Established 1961 Sport SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2020 Djokovic suffers heaviest loss Ronaldo COVID-free after 19 days Ait-Nouri scores on debut 14but securing top spot priority 15 but virus hits other Serie A teams 15 as Wolves beat Palace 2-0 Jota caps Liverpool’s fightback Ziyech stars as Chelsea sweep aside Burnley; Man City win LIVERPOOL: Liverpool’s Portuguese striker Diogo Jota (center) celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and West Ham United at Anfield yesterday. Liverpool won the game 2-1. — AFP LONDON: Diogo Jota capped Liverpool’s dramat- he would still finish as Liverpool’s hero. In the 85th despite interest from presidential candidates at the Chelsea hit their stride ic fightback as the Premier League champions beat minute, the Portugal forward ran onto Xherdan Catalan giants to bring the club’s most successful Chelsea are also finding their form after a slow start West Ham 2-1 to move three points clear at the top, Shaqiri’s pass to score his third goal since joining ever coach back to the Camp Nou. “I said many to the season as Frank Lampard’s men ran out 3-0 while Manchester City and Chelsea both won to from Wolves in September. It was Liverpool’s fourth times, my period as a manager in Barcelona is over,” winners at Burnley to stretch their unbeaten run to keep in touch with the leaders yesterday. Jurgen successive victory since influential defender Virgil said Guardiola, whose contract at the Etihad expires nine games. Hakim Ziyech was handed his first Premier Klopp’s side were rocked by Pablo Fornals’ early van Dijk was sidelined for several months with a at the end of the season. “I am incredibly happy League start after scoring in a 4-0 Champions League strike at Anfield as the West Ham midfielder pun- serious knee injury suffered against Everton. here, still I have the desire to do well and this is the win away to Krasnodar in midweek and the ished a poor header from Joe Gomez in the 10th Despite their defensive issues this term, Liverpool most important thing.” Moroccan’s shot wrong-footed Nick Pope to open the minute. The Reds drew level in the 42nd minute have opened up a three-point lead over second On the field, there were plenty of positives for floodgates for the visitors on 26 minutes. when Mohamed Salah was fouled by Arthur placed Everton, with their Merseyside rivals in action City as the newly-formed centre-back pairing of Kurt Zouma’s bullet header then doubled Masuaku and the Egyptian stepped up to convert at Newcastle today. Title rivals City have yet to hit Aymeric Laporte and Ruben Dias played their part Chelsea’s advantage from Mason Mount’s corner the penalty for his eighth goal of the season. the free-scoring form of Pep Guardiola’s side at their in a second consecutive clean sheet. However, with- just after the hour mark. Timo Werner was due to be Liverpool thought they had claimed the lead with best, as for the third consecutive league game they out injured strikers Sergio Aguero and Gabriel rested until an injury in the warm-up to Christian just over 10 minutes remaining when substitute Jota were held to a solitary goal. But Kyle Walker’s long- Jesus, City struggled to turn their dominance into Pulisic forced the German international into turned in a loose ball. range strike against his former club was good enough goals. “We played really well,” added Guardiola. Lampard’s line-up. And Werner rounded off an Jota had pounced after Lukasz Fabianski saved to earn a 1-0 win at goal-shy Sheffield United. A “We struggled to score goals for the chances we excellent second-half performance from the Blues Sadio Mane’s shot but after a lengthy delay that saw fourth win in five games in all competition edges City created, 16 shots, eight on target, is a lot against this with a fine finish from Ziyech’s pass. After much crit- referee Kevin Friend make use of the pitchside up to eighth, five points behind Liverpool. team.” Instead, Walker was the unlikely match-win- icism of his side’s defending, Lampard will be equal- monitor, the goal was ruled out for a foul by the And there was another boost for City after the ner with his first goal for a year in his 100th Premier ly delighted at a fourth straight clean sheet as Senegal winger. With time running out, Jota ensured game as Guardiola ruled out a return to Barcelona League appearance for City. Chelsea moved up to fourth place. — AFP In between, Madrid