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'Topsy turvy' Collymore scores three in Leicester victory; Leeds wins
Posted: Sunday March 05, 2000 01:30 PM
LONDON (AP) -- Leeds thumped Coventry 3-0 on Sunday to move to within four points of Manchester United, but the man of the day was Leicester's Stan Collymore. Playing only his second match with Leicester -- and his first at home -- the controversial striker scored a hat trick as the home side humbled Sunderland 5-2. Collymore, who was fined two weeks wages last month for damaging a Spanish resort hotel bar just six days after joining Leicester, has had a checkered career. A talented but erratic striker for Nottingham Forest, Liverpool and Aston Villa, Collymore saw his career nosedive just before the 1998 World Cup when he kicked and punched his TV celebrity girlfriend, Ulrika Jonsson, in a bar in Paris. He later suffered long spells of stress for which he needed treatment at a clinic. "The topsy turvy world of Stan Collymore, isn't it," Collymore said after scoring his first goals for Leicester. Collymore scored on an 8-meter volley, a header and a short flick from close range. Leicester took a 2-0 lead at half on goals from Collymore and Emile Heskey, but Kevin Phillips score in the 53rd for Sunderland to cut the lead to 2-1. Collymore notched his second in the 60th with Niall Quinn scoring in the 75th for Sunderland. Collymore got his third in the 87th, chipping in a cross from close range with Stefan Oakes scoring again on a free kick in injury time. Leeds moved to within four points of league leader Manchester United with its 3-0 over Coventry behind first-half goals from Harry Kewell and Michael Bridges, and a late strike from Jason Wilcox. Meanwhile, Arsenal got a goal five minutes from the end from Lee Dixon to draw 1-1 at Aston Villa, which went ahead in the 62nd on Richard Walker's goal. Arsenal matched Liverpool's 48 points but took fourth place on goal difference. Man United leads with 58 points followed by Leeds (54), Chelsea (49), Arsenal and Liverpool (48) and Everton and Sunderland (40). Leicester improved to 38 points. On Saturday, Manchester United's Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scored seconds from the end of the first half as Liverpool played a man short because of injury to salvage a 1-1 draw against their northern neighbors. At Old Trafford, Patrick Berger gave Liverpool a 1-0 lead in the 27th on a blistering, twisting left-footed free kick from 30 meters. But Manchester United drew even in the final seconds of first-half injury time as Solskjaer scored in the box off a cross from Ryan Giggs. The goal came 15 minutes after Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier decided against sending in a substitute when defender Sami Hyypia was carried off on a stretcher with an ankle injury, leaving Liverpool at 10 men to end the first half. Hyypia tried to return to start the second half with stitches in a gashed ankle, but then limped off before play began. In Saturday's other results, Chelsea got an early goal from Gustavo Poyet to win 1-0 at Newcastle and take over third place behind Leeds and Man United. Everton drew 1-1 at home against Sheffield Wednesday. In other Premier League games Saturday: Derby 4, Wimbledon 0; Southampton 1, Middlesbrough 1; Tottenham 1, Bradford 1; Watford 1, West Ham 2. In England's first division on Sunday, Sheffield United drew 1-1 at home against Queens Park Rangers. In England's first division on Saturday, Charlton won its 11th straight game this year, beating Bolton 2-0 to move 10 points ahead at the top. Manchester City moved into second (64 points) with a 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace with Ipswich slipping to third (on goal difference) with a 1-0 home loss to Porstmouth. It was Ipswich's first loss in 19 games. In Scotland, league-leading Rangers drew 0-0 at home o Saturday against St. Johnstone but still top the standings by nine points over Celtic. Celtic played late Sunday at Hibernian.
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