|
LIVERPOOL, England -- Jose Mourinho riled his former assistant Brendan Rodgers as Chelsea successfully stifled Liverpool and scored twice against the run of play to win 2-0 on Sunday and dent the Premier League leaders hopes of a first title in 24 years. Cheap J.J. Wilcox Jersey . However unambitious Chelsea appeared at Anfield, goals at the end of each half from Demba Ba, who seized on Steven Gerrards slip-up, and Willian ended Liverpools 11-game winning streak in the league. Mourinhos side is just two points behind Liverpool with two games remaining. "They obviously sat very deep -- I think there were two buses parked today, never mind one," said Rodgers, who was a coach at Chelsea between 2004 and 2008. "It was clear that theyd come certainly not wanting to win the game, with the time wasting." That claim was unsurprisingly challenged by Mourinho -- "Time wasting? Whats that?" -- with the Chelsea manager affronted by criticism of his tactics. "When a team defends well you call it defensive display," he told reporters. "When a team defends badly and concedes two or three goals you dont mention a defensive display." But Mourinho continued his policy of dismissing Chelseas title prospects, stressing: "We have no chance." Its not that unrealistic for Chelsea, but Manchester City has replaced Liverpool as the team which has the destination of the trophy in its own hands. Third-placed City closed the gap on Liverpool to three points by winning 2-0 at Crystal Palace on Sunday, and it has a game in hand to play at Everton on Saturday. So by the time Liverpool plays at Palace next Monday it could have been knocked off the top on goal difference by City. Its a long time to dwell on a defeat that will suppress the fervour that had been growing at Liverpool that the team will win the English title for the first time since 1990, having started the season as 33-1 outsiders with bookmakers. Hours before kickoff, thousands of Liverpool fans lined the streets, preparing for the teams arrival at Anfield. It had the air of a victory parade, but whether the real thing takes place next month is now a lot more uncertain. "The bigger picture is that were still two points ahead of a team (Chelsea) that has spent an absolute fortune," Rodgers said. "If we win our two games well finish above them and then well see what happens with Manchester City. We achieved our objective of Champions League football." That competition is Mourinhos priority this season, resting several key players Sunday for Wednesdays semifinal against Atletico Madrid after the first-leg was a 0-0 draw. Mourinhos defensive tactics at Liverpool might have seemed to his critics to be anti-football, but they demonstrated his abilities to successfully set up a team to be well organized and frustrate opponents. While Chelsea defender Ashley Coles curling effort forced the first save of the game from Simon Mignolet, there was little attacking ambition from the visitors. Liverpool controlled the game, but without the speed or fluency of recent weeks as the hosts couldnt find a route to goal. In the opening 15 minutes, Phillippe Coutinho volleyed into the sidenetting and Mamadou Sakhos shot was cleared off the line by Cole before he mis-fired the follow-up from six yards. The last time Liverpool played here Gerrard was caught on camera telling the players: "This does not slip now." But it was Gerrard, usually the reliable heartbeat of the team and inspirational one-club player, who slipped in possession near the halfway line in the third minute of stoppage time, giving away the ball to Ba. With Gerrard unable to chase him down, the Senegal striker charged through on goal and coolly placed the ball past Mignolet and into the net. However much Liverpool tried to batter through toward the Chelsea goal in the second half, the defence held up well. Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge, a second-half substitute, are the leading scorers in the league with 50 goals between them, but they rarely came close to equalizing. Not even when facing 41-year-old goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, deputizing for the injured Petr Cech, who repelled Joe Allens first-time volley with a low diving save just before the hour. A rasping strike from Gerrard was also thwarted and a downward header by the captain lacked power to trouble Schwarzer. As the end neared, Suarez could not connect with Coutinhos cross, and the Uruguay striker saw a shot turned over in stoppage time before Chelsea stunned Anfield again. Former Liverpool striker Fernando Torres launched the breakaway, drawing Mignolet off his goal-line and then passing to Willian to walk the ball into the net. Mourinho jogged down the touchline, pounding the Chelsea crest on his coat in celebration. Brandon Carr Cowboys Jersey . Gregor Blanco doubled, singled and drove in three runs, and the surging San Francisco Giants beat the New York Mets 6-4 on Sunday for their fifth straight win. "Theres nothing I can complain about," manager Bruce Bochy said. The Giants completed their fourth sweep of the season. Cheap Zack Martin Jersey . Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema scored two goals each Wednesday night in a 6-1 rout of Schalke in the first leg of their second-round matchup. "We played a very, very good match," Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. "We got well into the match, scored two early goals and that opened the game and left us able to counter and to use the speed of our players.NEW YORK -- A happy homecoming for Jimmer Fredette and Michael Malone was another miserable night in a turbulent season for the New York Knicks. Rudy Gay made the tying basket in regulation and a 3-pointer in overtime that gave Sacramento the lead for good, and Fredette scored a career-high 24 points to help the Kings beat the Knicks 106-101 on Wednesday night. Gay and Isaiah Thomas each finished with 20 points for the Kings, who shook off a 13-point deficit and the loss of DeMarcus Cousins late in regulation to salvage the finale of a four-game road trip. Cousins had 19 points and 14 rebounds before limping off with a strained hip flexor with about 3 1/2 minutes left. The Kings made Malone a winner in his first game as a head coach in New York, where he spent four seasons as a Knicks assistant. It was the first time his mother watched him coach an NBA game in person. "Being from New York and having my family here and this is where I started in the NBA, its like a little kids dream," Malone said. "To come back here, and as a head coach, and get a win against the Knicks, it is an unbelievable moment for me, my mother, my father and my family." Carmelo Anthony had 36 points and 11 rebounds for the Knicks but flopped at the finish, missing a potential winning shot in regulation before blowing a layup on the first possession of overtime. Playing 48 minutes, he was scoreless in the extra session. Gay followed Anthonys missed layup with his 3-pointer, Derrick Williams added a basket that pushed it to 98-93 with 2:28 left, and the Knicks never really had a chance to catch up from there. New York finished the first half at 20-32. The reigning Atlantic Division champions have already lost more games than all of last season and continue to battle injuries and speculation that coach Mike Woodsons job is in jeopardy. "I didnt expect us to be in the situation that were in right now. If somebody would have told us that before the season, Id have put any amount of money that they were lying," Anthony said. "But were in this situation right now and weve got to fight through it." The Knicks played without J.R. Smith, who broke a ccheekbone Sunday at Oklahoma City and was uncomfortable with the protective facemask he was supposed to wear, which he didnt receive until Wednesday. Tony Dorsett Cowboys Jersey. Iman Shumpert then left in the second half with a strained left hip flexor. Amare Stoudemire scored 20 points off the bench and Tyson Chandler had 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Knicks in a game Anthony had called a "must-win." "We cant go back and get this game," Woodson said. "We didnt finish the game. I think we played well in spurts. We just didnt get it done." Stoudemire had three straight New York baskets midway through the fourth quarter, giving the Knicks an 87-83 advantage with 4:59 remaining. Fredette twice hit 3-pointers to make it a one-possession game, and Gay, after having a jumper go in and out, got another chance and knocked it down that time to tie it with 20 seconds to go. Anthony scored 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting as the Knicks cruised to a 33-22 lead after one, hitting 70 per cent of their shots. But Fredette, the college scoring star from BYU whose pro career has been largely underwhelming, answered back with 15 points in the second, matching his high for a game this season. "It was a lot of fun," said Fredette, a native of Glens Falls. "You dream about this, growing up not too far from here, and this is the best arena in the world. It was an amazing experience tonight. But I was just happy we got this win and go into the All-Star break on a high note." New York built a 54-48 halftime lead on 57.5 per cent shooting, but was just 7 of 23 (30 per cent) in the third quarter, with the Kings cutting it to 74-72 entering the fourth. NOTES: Smith didnt want to play without the mask for fear of further injury, acknowledging his choice to sit out was a "somewhat selfish decision." He said he will have to wear the mask for a few weeks and hopes to get it adjusted before play resumes next week. ... Malone worked for four different head coaches in New York. ... The Knicks honoured Hall of Famer Bernard King, who held the franchises single-game scoring record with 60 points until Anthony broke it with 62 last month against Charlotte. ' ' ' |
