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A22     SPORTS
               Monday 11 deceMber 2017
            Messi, Suarez give Barcelona 2-0 win at 10-man Villarreal


            By JOSEPH WILSON             Suarez  finished  off  a  quick  to  play  when  Sergio  Bus-  Apart  from  Gerard  Pique’s  “We  were  in  control  and
            Associated Press             passing  combination,  in-   quets  intercepted  the  ball  header  off  the  post  early  the sending-off completely
            BARCELONA, Spain (AP) —  volving  himself,  Messi  and  near  Villarreal’s  area  and  on, hosts Villarreal had kept  changed  the  match,”  Vil-
            Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez  substitute  Paco  Alcacer,  passed  for  the  Argentina  Barcelona in check until re-  larreal coach Javier Calle-
            scored  after  Villarreal  was  by  rounding  goalkeeper  forward to speed between  serve team forward Daniel  ja said. “He tried to go for
            reduced to 10 men to give  Sergio Asenjo and tapping  two defenders and fire past  Rabaseda saw a direct red  the ball and arrived late. It
            Barcelona  a  2-0  win  on  the  ball  home  in  the  72nd  Asenjo. The goal took Mes-  card for a studs-first tackle  was a foul, but I don’t think
            Sunday that maintained its  minute.  Messi  then  sealed  si’s  league-leading  tally  to  into Busquets’ ankle with a  it  was  a  red.  It  is  easier  to
            lead of the Spanish league.  the win with seven minutes  14 for the season.            half-hour remaining.         send off young players.”q

