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LONDON -- Tottenhams assault on the Premier League title was stopped in its tracks on Sunday, a 2-1 loss at Stoke ending an 11-match unbeaten run. Joe Flacco . Former Tottenham winger Matthew Etherington did the damage by grabbing two first-half goals at the Britannia Stadium to consign Harry Redknapps in-form team to a first defeat since Aug. 28. Emmanuel Adebayor pulled a goal back from the penalty spot in the 62nd minute but Spurs couldnt complete the comeback, with defender Younes Kabouls late red card compounding their misery. In Sundays other game, Sunderland celebrated Martin ONeills first match in charge by rallying to beat Blackburn 2-1, with Sebastian Larsson scoring an injury-time winner from a free kick to lift the team out of the relegation zone. Tottenham remained seven points behind Manchester City, which visits Chelsea on Monday, and will rue a number of poor decisions from the officials as its bid for a seventh straight victory came up short. Stoke defender Ryan Shawcross got away with using his right arm to keep out Kabouls goalbound shot in the 74th while Adebayor had a goal wrongly disallowed for offside moments later. "We certainly deserved to get something from the game," Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp said. "When you see the replays, how the referee gave Adebayor offside and how he didnt see the handball, I dont know." Etherington opened the scoring in the 13th minute after good work by another former Tottenham player, Peter Crouch, and then stabbed in a finish from close range two minutes before halftime to extend the lead. Bullied in the first half, Spurs fought back well but Stoke managed to hold on despite Adebayor scoring his eighth goal of the season after Luka Modric was tripped by Glenn Whelan. "They are a top-class side and we were under the cosh," said Crouch, whose side moved up two places to eighth. "Everyone was working as hard as they could and they werent going to take that result away from us." ONeill has been quick to work his magic at Sunderland, starting his reign by guiding the team to only its third victory of the season after 16 months away from the dugout. The 59-year-old Northern Irishman, who was given a rapturous welcome by the home fans, was hired by American owner Ellis Short to bring some energy and drive into a team that appeared to be heading toward a season of struggle under former manager Steve Bruce. Sunderland never gave up after starting sluggishly and was rewarded with late goals by David Vaughan and set-piece specialist Larsson to lift the team two places to 16th. "Hes come in with a lot of energy and enthusiasm and told us he believes in us," Larsson said of ONeill. "Weve had a tough time but this will do us the world of good." Simon Vukcevic scored in one of Blackburns rare forays forward, heading the ball into an unguarded net from six yards in the 17th after Sunderland goalkeeper Kieren Westwood parried out a deflected shot by Christopher Samba. Vaughan capped a period of domination from Sunderland by latching onto a weak clearance with a piledriver from 25 yards (meters) in the 84th, before Larsson justified his tag as one of the leagues best free-kick takers by curling a shot over the defensive wall and into the net at the near post. "It was surreal, really surreal," ONeill said. "Just to get three points on the board is immense. "We have a million miles to go, but in terms of restoration of confidence, it was great." Blackburns ninth defeat of the season left the team second from bottom -- a point above northwest neighbour Bolton, which lost 2-1 at home to Aston Villa on Saturday. Steve Smith Sr Ravens Jersey . The Texans sunk to a new low on Sunday with a 13-6 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars to extend their franchise-record skid to nine games. Torrey Smith Jersey .C. -- Cam Newton wasnt flawless on Sunday.Toronto FC has agreed to terms with midfielder Dwayne De Rosario on a new contract that will be signed later this week, according to TSN soccer analyst Luke Wileman. Rosario, the teams all-time leading scorer, left Toronto in 2011 to play for the New York Red Bulls and D.C. United. Toronto FC re-acquired him in Stage 2 of the MLS re-entry draft last month. De Rosario became available when D.C. United opted not to pick up his option at the end of the season. Playing for the leagues worst team in 2013, the Canadian had three goals and two assists in 24 games. De Rosario currently ranks sixth on the all-time MLS scoring list with 103 goals. Acquiring De Rosario was the latest in a flurry of TFC moves. Brazilian striker Gilberto is on board as a designated player with England and Spurs striker Jermain Defoe expected to announce his allegiance in the January transfer window. Toronto has also acquired MLS experience in the form of Brazilian midfielder JJackson and defender Justin Morrow while picking up draft picks in trading away the rights of goalkeeper Stefan Frei and midfielder Bobby Convey. Torrey Smith. De Rosario, who had scored 15 of Torontos 33 goals in 2010, was shipped out in exchange for midfielder Tony Tchani, defender-midfielder Danleigh Borman and a first-round pick. He finished 2011 with D.C. United, winning the Golden Boot as the leagues top scorer and MVP honours. De Rosario became the first player in MLS history to score for three different teams in one year. He also was the first MVP in North American pro sports history to play for three different teams in one season, according to MLS. A finalist for MVP in 2005 and 2006, he has been chosen to the leagues Best XI six times and captured MLS Goal of the Year honours twice, in 2004 and 2005. He won the MLS Cup in 2001 and 2003 with San Jose and 2006 and 2007 with Houston, earning MLS Cup MVP honours in 2001 and 2007. ' ' ' |
