Soccer-Tottenham’s title tilt gains momentum
LONDON, Jan 11 (Reuters) – Tottenham Hotspur continued their push for a first top flight league title since 1961 with a 2-0 win over Everton on Wednesday to put them level on points with second-placed champions Manchester United and three behind Manchester City.
Goals in either half from Aaron Lennon and Benoit Assou-Ekotto lifted the north London club to 45 points from 20 games, eight clear of fourth-placed Chelsea who are a point ahead of Tottenham’s rivals Arsenal.
Though there are 18 games still to play, the way Spurs manager Harry Redknapp spoke after the match their fans will start to dream of Premier League glory come May.
“We’re in the Champions League mix, and you just don’t know. I keep saying nothing’s impossible, we’ve got to keep believing,” the Englishman told Sky Sports.
“If you can’t enjoy the way we’re moving the ball around the football pitch you shouldn’t be watching football.”
Tottenham have gifted ball players in abundance, crafty midfielder Luka Modric complimenting the explosive pace of winger Gareth Bale while the return of the lively Lennon, back for his first league match since Dec. 18, is a boost.
After dominating the first half Assou-Ekotto’s raking pass found Lennon, whose touch was too good for Leighton Baines as he cut into the area. The England man then beat Tim Howard with a scuffed shot 10 minutes before the interval.
Va-va-voom. Vintage Henry scores on Arsenal return.
The clock said 68 minutes, and no one at the Emirates Stadium in north London was looking at the action on the pitch as the fourth official held aloft his lit-up board to signal the re-introduction of Thierry Henry to English football.
Ten minutes later and he’d scored the game’s eventual winner. Comebacks don’t get this good this often.
14 to replace 15 shone the bright numbers before the goal, but alas Henry’s former number has since been taken by young English talent Theo Walcott, who idolises the French great.
Now, for six weeks and six weeks only after which he will return to the United States with the New York Red Bulls, Henry can be seen wearing an Arsenal shirt with the number 12, the same as his France days during which he won the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship.
The only numbers Arsenal fans will care about are 228, 229 and who knows, possible even into the 230s.
With a trademark movement of his right boot, Henry had added to his record Arsenal tally of 226 having watched his new teammates spurn chance after chance against Leeds United in the third round of the FA Cup.
Arsenal fans out there, does this worry you? Would you like to see Arsene Wenger bring in another striker in the January transfer window given the lack of goals?
Hero Henry seals Arsenal return with winner
LONDON (Reuters) – With a familiar stroke of the right boot guiding the ball into the net, a celebratory hug with Arsene Wenger and pandemonium amongst ecstatic Arsenal fans, it was as if record goalscorer Thierry Henry had never left North London Monday night.
Substituted into the Premier League club’s third round FA Cup match against Leeds United on 68 minutes with the score at 0-0, the on-loan striker took just 10 minutes to break the deadlock with the winning goal for his beloved Arsenal.
“I’m not coming back here to be a hero or prove anything, I’m coming here to help,” Henry said in the match program. He did.
Hero status Henry does not need, he already has that in spades, as the cheer that greeted his name when it was announced moments before kick off and that which marked his entrance onto the pitch confirmed.
Even when he was on the bench, Arsenal fans were voting for Henry as man-of-the-match and, rather sheepishly, the 34-year-old accepted the award.
“I think it’s a joke,” he said, looking bemused as he clutched the bottle of champagne.
In trademark style, the French striker calmly slotted the ball into the net from 10 yards out after being found in space on the left side of the penalty area by Alex Song.
Soccer-Hero Henry seals Arsenal return with winner
LONDON, Jan 9 (Reuters) – With a familiar stroke of the right boot guiding the ball into the net, a celebratory hug with Arsene Wenger and pandemonium amongst ecstatic Arsenal fans, it was as if record goalscorer Thierry Henry had never left North London on Monday night.
Substituted into the Premier League club’s third round FA Cup match against Leeds United on 68 minutes with the score at 0-0, the on-loan striker took just 10 minutes to break the deadlock with the winning goal for his beloved Arsenal.
“I’m not coming back here to be a hero or prove anything, I’m coming here to help,” Henry said in the match programme. He did.
Hero status Henry does not need, he already has that in spades, as the cheer that greeted his name when it was announced moments before kick off and that which marked his entrance onto the pitch confirmed.
Even when he was on the bench, Arsenal fans were voting for Henry as man-of-the-match and, rather sheepishly, the 34-year-old accepted the award.
“I think it’s a joke,” he said, looking bemused as he clutched the bottle of champagne.
In trademark style, the French striker calmly slotted the ball into the net from 10 yards out after being found in space on the left side of the penalty area by Alex Song.
McIlroy can’t wait to revive Portrush memories
By Tom Pilcher
(Reuters) – Rory McIlroy cannot wait to play in the Irish Open when it returns to Royal Portrush in June, the world number two said on Friday.
U.S. Open champion McIlroy shot a 61 at the County Antrim links as a 15-year-old and also watched from behind the ropes as a toddler while his father Gerry strode the fairways there.
“Portrush is one of the best courses in the world and to have the Irish Open there and play my first European Tour event in Northern Ireland in front of home fans will be very special,” said McIlroy after the venue was confirmed by officials on Friday.
“The course holds great memories for me, from watching my dad play there as a toddler to playing in it myself as a 15-year-old,” he told the tour’s website (www.europeantour.com).
“It’s a superb set-up and players new to the course are going to love it.”
McIlroy, 22, from Holywood near Belfast, said the June 28-July 1 event would attract a stellar field given its proximity to the British Open at Royal Lytham from July 19-22.
