Arsenal 1 // Liverpool 1
Late goals tend to be Manchester United's domain but, even while others are celebrating, they have a habit of satisfying Sir Alex Ferguson. Dirk Kuyt's 102nd-minute penalty ensured United's lead at the Premier League summit is a healthy six points. While, teeth gritted, Liverpool do their fiercest rivals favours, however, Arsenal do themselves few.
They possess a marked self-destructive streak, one that has come to the fore over a harmful couple of months. Think of Laurent Koscielny and Wojciech Szczesny's costly inability to communicate in the Carling Cup final, resulting in Obafemi Martins' winner for Birmingham City, or Sebastien Squillaci and Manuel Almunia contriving to gift West Bromwich Albion's Peter Odemwingie a goal last month.
The list of defensive disasters is expanding embarrassingly, the latest addition the hare-brained decision of Emmanuel Eboue to barge Lucas in the back. Kuyt's resulting spot kick salvaged a deserved point for Liverpool and, in all probability, effectively ended Arsenal's title challenge.
This was not the welcome envisaged for their new majority shareholder. There was a changing of the guard, a minute's silence observed to mark the passing of Danny Fiszman, the former director who oversaw the move to Emirates Stadium. His successor as the driving force in the boardroom is an investor in sports across the Atlantic.
Stan Kroenke forsook the Denver Nuggets' play-off game against the Oklahoma City Thunder to cast an eye over his new acquisition. Were it to emulate the NBA, Arsenal would be an annual fixture in the end-of-season knockout games but the Premier League is a first-past-the-post format. It does not suit Arsenal, the elegant, economically-minded nearly men. It is their lot to be second, third or fourth to the finish, a trend that is being extended into a seventh successive season.
Kroenke's home state - or at least, its first four letters - seemed all too appropriate. The man from Missouri saw an opportunity missed; a chance to pressurise United gone and a lead, secured in the 98th minute by Robin van Persie's spot kick, lost. Not for the first time, this was a failure of nerve on a grand stage.
The accusation, yet to be rebutted with a gleam of a trophy, is that it is not talent Arsenal require, but resolve and poise.
Eboue's impetuosity was a case in point. When he erred in injury time, there were two teenage ingenues filling the full-back positions. Not for Arsenal - Eboue turns 28 in the summer - but in the colours of Liverpool.
Yet the performances of Jack Robinson and John Flanagan showed maturity and poise. Each was making just his second senior appearance but Flanagan, 18, faced Samir Nasri and Andrey Arshavin for an hour after being yellow carded without alarm.
Robinson, 17, was arguably better, displaying a precocious judgment as he halted Theo Walcott.
Robinson was introduced when Fabio Aurelio hurt a hamstring; when Jamie Carragher was then carried off on a stretcher and Sotirios Kyrgiakos replaced him, it was, Martin Skrtel apart, nearer Liverpool's third-choice defence than the second string.
Yet Kenny Dalglish's reluctance to complain about injuries has transmitted to his players. Adversity galvanised them. Meanwhile, by blooding local youngsters, the link with the past is showing he has an eye on the future.
There is a timelessness to Dalglish and his methods: organisation and commitment are scarcely novel ideas but they enabled Liverpool to be the antithesis of Arsenal. What they lacked in ability, they compensated with character. The new-look defence were shielded rigorously by two beneficiaries of Dalglish's regime.
Lucas and Jay Spearing were unstinting in their efforts; others have more skill but none displayed more application.
In the context of Liverpool's glorious past, they can be deemed impostors. Yesterday, they were integral. They are unlikely to be deemed the new Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano in the midfield but the Liverpudlian was the workaholic, the Brazilian the unobtrusive presence sweeping up beside him.
It is easier to negate than to create, of course, and simpler to frustrate than dominate. It is something Arsenal experience with unfortunate regularity; Sunderland and Blackburn Rovers had set their stall out to get a point at Emirates Stadium and accomplished their aim in Arsenal's previous two home games. Such stalemates were causes of intense irritation to Wenger.
