Chelsea shakes off blues with win over Tottenham
LONDON » Once Hakim Ziyech’s curling, dipping strike landed in the Tottenham goal, Chelsea never looked back.
Sure, it took until two minutes into the second half to break the deadlock and the Moroccan was justified in ranking it “10 out of 10.” But the space gifted for Thiago Silva’s header from Mason Mount’s free kick in the 55th minute to seal a 2-0 win on Sunday was a snapshot of this most lopsided of London rivalries.
Chelsea should never have doubted its fourmatch winless run in the Premier League would end on Sunday. Not even with former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte going nine league matches unbeaten at the start of his Tottenham reign before the visit to Stamford Bridge.
It’s now 33 wins for Chelsea against Tottenham in the Premier League era — more than against any other opponent. Not since 2018 has a Tottenham player even scored against Chelsea in the league when the north London side last won this derby.
Chelsea stayed a point behind second-place Liverpool, which won 3-1 across London at Crystal Palace through first-half goals from Virgil Van Dijk and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Fabinho’s penalty.
The results will give a flicker of hope that Manchester City can still be caught after the champions were held at Southampton to Saturday to now sit only nine points in front of Liverpool having played a game more.
NBA BUCKS ALLEN SUSPENDED »
Milwaukee Bucks guard Grayson Allen was suspended by the NBA for one game for his hard foul on Alex Caruso that resulted in a broken right wrist for the Chicago Bulls guard.
Allen will serve his suspension Wednesday when the Bucks visit the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Caruso was driving to the basket Friday night when a hard foul by Allen caused him to land on his right side. Caruso lay on the floor for a few minutes, though he stayed in the game to attempt the free throws that resulted from Allen’s flagrant 2 foul.
Golf SWAFFORD WINS IN DESERT »
Hudson Swafford won The American Express for the second time in five years, breaking a late tie with an eagle and closing with an 8-under 64 for a two-shot victory.
Starting the final round on the PGA West Stadium Course, Swafford followed his eagle with a birdie on the par-3 17th to win by two over Tom Hoge.
Tied for the lead with Brian Harman and former British Open champion Francesco Molinari at 20 under, Swafford pulled ahead with a second shot to 8 feet for eagle on the par-5 16th. He then ran in a 20-foot birdie putt on the 17th, and closed with an 8-foot par.
KANG WINS TO START NEW YEAR » Danielle Kang readily admits she, and her golf game, remain a constant work in progress.
On a difficult championship test at Lake Nona Golf and Country Club, Kang ran off five birdies in a seven-hole stretch in the middle of her round, posted the day’s low score at 4-under 68 and sprinted away to a three-shot victory at the season-opening Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.
Kang finished at 16-under 272, three shots clear of Canada’s Brooke Henderson (70).
JIMENEZ WINS PLAYOFF » Miguel Angel Jimenez birdied the par-4 18th hole in regulation for a 6-under 66 and then beat Steven Alker with a par on the second playoff hole to win the season-opening Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai for the third time.
Alker also closed with a birdie for a 66 to join Jimenez at 17-under 199. Alker had a birdie putt on the first playoff for the win. He missed, and then failed to save par from a bunker on the second extra hole in a tournament that finished Saturday.
College basketball GONZAGA SUSPENDS STOCKTON’S TICKETS »
Gonzaga has suspended John Stockton’s basketball season tickets after the Hall of Fame point guard refused to comply with the university’s mask mandate.
Stockton, one of Gonzaga’s most prominent alums, confirmed the move in a Saturday interview with The Spokesman-Review.
“Basically, it came down to, they were asking me to wear a mask to the games and being a public figure, someone a little bit more visible, I stuck out in the crowd a little bit,” Stockton said.
Stockton has come out against COVID-19 vaccines, mask mandates and other protective measures. Last June, he participated in a documentary titled “COVID and the Vaccine: Truth, Lies and Misconceptions Revealed.”
Skiing
SWISS DUO SWEEPS » Beat Feuz is again the man to beat heading to the Olympic downhill race at the Beijing Winter Games.
Feuz’s Swiss teammate Marco Odermatt also showed again he has the talent and form to be Alpine skiing’s big new star in China.
Feuz was 0.21 seconds ahead of Odermatt in a clear 1-2 finish for Switzerland’s stars on the storied Streif downhill course in the last World Cup speed race before the Olympics. CURTONI WINS » There were mixed emotions within the powerhouse Italian ski team when Elena Curtoni won a super-G while Sofia Goggia crashed again with the Beijing Olympics less than two weeks away.
For the second victory of her career in her 230th World Cup race, Curtoni mastered a tricky courseset to finish a slim 0.09 seconds ahead of Austria’s Tamara Tippler and 0.24 ahead of Olympic combined champion Michelle Gisin.
Overall World Cup leader Mikaela Shiffrin took few risks and placed 16th.