came too close for Real thrash comfort to another damaging defeat in the Mueller equals Kahn’s Champions League but two late goals salvaged a draw at Borussia Monchengladbach that in Huesca 4-1 the end felt like a win. Huesca, who are yet to record; Bayern go top win this season, might feel the scoreline was BERLIN: European champions Bayern game, it wasn’t our best performance.” MADRID: Eden Hazard scored his first goal harsh after they squandered early chances. Munich went top of the Bundesliga An early header by Gnabry led to for Real Madrid in over a year and his team Madrid will hope the dip that put Zidane under yesterday as Thomas Mueller equaled Cologne defender Marius Wolf giving appeared to turn a corner as they beat newly- pressure earlier this month is over. Zidane will Oliver Kahn’s record for most league away the 13th-minute penalty which promoted Huesca 4-1 in La Liga yesterday. have been particularly delighted with Hazard, wins in the famous shirt in yesterday’s Mueller scored. Gnabry added the sec- Hazard has had a terrible time with injuries whose goal was his first for Madrid since he 2-1 victory at Cologne. Mueller, 31, ond on the stroke of half-time when he since joining Madrid for 100 million euros ($113 scored against Granada in October last year, converted an early penalty to put the rolled the ball into the net to finish a million) from Chelsea in 2019 but the Belgian and his second overall in La Liga. visitors on the way to a success which counter-attack. However, Cologne will hope his stunning strike from distance at Ankle surgery kept Hazard out for the the Alfredo di Stefano can kick-start his career majority of last season and he was not fit for VALDEBEBAS: Real Madrid’s Brazilian forward saw him match the tally of legendary improved in the second half and substi- Vinicius Junior jumps over Huesca’s Spanish goalkeeper Kahn on 260 league wins. tute midfielder Dominick Drexler pulled in Spain. the start of this one, with Madrid only describ- defender Jorge Pulido (bottom) during the Robert Lewandowski, who scored 10 back a late goal. Dortmund climbed to “I’m happy with his performance,” said ing his latest setback as a “muscle injury”. But goals in the opening five league games, second, despite resting striker Erling Zidane. “The other day he played 20 minutes, he made his first appearance off the bench in Spanish League football match between Real was rested ahead of Bayern’s midweek Braut Haaland, as defender Mats now a little more. It’s step by step.” Karim the Champions League in midweek and, Madrid and SD Huesca yesterday. — AFP Champions League match at Salzburg Hummels scored both goals in a 2-0 Benzema and the excellent Fede Valverde made against Huesca, marked his first start with a and the Bundesliga showdown at sec- win at Arminia Bielefeld. the win secure before Huesca scored through brilliant goal in the first half. “We know the corner from 30 yards out. Benzema made it ond-placed Dortmund next Saturday. Hummels picked up a late thigh David Ferreiro, only for Benzema to add his quality that Eden has,” Zidane said. “He scored two, chesting down Lucas Vazquez’s cross at “(We were) too nonchalant up front, injury while making a tackle. However, second and Madrid’s fourth in injury-time. a good goal and we needed it in the first half, the back post and driving in, before Valverde even though the passion was there,” Dortmund forward Julian Brandt Zinedine Zidane’s side jump above Real because after his first goal the game was differ- struck a sweet half-volley into the corner. said Mueller despite the reigning backed Hummels to be fit for their Sociedad to the top of the table to cap an ent.” Ferreiro gave Huesca brief hope with 16 min- champions’ victory. Serge Gnabry, who Champions League match at Club encouraging week, which began with a Clasico Until then, Huesca had been the better team utes left but Madrid were never overly troubled scored Bayern’s second goal, admitted: Brugge on Wednesday, saying: “He’ll win over Barcelona at Camp Nou and finishes but Hazard’s strike turned the contest in the and Benzema rounded off the win in injury- “We let the opponent back into the make it-he heals quick.” — AFP with them moving nine points clear of the 40th minute, when he received the ball on the time, converting a smart header back from Catalans, who played away at Alaves later. half-turn and swerved a superb shot into the Rodrygo. — AFP .