            City beats United 2-1 in Manchester derby, leads EPL by 11



             By STEVE DOUGLAS                                                                                                   only  thing  lacking  and  in-
             AP Sports Writer                                                                                                   variably  the  opening  goal
             MANCHESTER, England (AP)                                                                                           came from a source which
             —  Manchester  City  capi-                                                                                         United  was  supposed  to
             talized  on  two  defensive                                                                                        have  the  advantage:  The
             lapses  by  Romelu  Lukaku                                                                                         set piece.
             to  claim  a  record-setting                                                                                       De  Bruyne’s  outswinging
             2-1  win  over  Manchester                                                                                         corner  hit  Lukaku  as  the
             United  and  open  up  an                                                                                          United  striker  challenged
             11-point lead over its fierce                                                                                      for the ball with Otamendi,
             rival in the Premier League                                                                                        and  Silva  was  on  hand  to
             on Sunday.                                                                                                         guide  the  loose  ball  past
             Both  of  Lukaku’s  mistakes                                                                                       stranded  goalkeeper  Da-
             came  in  United’s  penalty                                                                                        vid De Gea from just inside
             area while the forward was                                                                                         the six-yard box.
             defending set pieces, with                                                                                         City’s   players   switched
             David Silva and Nicolas Ot-                                                                                        off in the final moments of
             amendi taking advantage                                                                                            the half and United made
             to  score  with  close-range                                                                                       them  pay.  De  Bruyne  had
             finishes in the 43rd and 54th                                                                                      already  wasted  a  three-
             minutes.                                                                                                           on-two  breakaway  when
             Marcus Rashford equalized                                                                                          Otamendi  failed  to  deal
             for  United  between  City’s                                                                                       with a routine long ball for-
             goals, from another defen-  Manchester City’s Nicolas Otamendi, right, scores his side’s second goal during the English Premier   ward  from  United  center
             sive  mistake,  in  the  meet-  League soccer match between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford Stadium   back  Marcos  Rojo,  who
             ing of the league’s top two   in Manchester, England, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017.                                       was bandaged up after a
             teams at Old Trafford.                                                                  (AP Photo/Dave Thompson)   clash of heads with Silva.
             It  was  City’s  14th  straight  val Jose Mourinho, his ninth  can compete on big stag-  football are behind them.”  Otamendi  misjudged  the
             victory in the league, some-  in  20  meetings  between  es with huge personality.”   The game kicked off in light  flight  of  the  ball  and  suc-
             thing  that  has  never  been  them.  Mourinho  has  won  Just like City did in beating  snowfall  and,  until  being  ceeded only in glancing a
             achieved  by  a  team  be-  four of them.                Chelsea  1-0  at  Stamford  caught cold by Rashford’s  header  backward,  behind
             fore  in  England’s  top  flight  With 16 games gone, City is  Bridge and thrashing Liver-  equalizer, City overran Unit-  his flat-footed left back Fa-
             in  a  single  season.  Arsenal  still unbeaten in the league  pool 5-0 at home.      ed at times, just like in last  bian Delph.
             won  14  straight  games  in  and  looking  unstoppable  Mourinho  pointed  to  two  season’s 2-1 win at Old Traf-  Rashford  was  more  alert,
             2002,  but  across  two  sea-  as it goes for its first league  major incidents in the final  ford. Kevin De Bruyne and  driving a first-time shot low
             sons.                       title  until  Guardiola.  Third-  10 minutes of normal time:  Silva,  in  particular,  were  past  Ederson.  Both  teams
             In  handing  United  its  first  place  Chelsea  is  14  points  the failure to award United  given so much time in cen-  were  forced  into  halftime
             loss  at  Old  Trafford  since  off the pace, with its coach  a  penalty  for  Otamendi’s  tral  midfield  with  opposite  substitutions   in   defense
             winning  there  in  Septem-  Antonio  Conte  having  al-  challenge  on  Ander  Her-  numbers  Nemanja  Matic  —  Kompany  off  for  City,
             ber  last  year,  City  ended  ready given up on defend-  rera  and  then  City  goal-  and Herrera unsure wheth-  Rojo  for  United  —  but  the
             its  neighbor’s  club  record-  ing the trophy.          keeper  Ederson  Moraes’s  er to close down or retreat  shape  of  the  game  didn’t
             equaling run of 40 matches  “You  cannot  be  champi-    double  save  from  Lukaku  in front of their defense.    change.    Lukaku   barely
             unbeaten  at  home  in  all  ons  in  December,”  Guar-  and Juan Mata.               It  meant  City  was  getting  threatened  up  front  for
             competitions.               diola  said,  attempting  to  “Manchester  City  are  a  quite  easily  to  the  edge  United  but  he  again  unin-
             And it gave City manager  downplay        expectations.  very  good  team  and  they  of United’s box before en-   tentionally  made  his  pres-
             Pep Guardiola another win  “But  it’s  important  for  our  are protected by the luck,”  countering a wall of red jer-  ence felt at the other end
             over his great coaching ri-  confidence to feel that we  Mourinho said. “The gods of  seys. The final pass was the  of the field. q

            Napoli draws 0-0 against Fiorentina, fails to go back top


            By DANIELLA MATAR            the league but it remained  also held to a 0-0 draw, at  it was coming off the back  had  a  bit  of  a  nervy  first
            Associated Press             second, a point behind In-   Chievo Verona.               of successive defeats to Ju-  half  but  then  we  created
            MILAN  (AP)  —  Napoli  is  ter  Milan  and  one  above  AC Milan got its first league  ventus and Feyenoord, the  chances  ...  we  just  lacked
            struggling  without  Lorenzo  Juventus  after  those  two  win since Nov. 5 and its first  latter of which saw it elimi-  the finishing touch but we’ll
            Insigne  and  was  held  to  a  sides drew 0-0 on Saturday.  under  new  coach  Genn-  nated from the Champions  get  back  to  scoring.  “We
            goalless draw by Fiorentina  All  of  the  top  four  teams  aro Gattuso as it beat Bolo-  League.  “Today  I  didn’t  looked good tonight and, if
            in Serie A on Sunday.        failed  to  score  this  week-  gna 2-1. Napoli knew a vic-  see  the  same  attacking  we had won 1-0, everyone
            Maurizio Sarri’s team could  end.  Roma  remained  five  tory  over  Fiorentina  would  problems  we  had  in  Rot-  would be talking about Na-
            have  gone  back  top  of  points behind Inter as it was  see it reclaim top spot but  terdam,”  Sarri  said.  “We  poli being back. q
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