MONDAY, APRIL 5, 2021 12

De Bruyne salutes Man City’s title focus Spurs frustrated by Newcastle, Saints boost survival bid Newcastle’s snatches point off Tottenham despite Kane double

Southampton’s Nathan• Redmond seals dramatic comeback The is win over Burnley hard and is high-level football, and when TDT | Manama in some actions you Leicester City’s Wilfred Ndidi challenges Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne don’t show that you AFP | London belong to that high ottenham’s bid for a top- level of football, it’s four finish in the Premier evin De Bruyne says Man- League suffered a set- difficult Kchester City’s focused All we can do is rest up, Tback as Joe Willock’s late strike JOSE MOURINHO approach has been key to the be ready for the games rescued a 2-2 draw for lowly leaders’ surge towards the Pre- and the manager Newcastle, while Southampton Four minutes later, Kane mier League title. chooses the players took a huge step towards surviv- bagged his 29th club goal of the Pep Guardiola’s side beat who have been here the al with a 3-2 victory over fellow season in ruthless style as he Leicester 2-0 on Saturday and strugglers Burnley yesterday. raced onto Tanguy Ndombele’s Joe Willock equalises for Newcastle need just three wins from their longest. When you win Jose Mourinho’s side were inch-perfect pass and fired into final seven games to secure a the game it’s always just five minutes away from chance of the game to make it Newcastle’s early pressure the far corner. third title in four seasons. the right pick. The moving into fourth place when 3-1 and kill it, then we concede was rewarded, with an helping But Kane was denied a third Goals from Benjamin Mendy team did really well Willock equalised at St James’ a goal the next minute.” hand from Tottenham’s Japhet goal when he hit the post and and Gabriel Jesus sent City 17 and I am really pleased Park. Asked why Tottenham have Tanganga, in the 28th minute. moments later Newcastle points clear of second-placed KEVIN DE BRUYNE had put Newcastle struggled to hold onto leads Tanganga gifted possession snatched an 85th-minute equal- Manchester United. ahead, but Harry Kane struck when his teams have been so to with a wayward iser. City’s 15th successive away lock,” De Bruyne told City’s twice in four minutes before solid defensively in the past, pass and the Tottenham defend- Joelinton headed Ritchie’s win in all competitions was website. the break. Mourinho replied: “Same coach, er’s team-mates were slow to cross back across goal and al- especially impressive as it “I thought we were really Even Kane’s latest heroics different players. react as found though Hugo Lloris kept out came against in-form Leices- good today. Especially the weren’t enough for Tottenham “The Premier League is hard the unmarked Joelinton, who Miguel Almiron’s header, on- ter and with many of Guar- first half we totally dominat- though and they now sit in and is high-level football, and slotted home from close range. loan Arsenal midfielder Willock diola’s players just back from ed. They had the chance with fifth place, two points behind when in some actions you don’t The much-maligned strik- slammed home off the under- a draining international (Jamie) Vardy but in the first fourth-placed Chelsea with show that you belong to that er’s first goal since November side of the bar. period. half there was basically one eight games left. high level of football, it’s dif- proved a false dawn as New - At St Mary’s, Southampton De Bruyne, in action for Bel- team playing. West Ham would climb above ficult.” castle were ahead for just 90 moved 10 points clear of the rel- gium during the World Cup “If you look at 90 minutes it both of their London rivals into Willock’s goal could prove seconds before Kane, fresh egation zone with eight games qualifiers, was delighted with was 2-0. I think we deserved fourth if they win at Wolves on invaluable for fourth-bottom from ending his England goal left after a dramatic fightback. the way his quadruple-chasing more goals. After an interna- Monday. Newcastle as they battle to avoid drought, punished the hosts’ Chris Wood’s 12th-minute team quickly got their focus tional break, that’s really well “I’m frustrated. We needed relegation. woeful defending. penalty put Burnley ahead after back on the title. done by the team. to win the match. We created ’s side are without Trying to cut out Giovani Lo Kyle Walker-Peters’ challenge “They played defensive and “I came back on Tuesday some instability with so many a win in seven games and sit Celso’s pass, made on Erik Pieters. we had to be patient. That’s after the game and trained on individual defensive mistakes three points above third-bottom a hash of clearing and Kane Matej Vydra doubled the vis- what we did and I was happy Thursday and half the team that we made,” Mourinho said. Fulham, who would go above pounced on the ricochet to tap itors’ lead with a fine finish in for Mendy to break the dead- trained yesterday. “Of course, we had the biggest them if they win at Aston Villa. into the empty net. the 28th minute.

