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sports Dialuna 28 December 2020

Liverpool concedes late to draw 1-1 with lowly West Brom

(AP) — Liverpool dropped above Fabinho to head the “There is a lot of defend-
points at Anfield for the ball in off the far post, allow- ing you have to do against a
first time this season after ing West Brom to snatch a quality team with a fantastic
conceding an 82nd-min- point despite only enjoying home record,” Allardyce said.
ute equalizer to draw 1-1 22% possession. “To a man, we frustrated Liv-
against lowly West Brom- erpool as much as we could.”
wich Albion on Sunday. It was Sam Allardyce’s first
away match in charge of West “People will say we are lucky,”
The champions looked set to Brom after taking over a team he added, "but that was good
move five points clear — for likely to be embroiled in a application from the players
the biggest lead of their Pre- relegation scrap this season. and they took their opportu-
mier League title defense so He is known as a survival nity at the other end.”
far — thanks to Sadio Mane’s specialist and this is the type
12th-minute goal. of battling result “Big Sam” is Liverpool had just two efforts
known to secure, against the on target, and the second — a
However, what had been a odds. late header from Roberto Fir-
one-sided match changed mino — was tipped around
when Liverpool center back Allardyce is the last visiting the post superbly by West ly, when you're constantly Liverpool has a three-point
Joel Matip was forced off in- manager to win a Premier Brom goalkeeper Sam John- faced with 10 men,” Liver- lead over second-place Ever-
jured in the 60th minute. League match at Anfield, in stone. pool manager Jürgen Klopp ton, its close neighbour on
April 2017 when he was in said. “West Brom deserved Merseyside. The Reds had
And from one of West Brom’s charge of Crystal Palace. “It's an incredible challenge the point tonight because we won their first seven home
half-chances, Semi Ajayi rose to stay active, to stay live- didn’t finish the game.” matches.

Activist, champion: Naomi Osaka is AP Female Athlete of Year

(AP) - With tennis, like so don was canceled for the first than the game or themselves.
much of the world, shut “It was difficult to be isolat- Osaka collected 18 of 35 first- time since 1945 — and ended Her actions are nothing short
down because of the coro- ed from my family for large place votes and a total of 71 the year ranked No. 3. of inspiring and she is so very
navirus pandemic, Naomi parts of the year, but that’s points. deserving of this recogni-
Osaka found herself with nothing compared to others. The defining stretch of Osa- tion.”
time to read and think. It was sad to watch and read WNBA Finals MVP Bre- ka’s season came in August
the news of people suffering anna Stewart was next with and September, when she During the U.S. Open, Osa-
And while she won the U.S. from COVID-19, and the nine first-place votes and 60 compiled an 11-match win- ka brought attention to Black
Open for her third Grand economic and social effect points, followed by Sarah ning streak that included the victims of violence by arriv-
Slam title, she also stood out on so many — losing jobs, Fuller, the Vanderbilt soccer U.S. Open. ing for matches wearing face
for speaking out about racial mental health. It was such a player who kicked for the masks bearing the names of
injustice and police brutality. tough year for so many peo- school’s football team, with It was during a tuneup tour- Floyd, Taylor, Tamir Rice,
ple,” Osaka wrote in an email one first-place vote and 24 nament in New York that Elijah McClain, Trayvon
As noteworthy in 2020 for interview. “And then watch- points. Osaka — whose father is Martin, Ahmaud Arbery and
her activism away from the ing the police injustices like Haitian and mother is Japa- Philando Castile.
tennis court as her success George Floyd, Breonna Tay- LeBron James was an- nese — declared she would
on it, Osaka was selected by lor and Jacob Blake (to name nounced Saturday as the AP not play her semifinal, join- “To be honest, I really didn’t
The Associated Press as the just a few) in the summer Male Athlete of the Year. ing athletes from the NBA stop to think about what oth-
Female Athlete of the Year in broke my heart. I am proud and elsewhere in protesting ers would think of my ac-
results revealed Sunday after of my U.S. Open victory, Billie Jean King, a 12-time the police shooting of Blake. tions. Other people’s opin-
a vote by AP member sports but more so that I got people Grand Slam singles title win- ions weren’t going to stop me
editors and AP beat writers. talking about the real issues.” ner and a pioneering advo- “There are clearly so many from doing what I know in
cate for decades, praised Osa- worthy issues. This one es- my heart was the right thing
ka for positioning “herself as pecially resonated with me to do,” Osaka said. “The
a leader not only in women’s because of my own personal strong voices of Colin (Kae-
tennis but in all of sports and up-bringing; and also while pernick) and LeBron were
a force for change in our so- the tennis tour was paused, certainly positive influences
ciety.” I was able to watch and read for me and gave me strength
news at length for the first in my own convictions.”
“She successfully completed time in my life. This sum-
the difficult task of taking mer in the U.S., tensions Turning to 2021, the 23-year-
excellence in sports perfor- were high and reached boil- old Osaka listed these goals:
mance and using that plat- ing point,” Osaka said. “It “work hard, do better, speak
form to succeed outside of was the right time for me to up, be kind.”
sports on a much bigger speak up.”
stage,” King told the AP. “She Japan, where she was born, is
ignited a conversation on Taking her lead, that tourna- slated to host the postponed
social justice, the results of ment shut down completely Olympics next year.
which were bigger than ten- for a day.
nis, larger than sports, and in “I am looking forward most
doing so raised the bar for all “Her activism has shone a to being with the athletes that
those who want to leverage light on how we as individu- had waited and trained for
the gifts and talents we have als and sports leagues can over 10 years, for celebrating
to make a difference in our collectively make an impact,” a very hard year (2020), and
world.” WTA Chairman and CEO having that happen in Japan
Steve Simon said. “Not only makes it that much more
Osaka went 16-3 during the is she a phenomenal tennis special,” Osaka said. “It’s a
coronavirus-truncated ten- player, but she also demon- special and beautiful country
nis calendar — the profes- strates how athletes have an filled with culture, history
sional tours took about a opportunity to use their plat- and beauty. I cannot be more
five-month hiatus; Wimble- form for something bigger excited.”