LIVERPOOL: Liverpool came from behind to beat Brighton 2-1 and go top of the Premier League thanks to Mohamed Salah’s stunning winner at Anfield on Saturday.
The Reds deservedly trailed at half-time to Ferdi Kadioglu’s sweet strike.
But two quickfire goals from Cody Gakpo and Salah punished Brighton for not making more of their first half superiority.
A 13th win in 15 games in charge for Arne Slot takes Liverpool two points clear of Manchester City, who were beaten 2-1 at Bournemouth.
Both sides were much-changed from the League Cup tie between the pair on Wednesday, which Liverpool edged 3-2.
Despite the Reds welcoming back a plethora of stars including Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold, it was the Seagulls who dominated the first half and should have been out of sight before the break.
Liverpool’s only clear sight of goal in the first 45 minutes came when Darwin Nunez ran from inside his own half into the Brighton box and saw a shot brilliantly turned behind by Bart Verbruggen.
Kadioglu opened the scoring on 14 minutes with a blistering right-footed drive in off the inside of the post.
Liverpool were again without first-choice goalkeeper Alisson Becker due to injury but his stand-in Caoimhin Kelleher produced a vital save to prevent Brighton doubling their lead.
Jack Hinshelwood’s sublime pass split the Liverpool defense to set Georginio Rutter in behind Virgil van Dijk, but the Frenchman failed to beat Kelleher.
Kadioglu blazed over another big chance to make it 2-0 before a Danny Welbeck free-kick hit the side-netting.
Liverpool were forced into a change at the interval as Ibrahima Konate hobbled off with his arm in a sling and was replaced by Joe Gomez.
The England defender should have made an instant impact when he headed straight at Verbruggen when unmarked from a free-kick.
Slot’s half-time team talk had the desired effect as Liverpool tore out of the blocks a side transformed in the second half.
Alexis Mac Allister’s header was turned behind at his near post by Verbruggen before Van Dijk did not connect when picked out by Alexander-Arnold’s cross.
Brighton had kept Salah quiet for an hour but the Egyptian should have punished the visitors when he sped onto Nunez’s flick and failed to beat Verbruggen one-on-one.
The home side needed some fortune to get the comeback started as Gakpo’s attempted cross flew into the far corner without getting a touch.
With Anfield now in raptures it took just three minutes for Slot’s men to find the winner.
From a Rutter fluffed shot at one end, Liverpool broke at speed as Curtis Jones found Salah, who cut inside onto his trusted left foot and smashed into the top corner.
Brighton pushed the hosts back in a nervy finale, but Liverpool held on for a vital three points on a day that title rivals City and Arsenal, who were beaten 1-0 at Newcastle, both stumbled.
Mo Salah strike beats Brighton to take Liverpool top of Premier League
https://arab.news/rv6yk
Mo Salah strike beats Brighton to take Liverpool top of Premier League
- A 13th win in 15 games in charge for Arne Slot takes Liverpool two points clear of Manchester City
Sabalenka kick offs WTA Finals campaign with win over Olympic champ Qinwen
- Sabalenka is eyeing a maiden trophy at the prestigious season finale in Riyadh after finishing second two years ago
RIYADH: World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka commenced her WTA Finals campaign in Riyadh on Saturday with her fifth victory in as many meetings with the current Olympic champion, China’s Zheng Qinwen, posting a 6-3, 6-4 result.
Facing off for the fifth time in the last 14 months, Sabalenka and Zheng opened the action at the first-ever professional women’s tennis tournament in Saudi Arabia in front of a near capacity crowd at King Saud University Indoor Arena.
The Belarusian top seed needed just one hour and 24 minutes to defeat Zheng, dropping a mere two points behind her first serve throughout the contest.
A runner-up at the WTA Finals in Fort Worth, Texas two years ago, Sabalenka is eyeing a maiden trophy at the prestigious season finale, which would also guarantee her the year-end top ranking.
