Sports FRIDAY, JANUARY 16 , 2015

Saints march on as Spurs stage FA Cup comeback

LONDON: Shane Long scored the winner as Premier But as the loose ball squirted away to the right of the Townsend’s cross was nodded on by Soldado and Paulinho League high-flyers Southampton saw off second-tier area, Republic of Ireland striker Long let fly with a first-time took the ball on his chest before unleashing a half-volley. Ipswich Town 1-0 in their FA Cup third-round replay on shot for what turned out to be the only goal of the game. Spurs equalised on the stroke of half-time through Wednesday. Victory saw the Saints, third in the Premier “It was a tough game,” Long told the BBC. “It was very Etienne Capoue before two goals early in the second half, League, book a fourth-round tie at home to top-flight rivals windy and the pitch was cut up. Ipswich are third in the from Vlad Chriches and Danny Rose, completed the come- Crystal Palace-a side now managed by former Championship for a reason and it was hard.” back. Afterwards, Pochettino said his side had been Southampton boss Alan Pardew. On the stroke of half-time, Southampton-already miss- involved in a “strange game”. “It was key to go in at half- Meanwhile Mauricio Pochettino, another ex- ing the influential Morgan Schneiderlin - saw Victor time at 2-2,” he added. “The team has shown character and Southampton manager, had a night to remember as his Wanyama suffer what appeared to be a hamstring injury. faith... I am happy they showed character because that is Tottenham Hotspur team came from 2-0 down to beat But Saints manager Ronald Koeman said he had no important.” Burnley manager Sean Dyche said: “We came Burnley 4-2 at White Hart Lane to set up another all-top plans to reinforce his squad by signing players during the here to win but it was a game of mistakes from us.” In division Cup clash, at home to basement club Leicester. January transfer window. “Victor Wanyama is a pity,” Yorkshire, Bradford added to the pressure on Millwall man- Elsewhere, third-tier Bradford defeated second division Koeman said. “I won’t necessarily go into the transfer mar- ager Ian Holloway, whose side are battling to avoid relega- Millwall 4-0 as the Bantams booked a lucrative glamour tie ket, I have young lads who we can use.” tion from the Championship. away to Premier League leaders Chelsea. Ipswich had done Millwall were a man down as early as the sixth minute well to hold Southampton, third in the Premier League, to a ‘Strange game’ after defender Mark Beevers was sent off for a wild chal- 1-1 draw at St Mary’s and the 1978 FA Cup-winners had an There was a frantic start in north London with three lenge on Bradford striker James Hanson, with Bantams early effort from Stephen Hunt disallowed for offside. goals inside the opening 10 minutes at White Hart Lane. boss Phil Parkinson and assistant Steve Parkin ordered to It needed an opportunist strike from Long to give south Marvin Sordell gave visitors Burnley a third-minute lead the stands for their part in the melee that followed. coast side Southampton, fresh from their morale-boosting and five minutes later the Clarets, who held Spurs to a 1-1 Bradford were 3-0 up before the interval thanks to goals win away to Manchester United-the team they beat to win draw at Turf Moor, were 2-0 ahead when Ross Wallace’s 25- from Hanson, Jon Stead and Andy Halliday before Billy the 1976 FA Cup final-the lead in the 19th minute at a yard free-kick took a huge deflection off Roberto Soldado Knott added a fourth early in the second half. “I said to the windswept Portman Road. and beat the wrong-footed Michel Vorm. lads at half-time I had to apologise for that because I had to Saints’ James Ward-Prowse was dispossessed by an But within minutes Spurs, who beat Burnley to win the ask them to keep their cool and stay on the pitch,” said excellent sliding tackle from Ipswich’s Tommy Smith. 1962 FA Cup final, had pulled a goal back. Andros Parkinson. “But I’m glad it didn’t ruin a great night.” — AFP

