Title race set to go to final day
MANCHESTER: The Premier League title race looks set to go down to the final day after Manchester City dropped two points with a 22 draw at West Ham United yesterday.
Riyad Mahrez failed to a convert a late penalty that would have won the game for Pep Guardiola’s side, which was 20 down at halftime at London Stadium.
The result left City on 90 points with one game to play and secondplaced Liverpool, chasing an unprecedented quadruple of trophies, four points behind but with two matches left.
Liverpool travels to Southampton tomorrow and victory in that game would leave it one point behind heading into Monday’s final round of games. A defeat would hand the title to City.
Both sides are at home for their last games — City faces Aston Villa while Juergen Klopp’s team hosts Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Jarrod Bowen struck twice for West Ham in the first half to stun City but Guardiola’s men fought back strongly.
Jack Grealish fired City back into contention four minutes after the break and the Hammers’ Czech defender Vladimir Coufal headed a Mahrez free kick into his own goal.
City had a great chance to take all three points when a VAR review led referee Anthony Taylor to award a penalty for Craig Dawson’s challenge on Gabriel Jesus.
Mahrez struck the spot kick firmly but at a good height for Lukasz Fabianski who produced an excellent save.
Tottenham Hotspur boosted its hopes of Champions League football next season with a nervy 10 win at home to relegationthreatened Burnley.
Spurs climbed above North London rival Arsenal into fourth on 68 points from 37 games — the Gunners are on 66 from 36 matches and had the chance to return to the top four if they won at Newcastle United this morning.
The game was decided by a controversial penalty just before the break when referee Kevin Friend reviewed a handball incident and ruled that the arm of Ashley Barnes had been in an ‘‘unnatural position’’ when the ball struck it.
Kane drilled the spotkick into the bottom corner but Burnley’s protests continued after the halftime whistle with angry exchanges in the tunnel.
Burnley’s defeat left it back in the bottom three but the battle to avoid relegation also looks likely to be decided on the final day of the season.
Leeds United dropped two points with a 11 draw at home to Brighton & Hove Albion although it was delighted to have salvaged a point with a stoppagetime header from substitute Pascal Struijk.
Danny Welbeck had put Brighton ahead in the 21st minute and Leeds laboured before Struijk snuck in at the back post.
Everton slipped back into trouble after a 32 home defeat to Brentford, ending the game with nine men after receiving two red cards.
Dominic CalvertLewin’s first goal since August put Frank Lampard’s Everton ahead but its day turned sour when teenage centre back Jarrad Branthwaite was sent off for a foul on the last man.
Yoane Wissa forced Everton captain Seamus Coleman to put the ball into his own net, although Richarlison restored the home advantage from the penalty spot to give his team a 21 lead at halftime.
But two headed goals in three minutes just past the hourmark from Wissa and Rico Henry, and a late red card for Salomon Rondon, handed Brentford a win.
Everton is in 16th place on 36 points with two games left to play.
Leeds is a point behind with one game left and Burnley is in 18th, inside the drop zone, on 34 points with two matches left. — Reuters
Ray Martin (31), of the Victoria club in Wellington, delivers a bowl on his way to a win over Dean Drummond (28), of Hastings, in the final of the World Singles at the New Zealand PBA finals in Dunedin on Sunday.
Martin won in two tight sets to win the right to represent New Zealand in England and increase his lead as New Zealand’s No 1ranked player.
In the International Singles, Aidan Zittersteijn (23), of