Shaheem Prentice’s two goals spurred Newtown to a 2-1 win over Sadlers in the St Kitts and Nevis Premier League on Monday night.
In what was the final game of the weekend of matches, Prentice scored in the second and 22nd minutes leading his team to the victory. Jarin Clarke scored in the 55th minute in what turned out to a consolation goal for the visitors.
Coach Anthony “Nets” Isaac said his team’s victory was a sign of their resilience.
“We go from game to game. We get motivation from the game that we play because we come out on top and play very good football, so we take from that game into every game that we go into,” Isaac said.
Saddlers coach, Samuel Phipps, said he had to make changes in the first half as four of his first-team players showed up late for the match.
“I had to do some reshuffling in the first half because it’s unbelievable; we had players who were in the starting team showing up late so, of course, I had to readjust the squad from what I wanted for this game,” a flustered Phipps said.
With the victory, Newtown maintains third place on the Premier League table. Old Road United Jets are in second with 13 points while Cayon Rockets leads the league with 15 points.
On Sunday, Old Road blanked Hot Springs Bath United 3-0 at Warner Park. All three goals were scored in a four-minute span that put the game away.
Having struggled to take control in the first half, Old Road found their rhythm after the interval. Kaylon Liburd opened the scoring in the 60th minute before the prolific Tiquanny Williams scored two minutes later.
Nequan Browne secured all three points when he scored in the 64th minute as Old Road became only the second team to secure wins on the weekend.
Coach Alexis Morris of Old Road, explained why his team struggled in the first half.
“Let me tip my hat to the Bath United team because they really put us to the test,” he said. “We started a bit flat. We asked the guys to conserve some energy but to me, they went away from that and as a result of that, they were running all over the pitch.
“Luckily, at the break, we were able to talk. We were able to regroup and we were able to put things together and play the kind of (football) that we are capable of playing.”
Bath’s Coach Alex Claxton said lapses in concentration caused his team to concede three goals in four minutes. “I think this was one of those moments when our players lapsed. I think decision-making played a role in that regard so we have to go back to the drawing board and try to fix those things,” Claxton said.
In Sunday’s other match, Rams Village Superstars drew 1-1 with H.E. Garden Hotspurs.
Joseph Wilkes put Village ahead in the 44th minute but the lead lasted on four minutes as Steve Archibald drew Spurs level in the 48th.
Akio Benjamin of Spurs picked up his second yellow of the match in the 80th minute and was sent off.
Spurs Assistant Coach Rohan Browne was not happy with the draw.
“We dominated the game, to be honest. We dominated from start to end. We had most chances,” Brown said. “We had some chances on the break. I am disappointed but the guys played with heart and they finished off the game with one point. Not what we wanted but well done to the team.”
Village’s coach Stephen Clarke was also not pleased with the outcome.
“I expected three points but that’s how it goes sometimes. You just have to go back to the playing field, regroup and come back again,” Clarke said.
Meanwhile, defending champions S L Horsfords St. Paul’s, snatched a point from the jaws of defeat on Friday night on their home field.
A last-minute strike from Vinceroy Nelson that gave St Paul’s a 1-1 draw with St. Peters FC, who had taken the lead when Shomari Hanley 35th minute.
Coach Austin “Dico” Huggins of St. Peters, was upset with the outcome as he felt the seven minutes of stoppage time had already elapsed and the match should have ended, preventing St. Paul’s from scoring the last-minute goal.
In the night’s other match in St. Paul’s, Jones Group Sandy Point FC, came from behind with 10 men to draw 1-1 with Security Forces FC.
Donyelle Francis scored from the spot to give Security Forces the lead in the 26th minute before Melrick Warner pulled Sandy Point level in the 77th minute.
Table toppers FLOW 4G Cayon Rockets solidified their position at the top the league table with their fifth win from five matches on Saturday, edging SOL IAS Conaree FC 3-2 at home in St. Mary’s Park, Cayon.
Mervin Lewis put the leaders up 1-0 in the 14th minute but Errol O'Loughlin leveled the scored in the 24th minute.
Devontay Carty scored the first of his two goals to give Cayon the lead in the 29th. He added a second in the 75th to give Cayon 3-1 lead. However, Nequan Phipps made things interesting when he scored Conaree’s second in the 78th minute making for a tense final 12 minutes.
Assistant Coach at Cayon Valentine Anthony blamed lapses in concentration has been an issue of concern.
“For the past couple of games we started the first half (well) and in the second half we just come out lackadaisical. But grateful that we got the three points. Kudos to my team,” he said.
Real Madrid keep run going as Rodrygo hits the target again
Rodrygo continued his red-hot form as Real Madrid returned to the top of LaLiga following a routine 2-0 win over struggling Granada.
The Brazil forward rifled home his seventh goal in his last five Real appearances to seal victory at Santiago Bernabeu following Brahim Diaz’s first-half opener.
Carlo Ancelotti’s men kicked off on Saturday evening having slipped to second in the table due to Girona’s 2-1 success over Valencia earlier in the day.
Yet they swiftly regained first place, above the Catalan club on head-to-head-results, following a straightforward success over the division’s second-bottom side.
England midfielder Jude Bellingham once again impressed but was unable to add to his 15 goals this season and picked up a first-half yellow card for dissent.
Victory for the hosts stretched their unbeaten streak in all competitions to 13 matches, dating back to the 3-1 derby defeat at Atletico Madrid in September.
Real were back in domestic action after maintaining their 100 per cent Champions League record with Wednesday’s 4-2 success over Serie A champions Napoli.
Their early dominance was rewarded with a 26th-minute lead.
Toni Kroos split the visitors’ defence with a fine first-time pass, allowing former Manchester City man Diaz to claim his third goal of the season by calmly lifting the ball over Granada’s substitute goalkeeper Andre Ferreira.
