14 SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2018 sports We might need 105 points to win title, says Klopp Liverpool seal Christmas top spot Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk put Wolves in their place Liverpool won a seventh• league game in a row to secure the Christmas top spot KNOW WHAT Salah’s deft flick put• Liverpool on Mohamed Salah got a the way to victory goal and an assist in Jurgen Klopp reacts Wolverhampton after Liverpool’s win at Wolverhampton Wanderers AFP | Wolverhampton, United Kingdom Reuters | Wolverhampton in concentration saw his pass intercepted by Joao Moutinho. uergen Klopp said his iverpool passed anoth- Moutinho fed Adama Traore but JLiverpool side may need er stringent test of their he curled a shot narrowly wide. to surpass Manchester LPremier League title cre- Traore threatened again mo- City’s record points total dentials as Mohamed Salah and ments later when he was sup- to win the Premier League. Virgil van Dijk gave them a 2-0 plied by the solid link-up play Liverpool, who have victory at Wolverhampton on of Raul Jimenez before again topped the Premier League Friday that guarantees top spot Liverpool’s Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Salah (C) vies with Wolverhampton Wanderers’ English midfielder Conor Coady (R) shooting just off target. table on three previous oc- at Christmas. Early chances were scarce casions without winning Salah’s 11th goal of the sea- “The first goal was brilliant, it City, who they face on January Firmino in attack and Klopp’s for the visitors and when one the title, have 48 points son was a classy one and helped was cool. And the second goal 3, their added defensive steel has side might have added to their arrived, with James Milner’s from 18 games and only two subdue a dangerous Wolves side - yes, well done. I’m completely made them serious contenders tally earlier than they did. corner dropping kindly for Van teams — Chelsea in 2005- who had made a lively start. happy with the result and it is for their first title of the Premier Then, when Wolves managed Dijk, the Dutchman’s shot was 06 and City last season — The home side continued to big for us. League era. to blunt Liverpool’s attacking charged down by Matt Doherty. have had more points at push Jurgen Klopp’s side hard “We will be training on Christ- In the first half at a wet, windy threat, their defence clicked A fine move from Wolves al- that stage. but their resistance was finally mas morning so it is like every Molineux they showed signs into gear to silence a dangerous most brought the opening goal City won the title last sea- broken with 22 minutes remain- other day. It is an outstanding that some of the swagger that frontline with Van Dijk in out- when Conor Coady’s superb son with a record 100 points ing as Van Dijk capped a superb number (of points), it is abso- marked them out as the league’s standing form at the heart of pass and Doherty’s neat touch but such has been the pace performance with a goal that ce- lutely cool.” great entertainers last season is Klopp’s back four. release Romain Saiss, whose at the top this season that mented his side’s position at the While Liverpool have strug- returning. Klopp’s men endured a shot was well saved by Alisson Klopp believes even more top of the table with 48 points. gled at times to match the at- Salah linked up impressively nervous opening when, in the after it had taken a deflection off might be needed this time. Manager Jurgen Klopp said: tacking potency of Manchester with Sadio Mane and Robert fourth minute, Fabinho’s lapse Dejan Lovren. “Everybody asks me about the situation, first in the table and all that stuff and that the last four times Bancroft reveals a team was first in the table he almost gave up at Christmas they won the Strikers lift CBA T25 League trophy league, but was it ever such cricket for yoga a tight race?” Klopp said. TDT | Manama “So far it looks like a real- AFP | Sydney ly special season, 48 points trikers lifted the CBA Divi- before Christmas is crazy. Ssion B T-25 League trophy isgraced Australian “But there are other by defeating Asgharali Bahrain Dplayer Cameron Ban- teams. Chelsea, Manches- Zalmi by 7 runs. croft yesterday said he was ter City, Tottenham, Ar- Asgharali won the toss and a vastly different person to senal, they will probably elected to bowl first. Striker lost the one caught ball-tamper- win, then they will have their top order batman in the ing and revealed he consid- 40-something points, no- early stage of the game. Sikdhar ered walking away from body is dropping points played a math winning knock cricket to become a yoga from one down to five. taking the responsibility and teacher. “You will probably need scored a quick unbeaten 84 runs The opener received a 105 to be champions, you in 43 balls helped Strikers to nine-month ban from the don’t know!” he added. score 165 at the end of 20 overs. international and domes- Tottenham Hotspur, in In second innings the match tic game for his part in the third place, have 39 points was oscillating between the scandal in South Africa that ahead of this weekend’s two teams. Once Asgharli was Winner and Runner up teams with their trophies rocked the sport, in which clash with Everton, while close to the match but Strik- he used sandpaper to try to fourth-placed Chelsea are ers bowlers pulled the match alter the ball. on 37 before their home towards them. They restrict- Sameer 30/3) by 7 runs Man of the match final – Sik- ing Star - Individual Trophy and Then-captain Steve Smith clash with Leicester City. ed the opponent for 158 runs Awards and Prize dhar – Strikers – Individual Tro- $50 cash prize and his deputy David Warn- Liverpool’s title chal- and Strikers won the match by Winning team - Strikers – 16 phy and $50 cash prize Most wicket taker of the er were suspended for a year. lenge has been built on a 7 runs. Sameer took 3 wickets individual trophies, 1 team tro- Best Batsman of the Tourna- Tournament – Nouman – Awali A day after Smith re- rock-solid defence which for Strikers. phy and $500 cash prize ment – Younis – Alpha Safety Gents - Individual Trophy and emerged into public life has been breached only Brief Score Strikers 165/6 in Runner-up team – Asgharali - Individual Trophy and $50 $50 cash prize with press conference, seven times in the League 20 overs (Sikdhar 84, Satya 25) Bahrain Zalmi - 16 individu - cash prize Best All Rounder of Tourna- Bancroft has also broken so far this season with Van beat Asgharali Bahrain Zalmi al trophies, 1 team trophy and Best Bowler of the Tourna- ment – Satya – Strikers - Individ- his silence a week ahead of Dijk outstanding. 158/6 (Junaid 51, Zuhair 29, $250 cash prize ment – Shyamraj – Indian Ris- ual Trophy and $50 cash prize his ban running out. Dortmund beat ‘Gladbach to become ‘autumn champs’ AFP | Dortmund, Germany first half of German season top “A few weeks break will do of the table as “autumn cham- us good so that we can attack orussia Dortmund will be- pions” going into winter break. again in the new year - the job Bgin new year in pole posi- Dortmund captain Reus ad- is half done.” tion to win their first Bundesliga mitted they showed some signs Sancho, the 18-year-old whose title since 2012 after beating of tiredness following three progress has been a major fac- second-placed Borussia Mo- league games in the last six days, tor in Dortmund’s fine season, enchengladbach 2-1 on Friday. including Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat at squeezed a shot in from the An outstanding goal from strugglers Fortuna Duesseldorf. tightest of angles on 42 minutes at Seef District too English teenager Jadon Sancho “You could see in last 20 min- after the lively Reus had crossed and a sliding finish from Marco Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho utes that we were on our knees,” and Mario Goetze helped the Um al Hassan +973 17728699 Seef District +973 17364999 Reus ensured Dortmund end in action admitted match-winner Reus. ball on to the youngster..