Gerrard helps Liverpool triumph, United win again

Thursday, 4 December 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

REUTERS: Steven Gerrard’s future at Liverpool may be in doubt but the captain turned back the clock to score in a 3-1 victory at bottom side Leicester City in the Premier League on Tuesday.

Liverpool's Steven Gerrard (R) celebrates his goal during their English Premier League soccer match against Leicester City at the King Power Stadium in Leicester, central England, -REUTERS Manchester United maintained their recent improvement with a fourth successive league win, beating Stoke City 2-1 at Old Trafford with a Marouane Fellaini header and Juan Mata free kick either side of a Steven Nzonzi goal for Stoke. David de Gea guaranteed that United held on to the points with two superb saves late in the game. United stay fourth but now have 25 points, eight behind leaders Chelsea, who host Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday, while Liverpool have climbed to eighth place with 20 points. West Ham United remain fifth, a point behind United, after a 2-1 win at West Bromwich Albion, who have now lost their last four matches. James Tomkins headed the winner for the in-form Hammers in first half stoppage time. Liverpool captain Gerrard, 34, left out of the starting lineup on Saturday, was back in the team at Leicester where he rifled home a poor clearance from captain Wes Morgan to turn the balance of the match the Merseysiders’ way in the 54th minute. They had fallen behind when Liverpool keeper Simon Mignolet conceded an own goal after 22 minutes before a 26th minute Adam Lallana equaliser for the visitors. Leicester were reduced to 10 men when Morgan, who scored an own goal against QPR on Saturday, was sent off for a foul on Rickie Lambert after 63 minutes and they conceded a third when Jordan Henderson scored after 83 minutes. Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers confirmed on Monday that Gerrard, who made his debut for the club 16 years ago last weekend, had been offered a new contract and was full of praise for him after the three points were secured.

Real set up likely Cup clash against Atletico

REUTERS: Holders Real Madrid set up a probable King’s Cup last 16 clash against city rivals Atletico when a second-string side completed a crushing 9-1 aggregate win over third-tier minnows Cornella on Tuesday. The last-32, second leg match at the Bernabeu pitted the world’s richest club by income, with annual revenues of more than 600 million euros ($ 743 million), against a club with a budget of 1 million euros a season who were promoted to Spain’s regional Segunda B for the first time in 2013-14. Real won the first leg, played at Espanyol’s stadium in Barcelona at the end of October, 4-1 and a James Rodriguez double, strikes from Isco and Jese and an own goal from Cornella’s Borja Lopez secured a 5-0 success in the return. The victory, with top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo watching from the stands, extended Real’s club-record winning streak to 17 matches stretching back to a 2-1 La Liga reverse at home to Atletico in September. Cornella, whose part-timers include a dentist and a school teacher, could have taken a surprise lead in the 14th minute when Alvaro Arbeloa, captaining Real for the first time, felled Xavi Boniquet in the area and conceded a penalty. Boniquet picked himself to take the spot kick but fired wildly over the bar and Rodriguez made it 1-0 to the home side moments later.