Bellingham wanted a penalty in the final minute of the half when he went down under a robust lunging challenge from Ignasi Miquel but his animated appeals were waved away by the referee.
Real initially looked content with their slender advantage during a fairly subdued start to the second period.
However, their slow, patient play was rewarded with a second goal in the 57th minute.
Bellingham looked certain to score following a cut back from the lively Diaz but Ferreira, who replaced the injured Raul Fernandez after 10 minutes, pulled off an impressive save, only to see the in-form Rodrygo emphatically lash home the rebound.
Granada’s sole success this season came at home to Mallorca back in August.
The away side never looked likely to set up a grandstand finish and did not manage an attempt on target as the hosts continued to monopolise the ball.
Federico Valverde went close to adding to Real’s advantage but he was denied by a superb one-handed save from Ferreira following a delightful pass from Bellingham.
Dwight McNeil fires Everton to morale-boosting win at Nottingham Forest
Dwight McNeil’s second-half goal clinched Everton a 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest and lifted them off the foot of the Premier League table.
Everton had slipped to the bottom before the late kick-off at the City Ground after Burnley’s win against relegation rivals Sheffield United.
But McNeil lashed home the only goal to clinch Everton a morale-boosting victory one day after the club lodged their appeal against their 10-point deduction for breaching the Premier League’s financial rules.
Everton, who have not lost at the City Ground since 1995, notched their third win in five league matches to climb to within two points of safety while Forest slipped to a third straight defeat and back-to-back home losses.
Wayward finishing and heroic defending ensured a goalless first half as both sides spurned scoring chances.
Everton should have broken the deadlock in the 23rd minute, with Beto blazing over an empty net when he looked odds-on to register his first Premier League goal.
Forest goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos dropped a cross after tangling with team-mate Willy Boly but Beto, back in the starting line-up for the first time since September in place of the injured Dominic Calvert-Lewin, fired off target.
Forest had made the better start but came under siege for a prolonged spell in the first period and were also indebted to Murillo. The Brazilian defender cleared McNeil’s angled shot off the goal line and needed treatment after falling awkwardly into the net.
Anthony Elanga had earlier pulled a low shot wide for Forest, who could have snatched the lead in first-half stoppage time through Morgan Gibbs-White but he fired into the side netting after being played in by Ibrahim Sangare.
Forest made a fast start to the second half, with substitute Felipe soon in the thick of the action.
His shot following a goalmouth scramble clipped a post and moments later the Brazilian was booked for hauling down McNeil outside his own area.
Ryan Yates had gone to ground under Doucoure’s challenge following the corner which had led to Felipe’s effort, but Forest’s penalty appeals were waved away and they fell behind soon after.
Jack Harrison’s cross from the right picked out McNeil at the far post and he took one touch before rifling his first goal of the season into the far corner.
McNeil raced in on goal shortly after but was thwarted by Serge Aurier’s last-ditch tackle and Forest went close to an equaliser when Elanga rounded Jordan Pickford only to shoot into the side netting from a tight angle.
Pickford rescued Everton in the 81st minute when racing out of his goal to deny Elanga and saved well again from Murillo’s fierce effort.
Forest poured forward in search of a late equaliser but Elanga’s shot curled inches wide and at the final whistle soon after, Everton’s travelling fans burst into a chorus of We Shall Not Be Moved.
Arsenal and Liverpool can challenge Man City in 'open' title race, believes Anderton
Both Arsenal and Liverpool are capable of pushing Manchester City close in what promises to be the most open Premier League title race in recent years.
That is the view of former Tottenham and England midfielder Darren Anderton, though he says Pep Guardiola's men are still the team to beat as they chase an unprecedented fourth successive English top-flight title.
Ahead of Saturday's Premier League fixtures, just two points separated leaders Arsenal and fourth-placed Aston Villa, with City and Liverpool nestled between that pair.
The 2015-16 season, when Leicester City stunned the football world by winning the title under Claudio Ranieri, is the only previous Premier League campaign to feature such a slender gap between first and fourth after 13 matchdays.
Mikel Arteta's Arsenal moved four points clear at the summit, at least temporarily, by clinging on for a 2-1 win over Wolves on Saturday, and Anderton believes they and Liverpool can keep things interesting at the top this season.
"Manchester City are going to be involved in it, there's no doubt about it," Anderton told Stats Perform when asked to name his title favourites.
"Arsenal are obviously still going well and Liverpool have come back this year, so I think it's going to be a little bit more open than it has been in recent years.
"If you had to ask me, I would expect that Manchester City are going to be the team to beat again. I love Pep, I love the football that they play.
"Obviously, with Haaland, they've got a goal machine and they're always going to create opportunities and they're always going to keep strengthening and getting better and better.
"Everyone's got to try and keep pace with them."
Some tipped Anderton's former club Spurs for a surprise title bid when new boss Ange Postecoglou led them to an unbeaten 10-game start to the season, but injuries to key men James Maddison and Micky van de Ven have taken their toll at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in recent weeks.
Tottenham approach Sunday's meeting with City looking to halt a three-game losing run, having gone down to Chelsea (1-4), Wolves (1-2) and Villa (1-2) despite opening the scoring in each match.
Anderton believes UEFA Champions League football should be the primary aim for Postecoglou's team this season, saying: "I think, with Spurs, we need to get that win to get us going again.
"If we do, then we can go on another run like we did at the start of the season. For Spurs, I'd love just to see them back in the Champions League. That's the first step.
"There's no reason why that's not achievable, in my opinion. You might need a little bit of luck and to get players back as soon as possible, but that's definitely a goal that can be achieved."
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