th the bar from Nikica Jelavic’s lay-off and had levelled for the visitors follow- Agbonlahor, once such a bright nearly had to repeat it minutes later chance but it was spurned as Chris minute when Rodwell headed in an also heading off-target. ing Gabriel Agbonlahor’s early hope for club and country, made as Agbonlahor had another goal- Brunt’s superb cross was headed equaliser that left Sunderland four points But Sunderland equalised with 13 strike. no mistake second time round as bound effort cleared off the line by over by Craig Dawson as the hour above the relegation zone, a point below minutes to play when substitute Patrick Villa’s win-their first in 13 league the 28-year-old escaped the atten- Lescott. mark approached. Hull. van Aanholt’s delightful cross was bun- matches-is their first since beating tions of Joleon Lescott and slotted West Brom didn’t appear to However, it was a temporary let- Sunderland’s preparations for the dled in from close range by Rodwell. the ball past Foster. bottom side Leicester three months know how to cope with their oppo- off for the hosts as the pendulum of game had been clouded by the arrest N’Doye might have won the game for ago and sees them climb out of the This provoked a quite extraordi- nents playing so out of character the nervy encounter swung West and subsequent release on bail of winger nary release of tension from Villa Hull moments later, but his header from bottom three with a three point and nearly conceded a second goal Brom’s way when Saido Berahino Adam Johnson over allegations he Ahmed Elmohamady’s cross was brilliant- manager Tim Sherwood who on the stroke of half-time as former turned in from close range with just advantage over QPR and Burnley. engaged in sexual activity with an under- ly saved by Sunderland goalkeeper Costel pumped his arms in the air and Leeds starlet Fabian Delph worked over 20 minutes remaining. — AFP QPR, though have two games in age girl. Pantilimon. — AFP.