SUNDAY, APRIL 10, 2016 SPORTS

Newcastle loses at Southampton in 8th straight away loss

travelling supporters, as they watched their side fail to deal with the attacking threat Southampton 3 from a far superior Southampton. “Newcastle are in relegation trouble, so we knew they were going to throw every- thing,” said Southampton midfielder Newcastle 1 Wanyama. “We needed to stay in the game. We did it well.” Benitez’s appointment as manager on March 11 has done little to change his SOUTHAMPTON: Relegation-threatened side’s fortunes. It is still without a win under Newcastle put in another lackluster per- the Spaniard, and this latest performance formance yesterday as Southampton easily won’t have given fans any reason for opti- won their English Premier League match 3- mism. Newcastle now has just six games to 1.An early goal from Shane Long in the turn its season around. “It important that fourth minute set the tone of a match in everybody continues to believe,” Benitez which Newcastle failed to make much said. “The anxiety is killing us sometimes. If impact. Graziano Pelle and Victor Wanyama we can control these things then things will added the second and third goals in the change.” 38th and 55th minutes respectively to con- Southampton’s first-half goals highlight- demn Newcastle to its eighth straight away ed Newcastle’s weaknesses, both coming defeat. Andros Townsend scored a fine con- after avoidable defensive errors. solation goal on 65 minutes, but it did Newcastle’s goals-conceded record is the nothing to alter his side’s second worst in the league after Aston Villa, fortunes.Newcastle stays 19th in the having kept just one clean sheet in its last league, six points from safety with relega- 17 league games. A fine 25-meter strike tion looking increasingly likely. from Newcastle’s Andros Townsend gave a Southampton remains seventh. glimpse of the skill that some of its players Newcastle’s performance typified what has possess, but his side continues to look like been a woeful run of form for Rafa Benitez’s a group of individuals, rather than a strong STUTTGART: Bayern Munich’s Spanish midfielder Javier Martinez (L) vies for the ball during the German first division Bundesligaootball f team. There was very little to cheer for the team unit. — AP match between VfB Stuttgart and Bayern Munich in Stuttgart, southwestern Germany, yesterday. — AFP Dismal Villa slump Bayern win Benfica warm up closer to relegation to go eight points clear sign of an end to that barren sequence as Ashley Westwood blazed well over. BERLIN: Bayern Munich warmed up for foul on Didavi and came off as Guardiola looked goal from the edge of the area. Borussia Aston Villa 1 With little fight visible from Black’s side, Wednesday’s crucial Champions League quarter- to boost his midfield. With second-placed Moenchengladbach stay fourth despite their 1-0 it was no surprise when Villa fans started final at Benfica with a 3-1 win at Stuttgart yester- Borussia Dortmund at arch-rivals Schalke on defeat at Ingolstadt. jeering their team after another misplaced day to maintain their iron-grip on the Sunday in the Ruhr Valley derby, Bayern took At the bottom, Hoffenheim, coached by 28- pass from Leandro Bacuna and their anger Bundesliga title race with five games left. their chance to go eight points clear. year-old Julian Nagelsmann, the youngest ever Bournemouth 2 only increased in first half stoppage-time as An own goal from Stuttgart defender Georg Having won their preceding three games by coach in Germany’s top flight, are now three Bournemouth took the lead. Niedermeier and a second-half David Alaba 1-0 margins, this was another laboured display points clear of the relegation places after their 2- A short corner caught Villa napping and strike put Pep Guardiola’s Bayern 2-0 up. Daniel from the Bavarians at Stuttgart’s Mercedes Benz 0 win at second from bottom Eintracht Frankfurt. Cook found space to flick home from close- Didavi pulled a goal back for Stuttgart with an Arena. Bayern took the lead when Franck Midfielder Nadiem Amiri, who netted just a BIRMINGHAM: Aston Villa are on the brink range for his fourth goal of the season. hour gone as he recovered from stumbling in Ribery’s cross clipped Niedermeier’s boot on the minute after coming off the bench, and forward of being relegated for the first time in 29 Rain began to lash down in the second the area to chip home while lying on the floor way into the Stuttgart net on 31 minutes and Mark Uth scored their second-half goals. Under years after the Premier League’s bottom half as mournful chants of ‘Villa til I die’ before Brazil winger Douglas Costa blasted in the visitors extended their lead when Alaba fired Nagelsmann, Hoffenheim have now