“It’s going to mean everything for me, that’s one of my dreams and I really worked hard in the past years and I really hope that one day I’ll be able to hold this beautiful trophy,” said Sabalenka, 26, on court.
“Qinwen is such a great player and we always had great battles against each other. She’s playing really aggressive tennis. I’m super happy with the win, especially against such a tough opponent.
“I think I served really well today and I put her under so much pressure on her serve. So I think my serve helped me tonight.”
Saudi Tennis Federation President Arij Mutabagani, tournament director and former world No. 1 Garbine Muguruza, and the highest-ranked African and Arab player in history, Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur, kicked-off proceedings by welcoming the crowd and the tennis tour to Riyadh in a pre-match opening ceremony.
Very little separated the players in the opening set as both dominated the points behind their first serves, Sabalenka winning 18/19 and Zheng winning 13/16.
But it was the second serve where Sabalenka found an edge, and after she saved a break point in the third game, the top seed broke for a 4-2 advantage and sealed a one-set lead in 39 minutes.
With Chinese supporters representing the majority of the crowd and rallying behind their Olympic hero, Zheng was near clinical through the first eight games of the second set.
But Sabalenka upped the ante in game nine, converting her second break point opportunity to inch ahead and she closed out the win on her own serve minutes later.
In a bizarre incident, Sabalenka had to wait at the net for a short moment before Zheng realized she had actually lost the match.
Sabalenka, a three-time Grand Slam champion, has now won her last seven consecutive matches against top-10 opposition.
Charley Hull triumphs at Aramco Team Series in Riyadh with impressive 18-under finish
- Englishwoman’s 18-under-par performance gave her a three-stroke lead over Denmark’s Nicole Broch Estrup
RIYADH: England’s Charley Hull stormed to victory at the Aramco Team Series in Riyadh on Saturday, closing with a 66 to secure her first tournament win since 2022.
Hull’s 18-under-par performance gave her a three-stroke lead over Denmark’s Nicole Broch Estrup, marking her sixth professional win and her fourth on the Ladies European Tour.
Hull attributed her success to her sharp play and solid putting.
“I felt really sharp, I played very solidly today,” she said. “I made a bogey on the par five 17th and the par three, but that was just two three putts. So quite long putts, in all fairness, and they got away from me a little bit, but felt like I held my game together pretty well. And 18-under for three days is a pretty good score.”
Starting the final round two strokes behind Slovenia’s Pia Babnik, Hull quickly took control with an aggressive approach, sinking birdies throughout the front nine.
Her momentum was especially evident on the par-5 fifth hole, where she drove close to the green, setting up a perfect chip that left her with a simple tap-in birdie.
“I was actually chatting to someone who was quite close to me before I started, and he said, get off to a fast start, try and get ahead,” Hull shared. “That's what I did — and it’s a good job I listened to them.”
Hull maintained her lead despite bogeys on the 14th and 17th, closing with a steady par on the 18th. Her friends Georgia Hall and Annabell Dimmock were there to celebrate as she sank her final putt, capping off a flawless week in Riyadh.
She now turns her focus to the final events of the LPGA Tour in the US before preparing for a major campaign in 2025.
“I’m going home for a week, before I head back to America for the last two events in the LPGA Tour, which is the ANNIKA event, and then the CME Group Tour Championship. I like the Tour Championship golf course. I won there in 2016, so I’m looking forward to them too, and then home for Christmas, I can’t wait.”
The Aramco Team Series in Riyadh, one of five $1 million LET events hosted by Golf Saudi this season, capped off an impactful year for golf in Saudi Arabia.
Golf Saudi CEO Noah Alireza praised the tournament, saying: “What an incredible week of golf we’ve enjoyed here in Riyadh — and what fitting and deserving champions we have in both Charley Hull and Team Tamburlini.”
