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Home , Craig Cathcart, Craig Dawson, Darren Fletcher, Graham Dorrans, Jack Butland, Jonny Howson

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2015 SPORTS Norwich pair Howson, Mbokani cut Villa adrift

as Norwich City recorded a 2-0 victory at doomed. It was only Norwich’s second was also obliged to repel a header from claim a second goal early in the second yesterday. league win over Villa in 13 attempts and . half, steering wide after Brad Guzan spilt a Norwich City 2 Howson volleyed home in the 24th came a day after the appointment of for- But the visitors could not make their curling effort from Redmond. minute and Congolese striker Mbokani mer British shadow chancellor Ed Balls as territorial advantage count and they duly Garde sent on Adama Traore, Rudy struck three minutes from time as club chairman. Villa are now without a win fell behind, Howson volleying home Gestede and Jack Grealish in his despera- Norwich drew three points clear of the in a club-record 18 league matches, but crisply with his left foot after Bacuna par- tion for an equaliser, but instead Norwich Aston Villa 0 relegation zone. Villa manager Remi they could count themselves unfortunate tially cleared ’s left-wing sealed victory when Mbokani nodded in Garde had warned his side that they had to be trailing at half-time, having started cross. Now Norwich had their tails up and ’s left-wing cross. to win one of their next two games, but the match on the front foot. went close to doubling Even a consolation goal proved NORWICH: Jonny Howson and ahead of Saturday’s trip to Sunderland, Leandro Bacuna saw an early 25-yard their lead when he shot wide after Villa beyond the beleaguered visitors, with Dieumerci Mbokani ushered Aston Villa a they are 11 points adrift of safety at the sighter parried unconvincingly by switched off at a corner. Rudd clawing away Ayew’s stoppage-time step closer to relegation foot of the table and look increasingly Norwich goalkeeper Declan Rudd, who Howson spurned a good chance to free-kick. —AFP Super-sub Son sinks 10-man Watford 2-1