taken 17 club slumped to a 2-1 defeat against drifted from the stands, a display of loyalty Bayern’s late third. inside the near post on 52 minutes. points in their last nine games to climb out of Bournemouth yesterday. Eric Black’s side unlikely to be matched by an under-per- The win gave Bayern three more points in Mid-table Stuttgart got back in the game the bottom three to 14th. were condemned to their eighth successive forming squad frequently accused of act- their quest to become the first club to win four when attacking midfielder Didavi, who will play Augsburg escaped the bottom three, and defeat by goals in either half from Steve ing like hired mercenaries. — AFP successive German league titles ahead of for Wolfsburg next season, managed to lob dropped opponents Werder Bremen into the rel- Cook and Josh King as the atmosphere Wednesday’s return leg in Benfica with Bayern Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. egation places, with a 2-1 win in north Germany turned mutinous at Villa Park. holding a 1-0 lead. The goal came despite Didavi being flat on as South Korea defender Hong Jeong-Ho scored Jordan Ayew’s late strike was no conso- Guardiola made five changes from the side the turf, when the ball fell into his path after a their dramatic 87th-minute winner. lation and although Villa were spared offi- Matches on TV which beat Benfica in Munich last Tuesday, but mistimed clearance by Munich striker Robert Mid-table Darmstadt enjoyed a 2-1 win at cial confirmation of their drop into the sec- (Local Timings) Thomas Mueller came on with only 25 minutes Lewandowski. Hamburg while on Friday Hertha Berlin were ond tier because fourth bottom Norwich gone to replace Arturo Vidal. In the final ten minutes, Bayern’s Thiago hit held to a 2-2 draw at home to bottom side were beaten by Crystal Palace, their fate is The Chilean picked up a rash yellow card for a the crossbar before Costa smashed in their third Hanover. —AFP ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE likely to be sealed at Manchester United next weekend. Sunderland v Leicester City 15:30 After a humiliating season that must beIN SPORTS 2 HD rank among the worst in the Premier Liverpool v Stoke City 18:00 Sigurdsson ends Chelsea’s League era, Villa remain destined to play in beIN SPORTS 8 HD the second tier for the first time since the Tottenham v Man United 18:00 1987-88 season. The seven-time English beIN SPORTS 2 HD champions and former European Cup win- unbeaten run under Hiddink ners are 15 points adrift of safety with only SPANISH LEAGUE five games left and a vastly inferior goal dif- Sporting Gijon v Celta 13:00 ference to Norwich. In stark contrast, beIN SPORTS 3 HD unheralded Bournemouth’s first season in Valencia C.F v Sevilla 17:00 Swansea 1 the top-flight is now certain to end in the beIN SPORTS 3 HD satisfaction of comfortably avoiding relega- Villarreal CF v Getafe 19:15 tion. It would have been impossible to beIN SPORTS imagine just how awful Villa’s season would Bilbao v Rayo Vallecano 21:30 turn out to be when they won at beIN SPORTS Chelsea 0 Bournemouth on the opening day of the season. But that success in the August sun- ITALIAN CALCIO LEAGUE shine has been followed by only two more Empoli v ACF Fiorentina 13:30 SWANSEA: Gylfi Sigurdsson handed Chelsea league victories as Villa slid inexorably beIN SPORTS 4 HD their first Premier League defeat under interim towards the Championship, with managers SSC Napoli v Hellas Verona 16 :00 manager Guus Hiddink as Swansea beat the Tim Sherwood and Remi Garde sacked beIN SPORTS 4 HD Blues 1-0 at the Liberty Stadium yesterday. while chief executive Tom Fox and sporting Torino FC v Atalanta 16:00 Iceland midfielder Sigurdsson struck in the 25th director Hendrik Almstadt were also axed. beIN SPORTS 8 HD minute to earn Swansea a victory that should Sampdoria v Udinese Calcio 16:00 ensure they avoid relegation, while Chelsea were EMPTY SEATS beIN SPORTS 7 HD left pointless for the first time since a 2-1 loss at Villa’s disillusioned fans stepped up their Citta di Palermo v SS Lazio 21:45 Leicester on December 14 signalled the end of protests against American owner Randy beIN SPORTS the Jose Mourinho era. Lerner as a significant number heeded calls Swansea might not be mathematically safe, GERMAN BUNDESLIGA to stay out of the stands for the first seven but after a mid-season wobble, they are odds on minutes of the match. Schalke v Dortmund 16:30 to retain their top-flight status after a strong run And when Villa’s Idrissa Gueye scooped beIN SPORTS 5 HD under head coach Francesco Guidolin. For a half-volley into the empty seats early on, Koln v Bayer 04 18:30 Hiddink’s men, losing for the first time in the it was a fittingly depressing