Alireza also highlighted the event’s local influence, noting the participation of ten Saudi amateur players and the success of Golf Saudi’s Go Golf initiative, which has brought 58 new Saudi players into the game.
“All of these are landmark moments as we continue to grow golf in Saudi Arabia. I’d like to thank all the players and partners who helped make this an unforgettable week of golf and we look forward to the return of the Aramco Team Series presented by PIF next year.”
‘We showed our character’ — Koulibaly proud of Al-Hilal in Capital Derby
- Al-Hilal came back to draw 1-1 with Riyadh rivals Al-Nassr but dropped their first points of the season
RIYADH: Al-Hilal may have relinquished their 100 percent start to the 2024-25 Roshn Saudi League season, but for defender Kalidou Koulibaly, the Capital Derby was another display of the title-holders’ championship mettle.
Not even a minute had elapsed on Friday night when Al-Hilal went behind to chief rivals Al-Nassr, the hosts ahead through Anderson Talisca’s 55-second finish to send the majority of the 25,000-plus crowd at Al-Awwal Park wild in celebration.
Al-Hilal, to that point with eight wins from eight to begin the season where they left off last term, were in an instant in danger of their mammoth unbeaten RSL run coming to an end.
But, as champions do, they rallied. Indeed, they could have nicked a ninth successive win had a late claim for a penalty gone their way. However, as the middle of three marquee matches in the RSL’s inaugural Derby Week came to a close, Jorge Jesus’ side would settle for Sergej Milinkovic-Savic’s headed equalizer 13 minutes from time.
A gripping encounter, which included three disallowed goals and no shortage of competitive spikiness, ended in a 1-1 draw — and a share of the spoils.
“A good game against a nice team who were prepared,” Al-Hilal defender Koulibaly said. “They made a lot of difficulties for us, but the draw was fair because, as I said, they make a lot of trouble for us. But we always believed we could score this goal, and we scored it. So, we can be happy tonight.”
Al-Hilal, who last season enjoyed a record-breaking title triumph, thought they should have been granted the opportunity to win the derby in the closing stages, when they appealed vigorously for a penalty following a coming together between striker Aleksandar Mitrovic and Al-Nassr goalkeeper Bento.
Yet, following a VAR review, the initial decision of no infringement was upheld. Koulibaly, though, preferred to focus on the positives. Namely, his side’s formidable strength of character.
“I don’t like to speak about (the decision),” the former Napoli and Chelsea center-back said. “I’m a defender and when it’s a penalty it’s a penalty. We are not happy because it’s not for us this time, but the most important is the mentality of the team to come back.”
With the draw, Al-Hilal’s undefeated streak in the RSL stretches to 45 matches and all the way back to the tail end of the 2022-23 season. This campaign’s winning run halted, they still remain right where they want to be — after nine rounds, they are perched at the RSL summit, one point ahead of second-placed Al-Ittihad and six out in front of Al-Nassr, their great cross-city competitors, in third.
“For you we lost two points, but for us it’s OK,” Koulibaly told reporters. “We are used to seeing Al-Hilal always win but today was a tough game. We draw and we can feel OK. It’s difficult to win every game, to try to win every game. But we can happy also because it was against a strong team, and we were away from home.
“We were behind from the first minute, but we showed good character. I’m proud of my team.”
Asked what he would promise the Al-Hilal fans, many of whom chanted and cheered on their team from behind the goal in which Milinkovic-Savic secured the point, Koulibaly said: “We promise to continue like this. We are making a good performance in league, we are getting through some tough games. We will continue to work to build on our work.”
For now, Koulibaly said it did not matter that Matchweek 9 concluded with the capital club’s lead at the top reduced to a solitary point. Although, the RSL title race is undoubtedly heating up.
“We just look for Al-Hilal,” the Senegal international said. “We don’t look for anyone else.”
