Liverpool's Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring his side's third goal against Leicester City at Anfield. PA
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring his side's third goal against Leicester City at Anfield. PA
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring his side's third goal against Leicester City at Anfield. PA
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring his side's third goal against Leicester City at Anfield. PA

Liverpool v Leicester: Leaders insist it is 'too early to be celebrating' as 3-1 win bolsters title hopes


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Liverpool moved seven points clear at the top of the Premier League as the title favourites were made to fight back to clinch a 3-1 win against struggling Leicester on Thursday.

Arne Slot's team received an early shock when Jordan Ayew scored at Anfield. But the league leaders recovered to equalise just before the interval through Cody Gakpo.

Then, England midfielder Curtis Jones marked his 100th top-flight appearance with the second goal soon after half-time.

Mohamed Salah's 19th goal this term wrapped up Liverpool's 11th win in their last 13 games in all competitions. The Reds moved to 42 points at the top of the standings. They also have a game in hand over second-placed Chelsea, who are on 35, as well as third-placed Nottingham Forest on 34.

Salah said his team had to fight hard to find a way past a dogged Leicester team.

He told Amazon Prime: "It's a good result. They were better in the first half, in the way they prepare themselves, they were very good.

Curtis Jones scores Liverpool's second goal against Leicester City. EPA
Curtis Jones scores Liverpool's second goal against Leicester City. EPA

"The way they were standing in front of the box, it was quite hard for us especially in the first half, but we managed to score three goals and it's a great result.

"(Gakpo's) was a great goal and it gave us confidence in the second half to try to win the game...It's something he's practised a lot in training, it was a great finish from him."

On his own goal, Salah added: "It's great. The most important thing for me is the team winning. Hopefully we win the Premier League and I have a big impact. We just need to focus and carry on like that."

Despite the result, manager Slot played down the significance of their place at the top of the table.

Chelsea's surprise defeat by Fulham meant victory over the Foxes stretched their lead to seven points with the halfway point of the campaign fast approaching.

But Slot remained nonchalant despite the clamour growing around their chances of adding another title to the one won in 2020.

"If you are in this game for a long time like the players and I am, then 20 games before the end you don't look at it as there are so many challenges ahead of you," he said.

"Injuries and and a bit of bad luck can happen to any team, it is far too early to be already celebrating - but it is nice for us to be where we are.

"I don't think there was any easy win for us in any of these games; it could have been an easy win against Tottenham but we conceded two and it was then 5-2 - that tells you how difficult it is to win even when you have all your players available.

"That is why we have to take it one game at a time. The league table is something of course we are aware of but we always understand how many games there are to go."

Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim applauds fans after the defeat to Wolves. Reuters
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim applauds fans after the defeat to Wolves. Reuters

United's struggles continue

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim said he needs time on the training ground to iron out the Red Devils' flaws after a 2-0 defeat to lowly Wolves.

United's case at Molineux was not helped by a third red card of the season for captain Bruno Fernandes just two minutes into the second half.

Matheus Cunha then exposed the visitors' frailties from set-pieces by scoring directly from a corner before the Brazilian teed up Hwang Hee-chan to seal a vital win that lifted Wolves out of the relegation zone.

Amorim has won just two of his first seven Premier League games to leave United languishing down in 14th.

"I think we were always in control, not always dominating, but in control, but the same things, set-pieces and also the sending off was really hard for us," said Amorim.

"I said it before everybody: it will be a long journey and this moment will be really tough. We have to continue. We need to have time to train."

United have now lost their last three consecutive games with a 4-3 League Cup exit to Tottenham followed by a damaging 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth on Sunday.

In the last five league games, Amorim's side have conceded from either a corner or a free-kick.

Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill

Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.

THE DETAILS

Deadpool 2

Dir: David Leitch

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Justin Dennison, Zazie Beetz

Four stars

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm

Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km

Price: from Dh94,900

On sale: now

ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

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Overview

What: The Arab Women’s Sports Tournament is a biennial multisport event exclusively for Arab women athletes.

When: From Sunday, February 2, to Wednesday, February 12.

Where: At 13 different centres across Sharjah.

Disciplines: Athletics, archery, basketball, fencing, Karate, table tennis, shooting (rifle and pistol), show jumping and volleyball.

Participating countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Qatar and UAE.

Dust and sand storms compared

Sand storm

  • Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
  • Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
  • Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
  • Travel distance: Limited 
  • Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

  • Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
  • Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
  • Duration: Can linger for days
  • Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
  • Source: Can be carried from distant regions
MATCH INFO

Champions League quarter-final, first leg

Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)

Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports

The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE

Price, base / as tested Dh274,000 (estimate)

Engine 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder

Gearbox  Nine-speed automatic

Power 245hp @ 4,200rpm

Torque 500Nm @ 1,600rpm

Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km

Squid Game season two

Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk 

Stars:  Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun

Rating: 4.5/5

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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE

When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.

The bio

Favourite food: Japanese

Favourite car: Lamborghini

Favourite hobby: Football

Favourite quote: If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough

Favourite country: UAE

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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If you go...

Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).

Kat Wightman's tips on how to create zones in large spaces

 

  • Area carpets or rugs are the easiest way to segregate spaces while also unifying them.
  • Lighting can help define areas. Try pendant lighting over dining tables, and side and floor lamps in living areas.
  • Keep the colour palette the same in a room, but combine different tones and textures in different zone. A common accent colour dotted throughout the space brings it together.
  • Don’t be afraid to use furniture to break up the space. For example, if you have a sofa placed in the middle of the room, a console unit behind it will give good punctuation.
  • Use a considered collection of prints and artworks that work together to form a cohesive journey.
While you're here
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Updated: December 27, 2024, 6:03 AM`