Yet the drama and disappointment of yesterday's denouement rendered it the most damaging of all. A rare moment to unite Messrs Ferguson and Dalglish was the instant that summed up Arsenal's season.
sports@thenational.ae
THE SPECS
Touareg Highline
Engine: 3.0-litre, V6
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 340hp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh239,312
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
THE DETAILS
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Dir: Ron Howard
Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson
3/5
Liverpool’s fixtures until end of 2019
Saturday, November 30, Brighton (h)
Wednesday, December 4, Everton (h)
Saturday, December 7, Bournemouth (a)
Tuesday, December 10, Salzburg (a) CL
Saturday, December 14, Watford (h)
Tuesday, December 17, Aston Villa (a) League Cup
Wednesday, December 18, Club World Cup in Qatar
Saturday, December 21, Club World Cup in Qatar
Thursday, December 26, Leicester (a)
Sunday, December 29, Wolves (h)
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
UAE tour of the Netherlands
UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Fixtures:
Monday, 1st 50-over match
Wednesday, 2nd 50-over match
Thursday, 3rd 50-over match
RESULT
Manchester United 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1
Man United: Sanchez (24' ), Herrera (62')
Spurs: Alli (11')
What is hepatitis?
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver, which can lead to fibrosis (scarring), cirrhosis or liver cancer.
There are 5 main hepatitis viruses, referred to as types A, B, C, D and E.
Hepatitis C is mostly transmitted through exposure to infective blood. This can occur through blood transfusions, contaminated injections during medical procedures, and through injecting drugs. Sexual transmission is also possible, but is much less common.
People infected with hepatitis C experience few or no symptoms, meaning they can live with the virus for years without being diagnosed. This delay in treatment can increase the risk of significant liver damage.
There are an estimated 170 million carriers of Hepatitis C around the world.
The virus causes approximately 399,000 fatalities each year worldwide, according to WHO.
Specs
Engine: 2-litre
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 255hp
Torque: 273Nm
Price: Dh240,000
Brief scores:
Toss: Pakhtunkhwa Zalmi, chose to field
Environment Agency: 193-3 (20 ov)
Ikhlaq 76 not out, Khaliya 58, Ahsan 55
Pakhtunkhwa Zalmi: 194-2 (18.3 ov)
Afridi 95 not out, Sajid 55, Rizwan 36 not out
Result: Pakhtunkhwa won by 8 wickets
How England have scored their set-piece goals in Russia
Three Penalties
v Panama, Group Stage (Harry Kane)
v Panama, Group Stage (Kane)
v Colombia, Last 16 (Kane)
Four Corners
v Tunisia, Group Stage (Kane, via John Stones header, from Ashley Young corner)
v Tunisia, Group Stage (Kane, via Harry Maguire header, from Kieran Trippier corner)
v Panama, Group Stage (Stones, header, from Trippier corner)
v Sweden, Quarter-Final (Maguire, header, from Young corner)
One Free-Kick
v Panama, Group Stage (Stones, via Jordan Henderson, Kane header, and Raheem Sterling, from Tripper free-kick)
The Farewell
Director: Lulu Wang
Stars: Awkwafina, Zhao Shuzhen, Diana Lin, Tzi Ma
Four stars
Bangladesh tour of Pakistan
January 24 – First T20, Lahore
January 25 – Second T20, Lahore
January 27 – Third T20, Lahore
February 7-11 – First Test, Rawalpindi
April 3 – One-off ODI, Karachi
April 5-9 – Second Test, Karachi
Manchester United v Club America
When: Thursday, 9pm Arizona time (Friday UAE, 8am)
Fitness problems in men's tennis
Andy Murray - hip
Novak Djokovic - elbow
Roger Federer - back
Stan Wawrinka - knee
Kei Nishikori - wrist
Marin Cilic - adductor
How to keep control of your emotions
If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.
Greed
Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.
Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.
Fear
The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.
Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.
Hope
While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.
Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.
Frustration
Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.
Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.
Boredom
Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.
Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Stage 2 results
1 Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal 04:18:18
2 Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep 00:00:02
3 Arnaud Demare (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 00:00:04
4 Diego Ulissi (ITA) UAE Team Emirates
5 Rick Zabel (GER) Israel Start-Up Nation
General Classification
1 Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal 07:47:19
2 Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep 00:00:12
3 Arnaud Demare (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 00:00:16
4 Nikolai Cherkasov (RUS) Gazprom-Rusvelo 00:00:17
5 Alexey Lutsensko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team 00:00:19
RESULT
Shabab Al Ahli Dubai 0 Al Ain 6
Al Ain: Caio (5', 73'), El Shahat (10'), Berg (65'), Khalil (83'), Al Ahbabi (90' 2)
MATCH INFO
Austria 2
Hinteregger (53'), Schopf (69')
Germany 1
Ozil (11')