Pochettino hails battling Spurs

LONDON: Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino saluted his players’ spirit after they roared back from two goals down to reach the FA Cup fourth round with a 4-2 win over Burnley. Pochettino’s side were in danger of a surprise exit when Burnley scored twice in the first eight minutes of Wednesday’s third-round replay at White Hart Lane. But those goals from Marvin Sordell and Ross Wallace were cancelled out by Tottenham midfielders Paulinho and Etienne Capoue before half- time. Vlad Chiriches headed Spurs in front early in the second half and Danny Rose netted soon after to seal a victory that booked a fourth-round home tie against Leicester later in January. Tottenham’s superb recovery was exactly what Pochettino needed after his team’s disappointing Premier League defeat at struggling Crystal Palace last weekend and the Argentine was quick to show his gratitude for their spirited efforts. “I’m happy because we showed our character to go through,” he said. “It’s difficult to explain the start, you need to be focused and maybe for the first goal we were not. “But after 2-0 down we fixed something from a tactical point of view and if we take these first 10 minutes out then we deserved to go to the next round. “The most important thing was how the team came back into the game. We showed character and faith to come back and get into the fourth round. LISBON: Chelsea’s head coach Jose Mourinho poses on the red carpet at the ceremony “Quinas de Ouro” celebrating the “It is very important for us to do well in this competition. “It’s 100th anniversary of the Portuguese Football Federation held at Casino do Estoril on the outskirts of Lisbon on very important after we lost the opportunity to move up the Wednesday. — AFP table on Saturday. “It’s important for the confidence because today different players had the opportunity to play and show they can fight for the team.” More twists in store Soldado woes Tottenham’s successful fightback meant Pochettino was able in relegation drama to take a relaxed tone when asked about the continued struggles of Spanish striker Roberto Soldado. Soldado has endured a miser- able 18 months with Spurs and his lack of form and confidence LONDON: As the Premier League season heads towards its final third against one of the sides around them and edge towards the predict- was painfully clear to see when he somehow contrived to hit the a two-horse title race is in danger of being overshadowed by an ed 36-point safety target. With Pardew taking the reins at his old club bar from close-range in the first half. intriguing relegation survival battle featuring half the table. Crystal Palace in the wake of Neil Warnock’s sacking and former That could have proved a costly miss as Spurs were still trail- With leaders Chelsea and champions Manchester City matching Palace boss Tony Pulis replacing Alan Irvine at West Bromwich Albion ing at the time, yet Pochettino, rather than further erode his play- each other stride for stride, neutrals could miss a few episodes of that the managerial merry-go-round has started. Aston Villa’s Paul er’s morale by dwelling on the miss, chose to accentuate the pos- particular drama and return with the plot unchanged. Turn away Lambert will be looking over his shoulder, as will Harry Redknapp at itive and praised the Spaniard’s work rate. “It is always a tough from events at the other end of the table, however, and the twisted Queens Park Rangers. Lambert’s side are 13th, have managed only 11 period when a striker doesn’t score but I’m very happy with his storyline may have altered course. Only nine points separate bottom goals all season, none in the last four and are three points above the performance,” Pochettino said. “In football you don’t need to club Leicester City (17) with 11th placed Stoke City (26) while only drop zone. After a 1-0 loss at Leicester last week Villa fans set up an apologise. I think he deserved a goal. “For the me the most three points cover the bottom six. online petition to have Lambert sacked and more woe at home to important thing is he always fights and tries to do his best. Saturday sees two of the clubs in the mire meet in a so-called ‘six Liverpool on Saturday would add a few more names. “His attitude is perfect. In football when you try hard every pointer’ when 17th placed Burnley (20 points) take on 15th placed Redknapp’s 19th placed QPR host Manchester United at Loftus day, always the reward arrives.” After squandering their blistering Crystal Palace (20) at Turf Moor. Sean Dyche’s Burnley, promoted last Road, which has been a refuge for the London side, who have won 19 start with a series of sloppy defensive mistakes, Burnley can now season, have hit form at an opportune time, drawing with Manchester points at home and none in 10 away games. Away from the muddied focus on trying to avoid relegation from the top flight. City and Newcastle United and beating Queens Park Rangers in their waters of the bottom half, things are more straightforward, at least as Clarets boss Sean Dyche was unhappy with his side’s defend- last three league games. Palace came from behind to beat Tottenham far as the title race. Chelsea, who edged two points clear of City last ing and acknowledged they could have few complaints about Hotspur last week in Alan Pardew’s first game in charge. Both clubs weekend, visit Swansea City on Saturday. City face an in-and-out the result.—AFP will see the game as a massive opportunity to strike a direct blow Arsenal side at home on Sunday. — Reuters