 |
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |  |
Leeds shot down Arsenal topples league leader; Owen strikes again
Posted: Tuesday December 28, 1999 05:33 PM
LONDON (AP) -- Manchester United conceded two early goals, hit back to tie 2-2 with Sunderland on Tuesday but still failed to go into the new Millennium as Premier League leader. Strikes by Roy Keane and Nicky Butt canceled out scores after 71 seconds and 13 minutes by Gavin McCann and Niall Quinn. Alex Ferguson's team wound up one point behind David O'Leary's Leeds United with 43 with a game in hand. Keane made it 2-1 midway through the first half and Butt fired the equalizer five minutes from the end in United's final game before it takes part in the inaugural FIFA Club World Championship in Brazil in early January. The rest of the Premier League resumes Jan. 3. Arsenal rekindled its title hopes by beating Leeds 2-0 and climbed above Sunderland to third. Nigerian star Nwankwo Kanu set up both goals for Fredrik Ljunberg and Thierry Henry and the loss at Highbury left Leeds only two points ahead of United, which kicked off five hours later at Sunderland's Stadium of Light. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger dropped veteran England defenders Lee Dixon, Nigel Winterburn and Martin Keown after a surprise 3-2 loss to Coventry on Sunday. But his reshaped team dominated a high-flying Leeds lineup which had won 19 of its previous 23 league and cup games for a 14-2-4 record with 44 points, and the Gunners, 12-3-5, now are only five points behind Leeds. Liverpool, 11-4-5, stayed in title contention with a 3-1 victory over Wimbledon at Anfield. Michael Owen, who scored twice in the 2-2 tie with Newcastle on Sunday, made it three goals in three days when he gave Gerard Houllier's team the lead in the 58th minute Marcus Gayle leveled, but goals by Patrik Berger and substitute Robbie Fowler gave Liverpool the points. Newcastle maintained its climb away from relegation trouble with a 2-1 win at Leicester. Duncan Ferguson hit the first from Alan Shearer's cross in the 21st minute before Shearer made it 18 for season in the second half. That strike meant that the two forwards had scored seven goals between them in three games. Theo Zagorakis replied for Leicester eight minutes from the end. American forward Joe-Max Moore started for the first time for Everton and missed a close-range chance in the opening minutes of a 0-0 tie at struggling Bradford. Next-to-last Watford, which had lost 12 of its previous 14 games, scored a rare win -- 3-2 at home to Southampton. French striker Xavier Gravelaine scored two goals. Saints hit back from 2-0 down to make it 2-2 through two goals in a minute by Luis Boa Morte and Kevin Davies, but Gravelaine hit the winner. Beaten by only Manchester United at home, West Ham was missing defender Neil Ruddock, sidelned for six weeks with serious eye injury, and fell behind to Dean Sturridge's strike in the fourth minute against Derby. But Italian forward Paolo Di Canio netted a spectacular curling equalizer in the 21st minute in a 1-1 tie. Wednesday's games are Chelsea against last place Sheffield Wednesday, Aston Villa-Tottenham and Middlesbrough-Coventry. Manchester City moved four points clear at the top of division one after edging Gimsby 2-1, while second place Huddersfield lost 2-1 at home to Charlton. In a division two game, Cardiff wound up with only eight players on the field after having three players sent off but still gained a 0-0 tie at Cambridge United.
| ||||||||||||||||||||