Asgreen wins Tour of Flanders as Van der Poel cracks AFP | Brussels Chelsea’s Zouma wants strong enmark’s Kasper Asgreen reaction to West Brom thrashing Dwon the Tour of Flanders cycling classic yesterday when AFP | London Mathieu van der Poel cracked just 50 metres from the line. urt Zouma has urged Chel- The 254km race over 19 cob- Ksea to “react strongly” af- bled hills ended in a two-way ter Thomas Tuchel’s unbeaten struggle between the pair, and start came to a stunning end in as the final dash intensified the Saturday’s 5-2 thrashing against Dutchman had nothing left in West Bromwich Albion. the tank. Chelsea boss Tuchel had Olympic champion Greg Van gone 14 games without defeat Avermaet, wearing his golden in all competitions since replac- helmet, came third. ing the sacked Frank Lampard It was a dramatic meltdown in January. for defending champion Van But Zouma was part of a der Poel as the Alpecin rider Kasper Asgreen of Deceuninck-Quick-Step wins the Tour of Flanders Chelsea defence torn apart by just seemed to give up, realising struggling West Brom after his Asgreen, who was second here man finish. fellow centre-back Thiago Silva in 2019 too, had more strength This time, when Asgreen was sent off in the first half at Chelsea’s defender Kurt Zouma controls the ball during a match left. It was a really hard sprinted, Van der Poel tried to Stamford Bridge. we have to because we’ve got The Dane was euphoric at race. We were both respond but could not. After seven successive clean- another game in midweek the line and his Belgian team “It’s an incredible team to sheets, Chelsea slumped to a and we have to prepare for Quick-Step celebrated wildly. on the limit. It was a ride for,” said Asgreen, who ap- damaging defeat that puts their that. “It was a really hard race. We question of the margins peared for a while to be acting hopes of a top four finish in the “We have to bounce back. We were both on the limit. It was a at the end. I decided to as a foil for world champion Premier League in danger. 14 have to react strongly and this is question of the margins at the try and trust my sprint. Julian Alaphilippe, before the The Blues take on Porto games were played by what we are going to do. end,” said Asgreen. Going into the last reverse proved to be the case. in Seville in the Champions Chelsea without facing “I don’t know what hap - “I decided to try and trust kilometre I got Mathieu The race blew open 26km League quarter-final first leg defeat since Thomas pened. After the international my sprint. Going into the last on the front and I heard from home after Asgreen’s on Wednesday and Zouma ad- Tuchel took charge break, maybe a loss of focus, kilometre I got Mathieu on the Quick-Step team was influen- mits they need an immediate maybe a lack of commitment, front and I heard we still had we still had more than tial in catching the day’s escape response. but in a game like that you have more than 30 seconds,” said 30 seconds group that had led by 13 mins. “The result speaks for itself. to always be 100 per cent. Why Asgreen, knowing the following KASPER ASGREEN Van der Poel and van Aert Everyone is very disappointed, possible,” Zouma told Chelsea’s we didn’t play 100 per cent I group could not catch up. were in the new elite group that but it’s just one game and we website. don’t know. So he played the Dutchman to go.” powered ahead before Van der need to get back to what we “There’s no time to find ex- “There are days when it’s not at cat-and-mouse. Last year, Van der Poel out- Poel launched a powerful as- were doing before the inter- cuses. We didn’t win the game, your day. Everyone’s very dis- “So I decided to stay on his sprinted his great rival Wout sault with 12km to go. Only As- national break and, hopefully, we lost badly, and it’s a very appointed, there’s not much I wheel, so I could decide when van Aert to win a similar two- green was able to follow. we will get back to it as soon as difficult game to swallow, but can say.

Hon. Chairman Najeb Yacob Alhamer | Editor-in-Chief Mahmood AI Mahmood | Chairman & Managing Director P Unnikrishnan Advertisement: Update Media W.L.L | Tel: 38444692, Email: [email protected] | Newsroom: Tel: 36458345, Email: [email protected] Subscription & circulation: Tel: 36458394 | Email: [email protected] | Website: www.newsofbahrain.com | Printed and published by Al Ayam Publishing