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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2019

Bottas on pole at US Grand 76ers stun Blazers on Korkmaz De Ligt keeps Juventus top and 25Prix, Hamilton starts in fifth 26 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left 27 Inter at bay with derby winner

Leicester seal victory at Palace Everton deny Tottenham long-awaited away win

LONDON: Leicester City’s English defender (2L) jumps over Crystal Palace’s Scottish midfielder James McArthur during the English football match between Crystal Palace and Leicester City at Selhurst Park in south London yesterday. — AFP

LONDON: Leicester City underlined their league victory to put them back above have so many options and it can only bene- gest Leicester can sustain their challenge. after the hour mark. Premier League top-four credentials as Chelsea into third place on goal difference fit us.” After an even first half of few “They carry a very clear goal threat and Everton were then left frustrated as Alli goals by Caglar Soyuncu and with 23 points from 11 games. chances, Leicester looked the more likely that’s a major difference,” he said. “The was not penalised for a handball inside his sealed a clinical 2-0 victory at Crystal They are only two points behind cham- side to score after the break, especially service (Vardy) is getting now and the abili- own area despite a lengthy delay for a VAR Palace yesterday. pions Manchester City, who are in second from the set piece deliveries of Maddison. ty of the midfield to keep the ball is elevat- review. The injury to Gomes was the turning Soyuncu, who has replaced centre back place, and six above fifth-placed Arsenal. From one Maddison corner Jonny Evans ing them to a team in the top four. “They point with Son visibly upset even before he Harry Maguire this season, broke the dead- While Leicester’s slick attack has made the forced a fine save by Vicente Guaita and are in the top four on merit. That’s how well was shown a red card. lock when he headed in ’s headlines in the past week, they have con- from the next, the ball flashed across the they’re playing.” And Tottenham failed to hold out for a 57th-minute corner for his first Leicester ceded only eight goals in the league this area where Soyuncu stooped to score. Meanwhile, Cenk Tosun’s header eight first away win in the Premier League since goal. Leicester never looked like relinquish- season and keeper had Leicester’s second in the 88th minute was a minutes into stoppage time salvaged a 1-1 January when substitute Tosun bulleted ing their lead and Vardy added some late a quiet day. great team effort that oozed class. The out- draw for Everton against Tottenham in a home a header from Luca Digne’s cross gloss with his 10th goal of the season. What is more, in terms of Premier standing found Vardy who match overshadowed by a serious injury to during 12 minutes of time added due to As impressive as last week’s 9-0 win at League wins since took then played a one-two with Demarai Gray Everton midfielder Andre Gomes. VAR reviews and Gomes’s injury. 10-man Southampton was, yesterday’s dis- over after the sacking of Claude Puel eight before peeling off and slotting a left-foot Spurs’ Son Heung-min was shown a A point does little to improve a poor play was perhaps more meaningful in terms months ago, only Liverpool and Man City shot past Guaita. straight red card for his foul on the start to the season for either side with of Leicester’s ambitions this season. Palace have won more league games. Leicester could have made it 3-0 in Portuguese international, but the injury was Everton still hovering just one place above could have gone fifth with a win but “The creativity and attacking talent we stoppage time when Ben Chilwell hit the suffered as Gomes’s momentum saw him the relegation zone, while Spurs remain in Leicester were in control throughout and have is incredible,” Vardy, who leads the post from a tight angle. Palace boss Roy crash into Serge Aurier. The visitors led 1-0 the bottom half with 13 points from their thoroughly deserved a third successive Premier League scoring charts, said. “We Hodgson said he had seen enough to sug- at that stage thanks to Dele Alli’s strike just first 11 games. — Agencies

run stand for the third wicket. “Pollution is not an issue for Mushfiqur leads me. I was more concerned about facing the opposition lost to Russian Karen Khachanov in last year’s Bercy final, bowlers than worry about pollution,” saved the only break point he faced as he sealed his fourth “Thank u to both the teams to play this game @ImRo45 Djokovic cruises win from as many matches against the world number 28 Bangladesh to first @BCBtigers under tough conditions .. well done Shapovalov. The 16-time Grand Slam champion has now bangladesh,” the former India captain wrote on Twitter. to fifth Paris won 34 Masters titles, moving to within one of Nadal at the Soumya was bowled by paceman Khaleel Ahmed but top of the all-time list, and 77 on the ATP Tour in total. T20 win over India Mushfiqur survived a dropped chance at 38 to hit four It was Djokovic’s fifth trophy of the season after previ- consecutive boundaries off Ahmed to put Bangladesh Masters title ous triumphs at Wimbledon and the US Open, as well as at ahead. Skipper Mahmudullah Riyad joined Mushfiqur at NEW DELHI: Mushfiqur Rahim yesterday said pollution the Madrid Open and in Tokyo. His success adds to his the crease and brought up the win with a six off debutant previous Paris Masters titles from 2009 and 2013-2015. did not bother him after his unbeaten half-century pow- all-rounder Shivam Dube. He made an unbeaten 15. PARIS: Novak Djokovic eased to a record-extending fifth Shapovalov, who claimed his maiden ATP title last month in ered Bangladesh to their first-ever Twenty20 international Bowlers Shafiul Islam and Aminul Islam claimed two Paris Masters title by brushing aside Canadian youngster Stockholm, kicked off the second set with a double fault, victory over India in smog-hit New Delhi. wickets each to play a key part in Bangladesh winning Denis Shapovalov in Sunday’s final, boosting his hopes of before a mishit forehand handed Djokovic a break point. Mushfiqur made 60 to anchor Bangladesh’s chase of their first T20 against India in nine attempts. taking the year-end world number one spot. The top seed But the left-handed Canadian recovered with aces 149 as the tourists achieved their target with three balls to India lost early wickets including skipper Rohit Sharma claimed a dominant 6-3, 6-4 victory over his 20-year-old on both break point and game point to hold his serve. spare. They won by seven wickets to lead the three-match who was trapped leg before wicket for nine off Shafiul in opponent, who looked nervous after being the beneficiary The form that he showed in his brilliant quarter-final series 1-0. The Indian capital has been blanketed by smog the first over of the innings. Aminul then struck twice to of Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal before their scheduled semi- win over Gael Monfils on Friday was nowhere to be with authorities saying air pollution had reached “emer- rattle the opposition top-order with KL Rahul, who made final. Djokovic will lose top spot in the rankings to Nadal seen, though, and the 32-year-old Djokovic moved to gency” levels, with schools closed and other restrictions 15, and Shreyas Iyer, who scored 22, letting go of their next week, but could still equal Pete Sampras’ record by the brink of victory with a break in game seven to lead imposed. But it was business as usual at Delhi’s Feroz Shah starts. Opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan made 41 with finishing a sixth year as the world’s best player. the second set 4-3. Kotla ground with Bangladesh restricting the hosts to 148 three sixes but returned to the pavilion after being run out The 33-year-old Nadal is a fitness doubt for the ATP Shapovalov, who will move into the world’s top 15 next for six after electing to bowl first. as India slumped further. Tour Finals, which start in London on November 10, due to week, gave himself a glimmer of hope by moving to 30-40 The tourists, who had trained in masks for the opening Pollution levels turned hazardous during the past week, an abdominal muscle strain, while Djokovic has won the on Djokovic’s serve, but the Serbian closed the door, game of their tour, were in trouble at 54-2 when Soumya putting the match in danger of being called off, but the season-ending championships five times. Djokovic, who although he was then forced to serve for the title. —AFP Sarkar, who made 39, and Mushfiqur put on a crucial 60- BCCI felt it was too late to change the venue.—AFP