Watford 1

Tottenham 2

WATFORD: South Korea forward Son Heung- min hit a dramatic late winner for Tottenham to earn a 2-1 victory over 10-man Watford yester- day. Son came off the substitutes’ bench to back- heel ’s cross home in the 89th minute at . : Everton’s Romelu Lukaku, background, goes on to score his side’s sec- Erik Lamela had pounced on a mistake to ond goal, during the English Premier League soccer match between Everton and open the scoring before Nigerian striker Odion Stoke City, at Goodison Park, in Liverpool, England, yesterday. — AP Ighalo scored for the sixth successive game to haul Watford level before half-time. Tottenham looked set to be left frustrated Late penalty gives Stoke despite having the numerical advantage for much of the second half. Nathan Ake had been win in seven-goal thriller red-carded for a high challenge on Lamela in the 63rd minute but instead of driving the visitors ing the ball on to leave Shaqiri with an easy fin- on it was Watford who appeared to rise to the ish for his first Stoke goal. challenge. Everton 3 Everton were only behind for six minutes, But Son had other ideas as he netted to though, as Ross Barkley and James McCarthy ensure Tottenham kept up their charge towards combined to set up Lukaku, who turned and the top of the Premier League. Tottenham man- fired past having been played on ager Mauricio Pochettino would have taken one by Erik Pieters. Stoke City 4 look at the video of Watford’s previous home Brendan Galloway shot just wide and WATFORD: Tottenham Hotspur’s South Korean striker Son Heung-Min controls the ball during Seamus Coleman might have had a penalty rout of Liverpool to know that they could not be taken lightly. the English Premier League football match between Watford and Tottenham Hotspur at Vicarage LIVERPOOL: Marko Arnautovic scored a last- when he went down under a Pieters tackle as Road Stadium in Watford, north of London yesterday. Tottenham won the game 2-1. — AFP gasp penalty as Stoke City beat Everton 4-3 in a the home side pushed forward, but Stoke were Watford had surpassed all expectations by thrilling game at Goodison Park yesterday. back ahead thanks to a stunning goal just climbing into the top 10 before the year was out. but a glaring error from saw underneath Hugo Lloris. Arnautovic beat Tim Howard from the spot before the interval. Survival appears a formality for the promoted Lamela give the visitors a 17th minute lead. Tottenham needed to respond but breaking as the match moved into stoppage time after Bojan’s superb cross-field pass caught out side. Spurs, on the other hand, have loftier ambi- The Northern Ireland defender was caught in down an organised and stubborn Watford side the Austrian forward had gone down under a the Everton defence and Swiss former Bayern tions. A Champions League finish is a minimum possession by and Lamela broke to slot was no easy task. A concerted spell of pressure challenge inside the area. Munich star Shaqiri outpaced Galloway before target but a first top-flight crown since 1961 is past Watford’s former Tottenham goalkeeper saw head Trippier’s cross just wide. It was a dramatic end to a humdinger of a beating Howard with a sublime first-time chip certainly not beyond them. . Then came the game changing decision game as Everton came away with nothing that sailed into the net. Again Lukaku struck to To take another step towards achieving that That goal came largely against the run of play which saw left-back Ake, on loan from Chelsea, despite Romelu Lukaku scoring twice to take his bring Everton level just after the hour mark as aim, they would have to do what few sides have but Tottenham appeared to be keeping the shown a straight red card by referee Anthony tally to 11 goals in his last 10 games and go level he controlled a long ball forward from substitute done and that would be to keep hosts at an arm’s length, with Jurado only threat- Taylor. Watford were furious but replays suggest- with Leicester City’s atop the before smashing past Butland to and Ighalo quiet. The most prolific pairing in the ening with a long-range drive. ed it was the right call. Premier League scorers’ charts with 15 for the make it 2-2. It was his eighth goal in his last sev- league have combined to devastating effect and That was until Ighalo kept up his amazing Spurs were now camped in the Watford half, season. en Premier League games at Goodison and he that might have been behind Pochettino’s think- goal record four minutes from the break. The but were struggling for ideas before Son struck It was a second straight home loss for was involved again as Everton took the lead for ing as he switched to a three-man defence. Nigerian shrugged off and made the late on to snatch a barely deserved win that Everton and a blow to their European hopes, the first time on 71 minutes, finding Barkley Watford have been strong at the other end most of a fortunate rebound to tuck the ball cemented their position in the top four. — AFP while Stoke followed their 2-0 win against before the England man’s ball across goal was United on Boxing Day to go above turned in by Gerard Deulofeu. their opponents and into eighth in the table. Roberto Martinez’s side looked set to go and Darlow blunder piles on ’s side had beaten United win it but they were denied as Stoke hit back thanks to goals by Bojan Krkic and Arnautovic again with 10 minutes remaining. and that duo were involved when the visitors Howard could only