Barkley P23 grabs equaliser SPORTS 2424 Sunday, January 1, 2017 Chelsea equal record London N’Golo Kante and Spain striker good chance, heading wide goal. Willian drove wide for helsea equalled Arsenal’s Costa after the suspended pair from Xherdan Shaqiri’s Chelsea in response as Conte record of 13 consecutive missed the 3-0 home win over corner. got increasingly animated, PremierC League wins in Bournemouth on Boxing Day. However, it was Chelsea while the Brazilian midfielder a season as Willian’s brace They went close to taking who put the pressure on with soon missed the target again. inspired a 4-2 win over Stoke the lead as the in-form Eden Grant denying Costa and then But the Chelsea manager yesterday. Hazard beat two men before Hazard on the rebound. was soon looking far happier Antonio Conte’s side had seeing a shot deflected wide. as his team regained the lead a difficult afternoon after Lee Grant came to Stoke’s Animated on 56 minutes. twice being pegged back at rescue as he brilliantly kept out And from Fabregas’s Victor Moses got the better Stamford Bridge, but they still a deflected Costa piledriver resulting 33rd-minute corner, of Erik Pieters down the managed to match Arsenal’s after he had chested down a England defender Cahill right and Hazard’s touch fell feat in 2001-02 to ensure they Cesc Fabregas cross. headed home to give Conte’s perfectly for Willian to score. enter the new year with a Grant then saved again to side the lead with his fourth Chelsea continued to attack sizeable advantage at the top deny Cahill from a Fabregas goal of the season. with Costa driving left footed of the table. corner, but Stoke looked Chelsea continued to over the bar following another Gary Cahill’s header put dangerous when they attacked attack with a Costa free kick lay-off from Hazard. But it was Chelsea ahead at the break but and Charlie Adam missed a just missing the target but Stoke who were level again Bruno Martins Indi levelled Stoke went on to on 64 minutes as Crouch immediately after the restart OTHER SCORES: surprise the hosts caused problems in the box before Willian restored the within a minute before Bojan Krkic fed lead. Peter Crouch then Burnley – 4, 1-Sunderland of the restart. Mame Diouf, who crossed Adam’s free gave Stoke a second leveller, Leicester City- 1, 0 -West Ham United for Crouch to convert on only for Willian to pop up kick was headed the line. They were level moments later before Diego Swansea City- 0, 3 -AFC Bournemouth on by Crouch for less than 60 seconds Costa sealed the win. Manchester United- 2, 1 -Middlesbrough for Martins Indi though as Fabregas played to volley home Chelsea’s Brazilian The leaders were able Southampton- 1, 2 -West Brom in Willian to score his for his first Stoke midfielder Willian to recall France midfielder second of the game. (AFP) controls the ball Nadal bags fourth UAE title Abu Dhabi going to stand me in good stead for and he looks really strong to start is a nice way to start the new year.” afael Nadal ended an injury- the rest of the season,” said Nadal. the new season.” Murray’s next stop is plagued 2016 on a high by Nadal’s 2016 campaign had been Nadal will now head to Australia neighbouring Qatar for the opening liftingR the Mubadala World Tennis ruined by a wrist injury that forced for the Brisbane International, with week of the ATP season and two Championship title for a fourth him out of Roland Garros after the Goffin travelling to Doha for the weeks out from the Australian time yesterday. second round and saw him miss Qatar Open. Open, the first Grand Slam of 2017. The 30-year-old Spaniard Wimbledon. Wimbledon and Olympic In the match for fifth-place in the defeated 11th-ranked Belgian But he looked in form throughout champion Murray, who was six-man field, France’s Jo-Wilfried David Goffin 6-4, 7-6 (7/5) after the exhibition tournament in knighted in the New Year Honours Tsonga beat Czech Thomas world number one Andy Murray Abu Dhabi, beating Czech Tomas list, lost to Goffin in Friday’s semi- Berdych 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 10-3. (AFP) earlier ousted Canada’s Milos Berdych in the quarter-final and final, his first defeat in the Belgian Raonic 6-3, 7-6 (8/6) to take third Raonic in the semi-finals. in six meetings. place. “He put a lot of pressure on me,” “It was good to finish the year “I’m very happy to return to said Goffin of his first clash against with a win,” said the 29-year-old competition again. These three the Spaniard. “You can feel how Scot. “I still feel like Andy Murray days have been good for me. These strong he is when he is in front of - that feels more normal - but I am Rafael Nadal poses with the trophy three days, playing at this level, are you. Mentally he is very impressive happy with the knighthood and it Hon.Chairman Najeb Yacob Alhamer | Responsible Editor Mahmood AI Mahmood | Managing Editor Soman Baby | Managing Director P. Unnikrishnan | Adviser Med Jones Advt : Strategic Publicity & Advertising Co.W.L.L | Tel: 17270710, Fax17256470, Email: [email protected] | Newsroom: Tel: 17579911, Fax17250150, Email: [email protected] Printed and published by Al Ayam Publishing | Subscription & circulation: Tel: 38444698/17579877/Fax17250150, Email:[email protected] | Website: www.dt.bh.