A tough week for Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, two of the rebel clubs in the failed Super League project, got even more difficult when they fell behind on their return to Premier League action on Wednesday.
However, both teams recovered to register vital wins and leave them in good spirits for their next match — their meeting at Wembley Stadium for the EFL Cup final on Sunday.
City fought back from conceding a goal after just 20 seconds to beat Aston Villa 2-1 and move 11 points clear in their march to a third league title in four years. A maximum of eight points are needed by Pep Guardiola’s team from their final five games.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Each side had a man sent off at Villa Park, with City defender John Stones’ straight red card for a reckless lunge late in the first half ruling him out for three matches — starting with the Cup final.
Tottenham needed a late penalty from Son Heung-min to clinch a 2-1 victory over Southampton and close to within two points of fourth-placed Chelsea in the race for Champions League qualification.
LA LIGA
AP, MADRID
Karim Benzema scored two goals and set up another to lead Real Madrid to a 3-0 win over Cadiz in La Liga, in the team’s first game since the implosion of the proposed Super League.
The Cadiz players wore T-shirts before the game condemning the Super League.
Madrid president Florentino Perez had been one of the key figures behind the proposal.
Alvaro Odriozola also scored as Madrid pulled within a point of league leaders Atletico Madrid ahead of their game against SD Huesca.
Elsewhere, Sevilla beat Levante UD 1-0, CA Osasuna defeated Valencia 3-1, Real Betis Balompie held Athletic Bilbao to a 0-0 draw, Deportivo Alaves defeated Villarreal 2-1 and Elche drew 1-1 with Valladolid.
BUNDESLIGA
AFP, BERLIN
Borussia Dortmund moved back within four points of the Champions League places in the Bundesliga as Raphael Guerreiro’s goal late in the game helped seal a 2-0 home win over Union Berlin on Wednesday.
Dortmund moved to four points behind fourth-placed Eintracht Frankfurt, but also only five adrift of VfL Wolfsburg, who beat VfB Stuttgart.
Elsewhere, FSV Mainz 05 won 1-0 against Werder Bremen and Borussia Moenchengladbach lost 3-2 to TSG 1899 Hoffenheim.
SERIE A
AP, MILAN, Italy
Inter on Wednesday were held to a 1-1 draw against Spezia, who are facing possible relegation, but still extended their lead at the top of the Serie A table.
Ivan Perisic canceled out Diego Farias’ opener for Spezia as Inter moved 10 points above second-placed AC Milan after they lost 2-1 at home to US Sassuolo.
“It’s inevitable to feel a bit of pressure, especially as lots of our players are challenging for something important for the first time, but it’s OK, the performance was there,” Inter coach Antonio Conte said. “We must live with the pressure.”
Elsewhere, ACF Fiorentina won 2-1 against Hellas Verona, Juventus came from behind to win 3-1 against Parma, Cagliari inched closer to safety after winning 1-0 against Udinese, Benevento drew 2-2 with Genoa, Torino drew 1-1 against Bologna and Crotone lost 1-0 to UC Sampdoria.
Hong Kong-based cricket team Hung See this weekend found success in their matches in Taiwan, even if none of the results went their way. Hung See played the Chairman’s XI on Saturday morning, the Daredevils that afternoon and PCCT yesterday, with all three home teams winning. The team for Chinese players at the Happy Valley-based Craigengower Cricket Club sends teams on tour to “spread the game of cricket.” This weekend was Hung See’s second trip to Taiwan after visiting Tainan in 2016. “The club has been traveling to all parts of the world since 1982 and the annual tradition continues [with the Taiwan
Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Coco Gauff’s dreams of a first women’s singles title in Melbourne were crushed in the quarter-finals by Paula Badosa. World No. 2 Alexander Zverev was ruffled by a stray feather in his men’s singles quarter-final, but he refocused to beat 12th seed Tommy Paul and reach the semi-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia defeated Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania and Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 in 2 hours, 20 minutes to advance the semi-finals. Hsieh and Ostapenko converted eight of 14 break
‘TOUGH TO BREATHE’: Tunisian three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur suffered an asthma attack in her 7-5, 6-3 victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday cruised into the second round of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Iga Swiatek romped into a third-round women’s singles showdown with Emma Raducanu and Taylor Fritz was just as emphatic in his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title. Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the third seeds, defeated Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls of Britain 7-5, 6-2 in 90 minutes in Melbourne. Ostapenko and Hsieh — who won the women’s doubles and mixed doubles at the Australian Open last year — hit 25 winners and converted five of nine break points to set
HARD TO SAY GOODBYE: After Coco Gauff dispatched Belinda Bencic in the fourth round, she wrote ‘RIP TikTok USA’ and drew a broken heart on a television camera lens Defending champion Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while compatriot Chan Hao-ching on Saturday dominated her opponents in the second round, as world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka swept into the quarter-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia toppled Hungary’s Timea Babos and Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US 6-4, 6-3, hitting 24 winners and converting three of seven break points in 1 hour, 18 minutes at 1573 Arena. Although rivals at last year’s Australian Open — where Hsieh and Belgium’s Elise Mertens beat Ostapenko and Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok 6-1, 7-5
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