help on a cross from the opened the scoring on a blustery Merseyside left by Arnautovic and substitute Joselu volleyed misery for Newcastle afternoon. The game was just 16 minutes old in at the back post, the goal the 40th scored at when Bojan accelerated into the area down the Goodison in 10 games this season, but not the left and found Arnautovic, the big Austrian help- last of the day as Arnautovic won it. — AFP Palace stretch unbeaten West Brom 1 run with Swansea stalemate Newcastle 0 Moroccan striker Marouane Chamakh made his first start for Palace in the league this sea- Palace 0 son, while Swansea caretaker boss Alan Curtis WEST BROMWICH: Newcastle were plunged shuffled his pack as he made eight changes to deeper into relegation trouble after rookie goal- the side that defeated the Baggies. keeper ’s howler gifted West Bromwich Palace picked up Albion a 1-0 win yesterday. Darlow allowed Albion Swansea 0 his fifth booking of the season, ruling him out midfielder ’s header to slip through of Sunday’s visit of Chelsea, in what was a quiet his grasp in the closing stages at . first half at Selhurst Park. The hosts nearly went The 25-year-old’s mistake leaves Steve McClaren’s in front just minutes after the restart when LONDON: Crystal Palace stretched their unbeat- third-from-bottom side two points adrift of safety Brede Hangeland flicked on a Cabaye free-kick, en run in the Premier League to six matches fol- after a second successive defeat. It was an equally but Swansea goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski thrust lowing an uneventful 0-0 draw at home to significant result for Albion as former Manchester out his left hand to make a brilliant reflex stop. Swansea City. United star Fletcher’s goal secured just a second Palace keeper was forced It was a second straight stalemate for Alan win in their last nine games and lifted them six to tip over a firmly-struck effort from Modou Pardew’s side after they were held at Barrow, with substitute Patrick Bamford then points clear of the bottom three. Bournemouth on Boxing Day, as the result kept shooting straight at Fabianski at the other end. Newcastle lost against Everton on Boxing Day Palace fifth in the table ahead of later games. Both sides have chances to snatch all three after Tom Cleverley struck with virtually the last Swansea, who recorded a first win in eight points late on, with flashing a shot touch of the game. McClaren must have feared matches when they beat West Brom 1-0 on just wide before Gylfi Sigurdsson had an effort more bad luck would scupper his plans when Saturday, continued their mini-revival as they turned away by Hennessey. — AFP goalkeeper was forced to pull out after pulled two points clear of the bottom three. feeling unwell just before kick-off, giving Darlow his first Premier League start. After an emotional WEST BROMWICH: Newcastle United’s (right) contests a header with West minute’s silence for former Albion manager Don Bromwich Albion’s during an English Premier League football match at The Howe, who died last week aged 80, the hosts Hawthorns yesterday. — AP nearly took an early lead when James Morrison drove in a shot that was hooked off the line by Newcastle captain . EPL results/standings Newcastle threatened for the first time when Ayoze Perez’s effort was a fraction away from curl- ing into the top corner. Crystal Palace 0, Swansea City 0; Everton 3, Stoke City 4; Norwich City 2, Aston Villa 0; Watford 1, Albion striker Victor Anichebe, making his first Tottenham Hotspur 2, West Bromwich Albion 1, Newcastle United 0. start since the opening day of the season, caught Newcastle’s Vurnon Anita midway through the P W D L F A Pts half and the midfielder had to be replaced by Leicester City 18 11 5 2 37 25 38 Cheick Tiote. As Newcastle adjusted to that Arsenal 18 11 3 4 31 18 36 change, Albion midfielder Morrison almost took Tottenham Hotspur 19 9 8 2 33 15 35 advantage with a low shot that flashed wide. Manchester City 18 11 2 5 37 20 35 McClaren’s men came close to breaking the dead- Crystal Palace 19 9 4 6 23 16 31 lock early in the second half when Paul Dummett’s Manchester United 18 8 5 5 22 16 29 header hit the crossbar. Watford 19 8 5 6 24 20 29 Albion manager sent on Saido Stoke City 19 8 5 6 20 19 29 Berahino for the last 20 minutes, but the striker’s Liverpool 18 7 6 5 21 22 27 arrival was greeted by jeers from sections of the Everton 19 6 8 5 35 28 26 crowd who remain unhappy about his attempts to West Ham United 18 6 8 4 26 22 26 engineer a move to Tottenham. Anichebe Southampton 18 6 6 6 25 21 24 appealed in vain for a penalty when he tumbled West Bromwich 19 6 5 8 18 24 23 under a challenge by Darlow. AFC Bournemouth 18 5 5 8 22 32 20 There was more frustration for the hosts when Norwich City 19 5 5 9 22 32 20 Anichebe’s header hit the woodwork after a poor Chelsea 18 5 4 9 23 29 19 punch from Darlow led to a corner. Swansea City 19 4 7 8 16 24 19 LONDON: Crystal Palace’s US-born Norwegian defender Brede Hangeland (R) tackles But Albion’s pressure was finally rewarded in Newcastle United 19 4 5 10 19 34 17 Swansea City’s French striker Bafetimbi Gomis (L) during the English Premier League the 78th minute when Fletcher made a perfectly- Sunderland 18 3 3 12 19 37 12 football match between Crystal Palace and Swansea City at Selhurst Park in south timed run to head Claudio Yacob’s cross through Aston Villa 19 1 5 13 15 34 8 London yesterday. — AFP Darlow’s weak attempted save. — AFP