summary of beIN SPORTS 5 HD Dutchman’s second spell as caretaker boss left their decline. Bournemouth had conceded them marooned in mid-table obscurity at the seven goals against Tottenham and FRENCH LEAGUE end of a week in which the troubled club con- Manchester City in their last two matches, Lille OSC v AS Monaco 15:00 firmed Italy coach Antonio Conte will take over but Villa have proved the tonic for most ail- beIN SPORTS 6 HD as manager after Euro 2016. ing opponents this season and it took a Nice v Stade Rennes 18:00 Swansea’s Jefferson Montero cause problems SWANSEA: Swansea City’s Icelandic midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson (L) vies with Chelsea’s Spanish fine save from Brad Guzan to stop Lewis beIN SPORTS 6 HD on the left right from the start and it took a last midfielder Cesc Fabregas during the English Premier League football match between Swansea Grabban putting the visitors ahead. Olympique v Girondins 22:00 gasp tackle from Branislav Ivanovic to prevent City and Chelsea at The Liberty Stadium in Swansea, south Wales yesterday. Swansea won the Villa had gone without a goal in their beIN SPORTS 6 HD the Ecuadorian from leaving an early mark. match 1-0. — AFP previous four matches and there was no Chelsea did enjoy one or two moments of promise but Swansea were equal to that with captain Ashley Williams a tower of strength at the heart of the back four. At the other end, Swansea had two genuine chances to break the Minds elsewhere as deadlock. First, Sigurdsson was denied by the leaping Asmir Begovic and seconds later Angel Watford, Everton draw Rangel’s cross-shot fizzed wide of the far post. Montero whipped in a cross that was too high be played later this month. Nevertheless, both for Alberto Paloschi and Ayew and moments lat- teams will need to improve their recent league er, Ayew was denied by another Ivanovic tackle. Watford 1 form if they are to stand a chance of glory in that competition after a largely forgettable LETHAL WEAPON encounter here. Watford manager Quique Having fallen out of favour earlier on this sea- Sanchez Flores admitted his team needed to son, Montero was proving himself to be Everton 1 “change the mentality” from thinking solely Swansea’s most lethal weapon. And it was fitting about the FA Cup and they were first to threaten, that he should have a major say in the game’s Jose Jurado seeing his shot well saved by his for- opening goal. Montero cleverly worked space mer Atletico Madrid colleague Joel Robles in the for a cross and Matt Miazga’s weak clearing WATFORD: Watford and Everton continue to Everton goal. header fell to Sigurdsson, who found the net limp towards the finish line in the Premier Roberto Martinez’s side have been beaten from 15 yards. Chelsea should still have been League after sharing the spoils in a 1-1 draw at only twice on the road in the Premier League level at the interval, yet with the last kick of the Vicarage Road yesterday. James McCarthy gave this season and they opened the scoring as the half Alexandro Pato scuffed his shot wide from Everton the lead on the stroke of half-time, but interval approached. Miguel Britos was one of close-range. Ruben Loftus-Cheek almost made Watford were back on level terms before first- five players brought into the Watford team after Williams pay for an error two minutes into the half stoppage time was up thanks to a Jose last week’s 4-0 defeat at Arsenal and he was at second half. When the Swansea captain was Holebas goal. The result leaves Watford without fault, getting caught in possession on the edge caught in possession, the young Chelsea mid- a win in six games and Everton on a run of four of the box by McCarthy, who stole the ball and fielder advanced before seeing his goal-bound matches without tasting victory, as both sides then fired low past Heurelho Gomes. shot deflected wide for a corner. continue to languish in the bottom half but a Martinez will be furious that his team failed With Kenedy having replaced the out of sorts safe distance from the relegation zone. Indeed, to hold onto their lead until the break, with Miazga at the interval, Chelsea looked a more the main focus for these clubs now is the FA Cup, Watford equalising when Robles conceded a BIRMINGHAM: Aston Villa’s Aly Cissokho, right, and AFC Bournemouth’s Matt Ritchie compact unit at the back. It provided a platform and they could meet in the final after being kept cheap corner from which Holebas headed in at battle for the ball during their English Premier League soccer match at Villa Park, on which Cesc Fabregas and Jon Obi Mikel apart in the draw for the semi-finals, which will the back post.—AFP Birmingham, England, yesterday. — AP began to dictate the pace. — AFP