McLaren’s Norris wins sprint race at Brazilian Grand Prix to cut gap on overall leader Verstappen
- Norris started second on the grid and, late into the 24 laps of the sprint race, teammate Oscar Piastri gave way to him
SAO PAULO: McLaren driver Lando Norris won Saturday’s Formula 1 sprint race at the Brazilian Grand Prix to cut his deficit to championship leader Max Verstappen.
Red Bull’s Verstappen is also under investigation for a potential virtual safety car infringement.
The gap between the two drivers, with four grands prix and a final sprint race to the end of the season, is now 45 points.
Norris started second on the grid and, late into the 24 laps of the sprint race, teammate Oscar Piastri gave way to him.
Verstappen finished third and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who also has a long shot at the title, ended fourth.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr. was fifth, with Mercedes’ George Russell, Alpine’s Pierre Gasly and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez next best.
Norris appeared to be upset about leader Piastri’s pace for most of the sprint race. “I am not sure what I am doing here, mate,” he said on the team radio. “I thought we spoke about this.”
Later, Norris said McLaren had done a good job.
“I am not proud about it but we worked well as a team together so I thank Oscar,” Norris said. “Oscar deserved (a win) but we did what we had to do.”
Piastri did not elaborate on the McLaren decision. “A great day for the team and a lot of points. We learned a lot for the race tomorrow,” he said.
Arsenal Premier League hopes hit as Isak scores winner for Newcastle
- Arsenal struggled to get out of first gear and although they dominated possession, they produced just one shot on target
- If defending champions City win at Bournemouth later on Saturday they will be eight points clear of the Gunners
NEWCASTLE: Newcastle put a huge dent in Arsenal’s title aspirations on Saturday, winning 1-0 to give leaders Manchester City the chance to move eight points clear of the Gunners at the top of the Premier League.
Alexander Isak scored what proved to be the winning goal in the 12th minute, heading home Anthony Gordon’s pinpoint cross from the right.
Arsenal struggled to get out of first gear and although they dominated possession, they produced just one shot on target in the entire game.
Mikel Arteta’s men have now picked up just one point in their past three games as their title push quickly runs out of steam.
If defending champions City win at Bournemouth later on Saturday they will be eight points clear of the Gunners. Liverpool, a point behind City, host Brighton at Anfield.
Arsenal have pushed Pep Guardiola’s City hard in each of the past two seasons and appeared to be well-equipped for another title challenge but the gap already looks alarmingly big.
The injury-hit visitors started brightly in the opening seconds at St. James’ Park, with Leandro Trossard dragging the ball wide.
But the home side, who had not won for five matches, quickly settled and Sweden forward Isak got between Gabriel and William Saliba to head home from Gordon’s exquisite first-time cross.
Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka lacked penetration but headed just wide in the 18th minute after leaping above his marker.
Newcastle defender Lewis Hall blocked Mikel Merino’s shot on the line after a Declan Rice corner caused chaos but the visitors lacked rhythm and failed to match the intensity shown by the home side.
Arteta opted against making changes at half-time and Newcastle came close to doubling their lead almost immediately, with Joe Willock’s shot saved by David Raya.
The Spanish boss threw on 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri and Oleksandr Zinchenko for Gabriel Martinelli and Merino just after the hour mark.
Isak fired a shot at Raya that the Arsenal goalkeeper pushed away before Rice muscled his way into the Newcastle area and flashed a shot wide.
Arteta made further changes, introducing defender Ben White and forward Gabriel Jesus in the desperate push for an equalizer.
Arsenal struggled to build up a head of steam as the clock ticked down but they squandered a golden chance to equalize when Rice headed just wide from a Saka cross in stoppage time.
The Gunners, still missing captain Martin Odegaard, suffered a shock defeat against Bournemouth last month and drew 2-2 with Liverpool last week.
They have tough games coming up against Inter Milan in the Champions League and Chelsea next week.
The win lifts Eddie Howe’s Newcastle to eighth in the table ahead of the later kick-offs on Saturday.