Golf-Casey out for several weeks with dislocated shoulder
LONDON, Jan 6 (Reuters) – World number 20 Paul Casey will be sidelined for several weeks after dislocating his shoulder while snowboarding.
“I am very frustrated as I was really looking forward to getting off to a fast start in 2012,” the 34-year-old Briton said in a statement on Friday.
“The good news is the experts I’ve seen say I don’t need surgery and, having already started my rehabilitation exercises, I should be back hitting balls in a few weeks.”
Casey, who was third in the world rankings in 2009, had a mediocre 2011 season due mainly to a foot injury although he won the Volvo Golf Champions event in Bahrain in January.
The 11-times European Tour winner will miss the Middle East swing, comprising three tournaments from Jan. 26 – Feb. 12.
“I’ve always played well in the desert and the Abu Dhabi Championship is one of my favourite events of the year so I will particularly hate sitting out that one,” said Casey.
He missed out on the 2010 Ryder Cup despite strong performances in the previous three matches and faces a battle to qualify for this year’s edition in Illinois in September.
Man United slump to second straight defeat
LONDON (Reuters) – Champions Manchester United suffered a second straight Premier League defeat on Wednesday, losing 3-0 to Newcastle United to leave Manchester City three points clear at the top of the table.
Demba Ba opened the scoring in the first half with his 15th league goal of the season before Yohan Cabaye made it 2-0 in the 47th from a free-kick. A Phil Jones own goal late on made sure Newcastle stayed seventh and a point behind Liverpool.
United’s third defeat in 20 matches so far meant they stayed second on 45 points, only three ahead of third-placed Tottenham Hotspur who have a game in hand.
“It’s not the time to panic. We’ve got the experience to cope with it,” said United manager Alex Ferguson, whose team lost 3-2 to Blackburn on New Year’s Eve.
Bolton Wanderers shocked Everton 2-1 away from home after Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard had given his side the lead with a freak kick from his own area.
Bolton, who moved move off the bottom to 18th place, equalised through David Ngog four minutes later with Chelsea transfer target and England defender Gary Cahill scoring the winner 12 minutes from time.
Howard’s booming wind-assisted clearance bounced over opposite number Adam Bogdan and was only the fourth goal scored by a goalkeeper since the Premier League was formed in 1992-93.
Soccer-Man United slump to second straight defeat
LONDON, Jan 4 (Reuters) – Champions Manchester United suffered a second straight Premier League defeat on Wednesday, losing 3-0 to Newcastle United to leave Manchester City three points clear at the top of the table.
Demba Ba opened the scoring in the first half with his 15th league goal of the season before Yohan Cabaye made it 2-0 in the 47th from a free-kick. A Phil Jones own goal late on made sure Newcastle stayed seventh and a point behind Liverpool.
United’s third defeat in 20 matches so far meant they stayed second on 45 points, only three ahead of third-placed Tottenham Hotspur who have a game in hand.
“It’s not the time to panic. We’ve got the experience to cope with it,” said United manager Alex Ferguson, whose team lost 3-2 to Blackburn on New Year’s Eve.
Bolton Wanderers shocked Everton 2-1 away from home after Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard had given his side the lead with a freak kick from his own area.
Bolton, who moved move off the bottom to 18th place, equalised through David Ngog four minutes later with Chelsea transfer target and England defender Gary Cahill scoring the winner 12 minutes from time.
Howard’s booming wind-assisted clearance bounced over opposite number Adam Bogdan and was only the fourth goal scored by a goalkeeper since the Premier League was formed in 1992-93.
DRS in cricket…to use or not to use?
By Sudipto Ganguly, India sports correspondent
The inconsistent use of the Decision Review System (DRS) has put the International Cricket Council (ICC) in the firing line once again, strengthening the already popular notion that the governing body is helpless against the wishes of its most influential member board – India.
As the rest of the cricketing world went up in unison in a huge appeal, like a stern umpire, India once again shook its head and refused to budge on the use of technology in the game.
The Indian cricket board (BCCI) remains sceptical about DRS, basing their objection on the ball-tracking technology which is not fool-proof and vetoed its mandatory use.
BCCI convinced ICC to leave it to the participating boards in a bilateral cricket series, thus ensuring DRS, which allows teams to challenge umpires’ decisions, does not feature in any series involving India.
Initially there were concerns about the cost of the technology and whether smaller boards can afford it but BCCI insisted cricket does not require any technology which is not fool-proof.
ICC claimed DRS had improved correct decisions by more than seven percent in the World Cup but BCCI was not convinced.
Packers dilemma: To rest or not to rest?
You’re Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy, it’s the final game of the regular season against the Detroit Lions, and you’ve got a dilemma: play your strongest team, a winning combination, or rest your stars fearing serious injuries to any of them.
What do you do? McCarthy said on Monday he wants veteran left tackle Chad Clifton to play the game, he wants Clifton’s experience for the playoffs so naturally he needs a run out against the Lions. Easy.
But what about MVP favorite Aaron Rodgers?
“There is something to be said about trying to finish the season well though…and it would be nice to finish out the season, the way we started with a strong showing in a home game,” said the quarterback. Easy then..or not so.
Injury to Rodgers could spell disaster, but you get the sense he wants to play instead of understudy Matt Flynn no matter what the situation.
However, with no real game for almost three weeks, would a win against the Lions with a full strength team really give the Superbowl holders any more momentum than they’ve already built up all season?
The Packers are clicking on all fronts, just ask Donald Driver, speaking at the start of the season. It’s hard to see McCarthy not resting his main players come the last game of the regular season in the new year.
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