Shiffrin beats Hotspur manager Worley for second Pochettino relishes career16 GS win Southampton19 return WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2016 Hobart record set to fall as favourite retires Page 18 LIVERPOOL: Stoke City’s Senegalese striker Mame Biram Diouf (R) and Liverpool’s English midfielder James Milner (L) contest a high ball during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Stoke City at Anfield in Liverpool, north west England yesterday.— AFP Liverpool come roaring back to demolish Stoke ond half put the seal on a third straight victory for the ond leg, back in January-although they eventually lost on ing a James Milner pass in the box, taking a touch to control Reds, who are still unbeaten at Anfield this season. penalties that night. and another to tee himself up before firing across Grant and Liverpool 4 The win allowed the Reds to move back to within six Their boss Mark Hughes had never won away to in off both posts. points of Premier League leaders Chelsea as they moved Liverpool as a manager in the Premier League but Stoke had It was a sixth goal of the season for him and came three back above Manchester City, who they host at Anfield on their hosts on the ropes for a while after going in front. days after he had been arrested and charged for drink driv- New Year’s Eve. Without a win in four games, Stoke are 13th. Back at Anfield for the first time since leaving Liverpool in ing in the centre of Liverpool. Stoke City 1 Klopp stuck with the same team that had beaten the close season, Joe Allen engineered himself space in the Mane almost made it 3-1 seconds later with a shot that Middlesbrough and Everton away in their last two outings box before seeing his shot saved by Mignolet as Stoke slid just wide but Liverpool ran away with the game in the LIVERPOOL: A fine finish by Roberto Firmino helped as Simon Mignolet was again preferred to Loris Karius in almost doubled their lead. There were groans coming from second half. Their third goal arrived just before the hour Liverpool to come roaring back from behind and beat goal. The Belgian had kept clean sheets in each of these the Kop but Firmino lifted the home fans in the crowd of mark, as Divock Origi latched onto a Jordan Henderson pass Stoke City 4-1 as they reclaimed second place in the games but he was beaten here inside 12 minutes as Stoke over 53,000 when his shot was blocked on the line by Peter and delivered a low ball in from the left that Imbula turned Premier League table yesterday. stunned the home fans. Crouch and the equaliser then arrived after 34 minutes. into his own net under pressure from Mane. Jurgen Klopp’s side were rattled for a spell after Erik Pieters was quicker onto a loose ball than either Glen Johnson appeared to want to control the ball inside Sturridge had been on the field a matter of seconds in Jonathan Walters headed Stoke into an early lead at Sadio Mane or Nathaniel Clyne just outside the area and his his own six-yard area and Lallana pounced to tuck a low shot place of Origi when he broke his duck for the season. Anfield, but Adam Lallana restored parity before Brazilian cross from the left was met by Walters at the near post. from a tight angle between goalkeeper Lee Grant and the Pouncing on a careless blind back-pass by Ryan striker Firmino netted with a minute of the first half Mignolet got a touch to his header but could not keep it out. near post and in for his seventh goal of the season. Shawcross, the England striker’s first touch took him remaining. A Giannelli Imbula own goal and a first Premier Stoke were the last visiting team to win at Anfield when Boosted by that, Liverpool ended the first half on top and round Grant before he rolled the ball in to complete the League goal of the season for Daniel Sturridge in the sec- they beat Liverpool 1-0 in the League Cup semi-final, sec- they went in front just prior to the interval, Firmino collect- victory. — AFP Dak and Dez fire as Dallas deny Detroit ARLINGTON: The Dallas Cowboys entered the third quarter at the Lions 36, and their final regular-season home game with Detroit kicker Matt Prater missed a 47-yard the NFC East title and home-field advan- field goal on the Lions’ third and final tage in the playoffs in their back pocket. offensive series of the period. Even so, Dallas showed no signs of slowing The Cowboys responded to Prater’s down as it raced past the Detroit Lions in miss by driving 63 yards in seven plays. the third quarter on the way to a 42-21 vic- Prescott hit Bryant for a 19-yard touch- tory on Monday night at AT&T Stadium. down that put Dallas ahead 42-21 and in The Lions (9-6) were the team trying to lock total command with 12:12 left. up a playoff berth, but they couldn’t keep Stafford finished 26 of 46 for 260 yards up after halftime with Dallas (13-2), which and the one interception. Detroit running had all of its stars on display. back Zach Zenner produced two touch- Cowboys rookie quarterback Dak downs and 67 yards on 12 carries, while Prescott passed for 212 yards and three tight end Eric Ebron had eight receptions touchdowns. Wide receiver Dez Bryant for 93 yards. Bryant made a juggling one- caught a pair of TD passes and threw handed touchdown catch, despite being another, and rookie running back Ezekiel interfered with by Lions cornerback Elliott rushed for 80 yards and two scores Johnson Bademosi, to tie the game at 21 on 12 carries. going into halftime. Prescott converted a The only sign that Dallas might have let third-and-7 by hitting Bryant for the 25- its hair down a bit, with the NFC East title in yard touchdown with 1:04 left in the sec- hand, came in the third quarter when ond quarter. Bryant threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Detroit scored on its first three posses- tight end Jason Witten. sions to take a 21-14 lead with 7:40 remain- On first-and-goal from the Detroit 10, ing in the half. Zenner ran 7 yards for the Bryant took a pitch going to his left on a Lions’ first touchdown and 5 yards for the reverse and appeared headed upfield. But third. Stafford plunged forward 1 yard to just before Bryant reached the line of convert a fourth-and-goal and tie it at 14. scrimmage, he tossed to a wide-open Dallas struggled for most of the first half Witten in the end zone for the score. to stop the Lions’ combination of Stafford The Bryant-to-Witten connection put an and Zenner. Stafford finished the first half exclamation point on the Cowboys’ domi- with 137 passing yards, and Zenner rushed nation of the third quarter. for 64 on 10 carries before intermission. After going to halftime tied at 21, Dallas However, Prescott and Elliott helped the won the third 14-0 by moving the ball effi- Cowboys keep pace. Prescott hit wide ciently and shutting down the Lions’ receiver Brice Butler for a 21-yard touch- offense. down to give Dallas a 7-0 lead after its first Cowboys safety J.J. Wilcox ended drive. Elliott broke loose for a 55-yard Detroit’s second-half-opening possession touchdown run late in the second quarter by intercepting Matthew Stafford at the to put the Cowboys back in front 14-7. ARLINGTON: Dez Bryant #88 of the Dallas Cowboys pulls in a touchdown pass against Johnson Bademosi #29 of the Detroit Lions in the sec- Lions 46-yard line. Elliott finished the first half with 74 yards ond quarter at AT&T Stadium on Monday in Arlington, Texas. The Dallas Cowboys, already assured of home field advantage throughout the Dallas stopped Detroit’s second series of on eight carries. — Reuters playoffs, didn’t let up Monday in a 42-21 rout of Detroit that prevented the Lions from clinching their own NFL post-season berth. — AFP.