City reduce deficit, Reds crush Norwich
London, Jan. 19: Manchester City cut Manchester United’s Premier League lead to four points by beating Fulham 2-0 on Saturday thanks to a brace of goals from Spanish midfielder David Silva.
United are not in action until they visit Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday and defending champions City took advantage to breathe fresh impetus into their title defence.
Silva broke the deadlock after just 96 seconds at the Etihad Stadium, slamming home from six yards after Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer parried a longrange shot from Edin Dzeko.
Steve Sidwell hit the post for the visitors in the 31st minute and City lost Pablo Zabaleta to injury before Silva added a second with 21 minutes left, gathering a Carlos Tevez flick and beating Schwarzer with a dinked finish.
Meanwhile, Liverpool reacted to last weekend’s 21 loss at United in emphatic fashion by thrashing Norwich City 5-0 at Anfield to close to within three points of the European places. HOME DEBUT FOR STURRIDGE Jordan Henderson broke the deadlock with a vicious 26th-minute halfvolley before home debutant Daniel Sturridge’s clever dummy freed Luis Suarez to beat Mark Bunn for his seventh goal in three games against the Canaries.
Sturridge tapped in his third goal in three games for his new club in the 59th minute, with Steven Gerrard getting in on the act from 25 yards before Norwich’s Ryan Bennett put through his own goal in the 74th minute. READING SHOCK
NEWCASTLE At the bottom of the table, Adam Le Fondre scored twice in six minutes as Reading dragged themselves out of the relegation zone by coming from behind once again to win 2-1 at Newcastle United.
Yohan Cabaye’s pictureperfect free-kick put Newcastle in front 10 minutes prior to the interval but Le Fondre equalised 65 seconds after coming on as a 70th-minute substitute and then curled in a 77thminute winner.
— AFP