Newcastle salvage crucial one point
Newcastle salvaged a crucial 1-1 draw at Stoke on Saturday to keep alive their hopes of avoiding relegation.
With nine minutes to play at the Britannia Stadium, Alan Shearer was facing his second successive defeat since taking over as Newcastle’s caretaker boss until the end of the season.
Former Newcastle midfielder Abdoulaye Faye gave Stoke a first half lead but Shearer had sent on Andy Carroll midway through the second half and the young striker responded by heading an 81st minute equaliser.
Shearer’s switch could prove vital in the final reckoning as the point lifted Newcastle to third bottom of the table above Middlesbrough, who had won earlier on Saturday, and within two points of safety.
Shearer had made five changes from the team beaten by Chelsea in his first match, with Sebastien Bassong returning from a groin injury, while David Edgar, Damien Duff, Danny Guthrie and Shola Ameobi also came in.
All the changes failed to galvanise Newcastle as Stoke set about bombarding the visitors’ defence. They forced two corners inside the opening three minutes and came close to taking the lead from the second.
From Liam Lawrence’s inswinger to the corner of the six-yard box Ryan Shawcross was allowed to rise all too easily, only to glance his header across the face of Stephen Harper’s goal.
Then Ricardo Fuller flicked a header towards the far post, with the loose ball falling to James Beattie whose close-range effort was blocked by Harper.
Duff panicked as Stoke continued to press and his clearance went straight to Rory Delap, whose cross caused more chaos. Harper tried to punch clear but Fuller got there first and headed narrowly over.
Stoke’s dominance was rewarded in the 33rd minute as Faye once again made his former employers regret selling him in August.
Faye, who left St James’ Park for Stoke in a two million pounds deal, had already scored a late equaliser against his old club in December. He tormented them again from a disputed corner.
Newcastle were furious that referee Chris Foy gave Stoke a corner even though the ball clearly came off Fuller last.
City captain Faye took full advantage as he was left totally unmarked to meet Lawrence’s corner with a stooping header past Harper.
It could have been 2-0 in the closing minute of the half as a point-blank Fuller header from another Lawrence corner was beaten away by Harper. From the rebound, Fuller’s second attempt caught Ameobi’s arm but Foy waved away Stoke’s appeals.
Just a minute into the second half Bassong was forced to clear off his line from a Glenn Whelan header after he had been teed up by Fuller.
Minutes later Ryan Taylor did the same to deny Shawcross after the defender flicked on a Lawrence free-kick.
Stoke could have won it when Fuller and Whelan set up Etherington, but from just inside the area and with only Harper to beat, the winger dragged his shot wide.
A minute later Shearer sent on Carroll for Ameobi. It was to prove the decisive moment.
Carroll was a danger straight away as he headed inches past the right-hand post from Taylor’s cross.
Suddenly Newcastle began to push forward with belief and, nine minutes from time, they drew level when Carroll met Duff’s cross with a looping header drifted over Sorensen’s despairing dive.
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Torres put Liverpool back to top of league
Fernando Torres sent Liverpool back to the top of the Premier League as Rafael Benitez’s men plunged Blackburn deeper into trouble at the other end of the table with a 4-0 win at Anfield.
The Spanish striker ensured the contest was over by half-time, following up a fifth-minute volley with a header after 33 minutes to take his goal tally for the season to 14.
A long-range strike from Danish centreback Daniel Agger, seven minutes from the end, and a last-minute goal for young striker David Ngog completed a win that will have revived Liverpool’s spirits after their Champions League defeat by Chelsea on the same pitch in midweek.
The win lifted Liverpool two points clear of Manchester United ahead of the champions’ match at Sunderland later on Saturday.
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Bayern title defence in trouble
Having shipped nine goals in two games, Bayern Munich have little time to wallow in self-pity when they host Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
After a 5-1 drubbing at the hands of league leaders VfL Wolfsburg last week, Bayern were thrashed 4-0 by Barcelona in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday.
With their leaky defence a shadow of last season’s solid backline and defender Lucio as well as striker Miroslav Klose injured, coach Juergen Klinsmann needs a quick fix.
Defending champions Bayern are three points off the top in third place with 48 points with eight games remaining this term.
Klinsmann must also deal with mounting criticism that his first season in charge of Bayern has been a flop, despite vocal backing from the club board.
Bayern playmaker Franck Ribery admitted they needed to win against Eintracht to keep any title hopes alive.
“We are under pressure now. We absolutely must win against Frankfurt.” the Frenchman said after Bayern’s mauling in Spain. “We have to be present at the weekend.”
However, catching Wolfsburg, especially given Bayern’s erratic recent performances, is no easy task, with Felix Magath’s team having won their last eight league matches.
Wolfsburg, who lead Hamburg on goal difference in the Bundesliga, travel to lowly Borussia Moenchengladbach with two of the league’s most dangerous strikers in Grafite and Edin Dzeko.
The pair have been superb throughout the season, with the Brazilian topping the scorers’ list with 20 goals and the Bosnian 15.
While Magath has banned any title talk, insisting their aim was to finish in the top five, the players know the championship is only a few more wins away.
“Glabach will fight against relegation in this match and they will need every point they can get,” Wolfsburg midfielder Zvjezdan Misimovic said. “But if we keep a cool head we can get something out of this match as well.”
Hamburg, also on 51 points, travel to resurgent Stuttgart, who are in fifth place.
Hamburg’s midweek UEFA Cup clash against Manchester City could leave Martin Jol’s side drained, however, the team having played virtually non-stop since the end of the winter break in the league, UEFA Cup and German Cup. – Reuters
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Robinho happy at Manchester City
Brazilian forward Robinho insists he is happy with life at Manchester City.
Reports have linked Robinho with a move away from Eastlands, just a year after the Brazilian joined the club.
Robinho told The Sun: “I know about rumours linking me with different teams but I am not pre-occupied by them. My head only has time for City and I want to be the star of this club.
“I am totally convinced City can win the Uefa Cup. A title in my first season in England will be magnificent.
“City are preparing an enormous project for next season and I am totally focused on this adventure. We could really be big in the table in a few months.”
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Aguirre replaces Eriksson
Javier Aguirre has been named as Mexico’s national team coach, less than 24 hours after Sven-Goran Eriksson was axed from the position.
Aguirre will take charge of El Tri for the second time after leading them to the round of 16 at the 2002 World Cup.
The 50-year-old had frequently been linked with the post after he was sacked as Atletico Madrid boss in February, with Mexico’s poor form intensifying those rumours.
Aguirre has distanced himself from the role as early as last month, but following Eriksson’s sacking yesterday – less than a year into his tenure – he has answered an SOS from the Mexican football association.
Late last night he met the governing body’s president, Justino Compean, and the director of the committee of national teams, Nestor de la Torre, in Mexico City before agreeing a new deal.
He will take charge of a Mexico side that has has won just one of its past six World Cup qualifiers and who sit fourth in their CONCACAF qualifying group to reach the 2010 finals in South Africa.
According to a Mexican FA statement Aguirre will be officially presented on April 16, with his first game in charge due to come away to El Salvador on June 6. – ESPN
