Sturridge strike saves Liverpool
LONDON: A stunning late strike from Daniel Sturridge rescued a point for Liverpool in the 11 draw at Chelsea yesterday while Manchester United’s 31 defeat at West Ham United confirmed its worst topflight start for 29 years and piled more pressure on manager Jose Mourinho.
The contrast with neighbour Manchester City could not be more marked, with Pep Guardiola’s side beating Brighton and Hove Albion 20 to go ahead of Liverpool on goal difference.
Sturridge’s late intervention at Stamford Bridge, which preserves his team’s unbeaten start to the season, came moments after Juergen Klopp brought him on, perhaps in the hope he might replicate the goal he managed against the same opponent in the EFL Cup at Anfield on Thursday.
Amazingly, Sturridge did exactly that, unleashing a 25m shot that found the top corner of the Chelsea net just when it looked like Liverpool, which had won all six of its previous league games this season, had run out of ideas.
‘‘What a game, a spectacular football game,’’ Liverpool manager Klopp said.
‘‘It was so deserved for Daniel [Sturridge], a really nice moment and I’m so happy for him.’’
It is the first time that Chelsea, for whom Eden Hazard scored with a low firsthalf drive, has not won after going ahead this season.
City brushed aside the limited challenge of Brighton with goals from Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero after the Argentine linked superbly with the Englishman to net his seventh goal in all competitions this season.
Liverpool and City are now nine points ahead of United.
United manager Jose Mourinho will be more concerned with where the team’s next win comes from after another lacklustre showing ended with him lambasting his players for their ‘‘quality and mental approach’’ at West Ham.
The defeat marked another low after a turbulent week in which Paul Pogba was stripped of the vicecaptaincy and United was dumped out of the EFL Cup by Derby.
Mourinho responded by fielding an unfamiliar 352 formation and omitting striker Alexis Sanchez from the squad in favour of Anthony Martial.
But the result was an equally passionless performance that led former United captain Rio Ferdinand, who now works as a TV pundit, to question how long Mourinho will remain in charge.
‘‘There will be conversations at the top level, about the future of the manager and the squad, because the basics are not being done. There has to be something said,’’ he said on BT Sport.
West Ham took just five minutes to open the scoring with record signing Felipe Anderson producing an audacious backfoot flick.
An unlucky own goal increased its lead but even a superb strike from Marcus Rashford made little difference, with Marko Arnautovic scoring the winner.
Mourinho was predictably unhappy.
‘‘One goal is offside, the second goal is own goal and the third goal is referee’s mistake but for the next game we have to have a better start,’’ he said, adding that Pogba, who was substituted in the second half, was ‘‘trying hard’’.
Elsewhere, goals by Jamie Vardy and Harry Maguire secured Leicester City’s 20 win over Newcastle United, which has lost its opening four home games for the first time.
Harry Kane scored twice, including a penalty, as Tottenham Hotspur inflicted further woe on bottomplaced Huddersfield Town. Arsenal also won 20, at home to Watford. Both goals came in the final 10 minutes.
The only worry was a hamstring injury to keeper Petr Cech, who will be out for three weeks.
Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Ivan Cavaleiro scored with his first touch in the Premier League as Southampton was beaten 20. Gylfi Sigurdsson had an eventful afternoon for Everton, atoning for his missed penalty with two goals in the 30 win over Fulham.
THAT was a tough one to lose.
A 94thminute goal handed Southern United its first loss of the national women’s football league season at Tahuna Park yesterday.
Lucy Carter was the heroine for Auckland, as she rocketed a shot from 30m to find the top corner and give the visitors a 21 win. It was a superb strike, aided by the strong wind which Auckland had at its back throughout the second half.
The loss was Southern’s first at home since 2016, although it was more than competitive against last year’s champion.
Indeed it was Southern that took a 10 lead to halftime.
It made good use of the wind, delivering several long balls to put the Auckland defence under pressure.
While the goal came from a 19thminute corner, it was a long ball from Renee Bacon to Emily Morison which led to the corner.
Morison nearly scored herself, although she was unable to stretch far enough to finish the move.
A minute later Bacon got on the end of Chelsea Whittaker’s corner and her shot deflected off Auckland’s Bianca Stiles into the goal.
It was a welcome goal after Auckland had created several chances of its own early.
The most notable of those came in the sixth minute, when, after a messy corner, Kim Nottingham put one straight over the bar from close range.
Auckland continued to threaten on the counterattack, notably through the classy Paige Satchell.
The Southern defence scrambled well, though. Mikaela Hunt and Kelsey Kennard in particular shone in that regard, while goalkeeper Jordan Woodward made a handful of good saves.
That enabled Southern to press forward with confidence and it nearly became 20 in the 26th minute.
Bacon again put in a threatening long ball for Morison, although she could not quite finish off.
Auckland became more dominant throughout the second half.
Southern was able to make several breaks, although was never quite clinical enough to create genuine chances.
In the 60th minute Auckland equalised. Sam Muirhead capitalised on a messy corner in the box, finishing in the left of the goal, well out of reach of Woodward.
Auckland continued to dominate from that point and while Lara Wall made two probing runs, Southern rarely looked like scoring.
However, its defence was also doing a good job of holding on.
Four minutes of added time proved one too many, though, as Carter slotted home the winner.
While the loss to tough to take, Southern coach Ignacio Sande had been happy with his side’s performance.
‘‘It was disappointing because they scored in the last minute, but I’m happy with the performance. I think the team did great in the first half.
‘‘After the last game, when we struggled in the first half, it was a challenge for us to see if we could change that.
‘‘We were in the game and we created a lot of chances in the first half and we were very strong.’’
However, he said several players had been sick during the week and that showed through in the final 20 minutes as energy levels fell.
He said Auckland was a good team which was capable of using space if it found it.
The win leaves Auckland in second place on six points, although with a game in hand.
Canterbury United remains on top of the table after a 70 thrashing of Central, while Northern drew level with Southern in third with a 41 win over Capital.