United draws to cling to division lead

Press, 25 October 1982, Page 16

United draws to cling to division lead

NZPA-Reuter London Manchester United clung to its lead in the English first division at the weekend, recovering from a twogoal deficit to draw with Manchester City, 2-2. The Irish International, Frank Stapleton, out of touch most of the season, scored twice in front of a 57,334 crowd, the first to top 50,000 in the league this season. The former England international, Dennis Tueart, opened City’s tally early with a header at the far post and David Cross made it 2-0 two minutes after the interval.

United, chasing its first league title since 1967, fought back bravely. The England winger, Steve Coppell, had hit the crossbar in the first half, and the unremitting pressure paid off with the two goals which kept the side one point clear at the top of the table, on 22 points. West Bromwich Albion moved into second place with a 1-0 win over Luton, Clive Whitehead scoring the decisive goal midway through the first half. Tottenham Hotspur, held to a 1-1 draw by West Germany’s Bayern Munich in the Cup Winners’ Cup on Wednesday, overpowered Notts County 4-2 to jump from sixth to third on 20 points.

Gary Mabbutt put Spurs into the lead, rattling in a square pass from the Welsh international, Paul Price, from outside the area. Price also had a hand in the next two Spurs goals, providing the chances for the striker, Garth Crooks, to score. .

Trevor Christie and the Nigerian winger, John Chiedozie, had shot County on level terms on the hour, but the second Crooks goal

and another by Gary Brooke gave Spurs the points. Tottenham, with half its first team squad already sidelined by injury, lost the Argentine international, Ricky Villa, five minutes into the second half, another limping casualty. The defending champion, Liverpool, surprisingly beaten 1-0 by J. K. Helsinki in a European Cup second round first leg clash last Tuesday, could gain only one point in a 1-1 draw at Stoke. The Irish International, Mark Lawrenson, opened the scoring for Liverpool, then the Welsh international, Mickey Thomas, equalished for Stoke with his fifth goal of the season.

Liverpool dropped . from third to fourth on 19 points, ahead of West Ham on goal difference after the London side was beaten. 1-3, at Brighton.

Gordon Smith, Steve Gatting and Mike Robinson goaled for Brighton against a West Ham side reduced to 10 men when the veteran defender Frank Larfipard was sent off in the twenty-fourth minute for a “professional foul” on Robinson who was homing in on goal. Ipswich’s England World Cup striker, Paul Mariner, was sent off in the second half of a goal-less draw at Birmingham for a retaliatory foul on Kevin Broadhurst. Keith Bertschin, of Norwich, and Colin Gibson, of the European champion. Aston Villa, were also given their marching orders when they exchanged blows in the final minutes of another first division clash.

John Deehan, once of Villa, had the satisfaction of scoring the winner against his old club, netting from the penalty spot after he was

stripped by a Villa defender. Ken McNaught. to give struggling Norwich a muchneeded 1-0 win. The England striker, Tony Woodcock, home after three seasons in. the West German Bundesliga, had a less happy game against his former team, Nottingham Forest, which beat his new club, Arsenal, 3-0. Mark Lillis was the day’s outstanding marksman, scoring all four goals as Huggersfield overran Cardiff, 4-0, in the third division. The Portsmouth striker, Billy Rafferty, scored all his side's goals in a 3-1 win over Preston in the same division. The English second division side. Charlton, was beaten 1-3 by Chelsea in London. In Scotland. Celtic, beaten 2-0 by the Spanish champion, Real Sociedad, in the European Cup last Wednesday, maintained its one-point lead in the premier division by beating Morton, 2-1. Frank McGarvey and Charlie Nicholas scored for Celtic, and Jim Rooney for Morton. Dundee United left it late against bottom-of-the-table Motherwell, scoring two goals in the final minute to win 2-0 and stay in second place. David Narey and Billy Kirkwood were the scorers. Rangers and Aberdeen each won to stay a point behind United. Results: English division one. — Birmingham 0, Ipswich 0: Brighton 3. West Ham 1; Everton 3, Sunderland 1: Manchester United 2, Manchester City 2; Norwich 1, Aston Villa 0; Nottingham Forest 3, Arsenal 0; Stoke 1, Liverpool 1; Swansea 3, Southampton 2; Tottenham 4, Notts County 2; Watford 0, Coventry 0; West Bromwich 1, Luton 0.

English division two. — Blackburn 0. Leeds 0; Bolton 0. Barnsley 2; Cambridge v Wolverhampton (postponed, ground unfit); Chelsea 3. Charlton 1; Derby 0, Leicester 4; Fulham 3. Burnley 1; Middlesbrough 2, Queens Park Rangers 1; Newcastle 1. Crystal Palace 0; Oldham 4. Carlisle 3; Sheffield Wednesday 2. Grimsby 0; Shrewsbury 2. Rotherham 0. English division three. — Bournemouth 0. Gillingham 1; Bradford 1, Doncaster 0; Brentford 2. Lincoln 0; Chesterfield 1, Plymouth 2; Exeter 0, Sheffield United 3; Huggersfield 4, Cardiff 0; Millwall 2, Walsall 2; Newport 1. Southend 1; Orient 1, Bristol Rovers 5; Portsmouth 3. Preston 1: Reading 2, Wigan 1; Wrexham 1, Oxford 1.

English division four. — Blackpool 5, Hereford 1; Bristol City 4, Wombledon 2; Darlington 1, Bury 2: Hartlepool 1. Aidershot 1; Hull 4, Northampton 0; Peterborough 1. Torquay 3; Rochdale 2, Halifax 2; Scunthorpe 2, Tranmere 1; Swindon 4, Mansfield 0.

Scottish premier division. — Dundee 1. St Mirren 1; Kilmarnock 0, Aberdeen 2; Morton 1, Celtic 2; Motherwell 0, Dundee United 2; Rangers 3. Hibernian 2.

Scottish division one. — Airdrieonians 3. Ayr 1; Clyde 2. Alloa 0; Dumbarton 1, Patrick 1; Falkirk 0, Clydebank 2; Hearts 4, Dunfermline 1; Raith 4, Hamilton 1: St Johnstone 4. Queens Park 1. Scottish division two. — Berwick 4. Albion 0; Cowdenbeath 1, East Stirling 1; Forfar 4. East Fife 1; Meadowback 2. Arbroath 1; Montrose 1, Stenhousemuir 0; Queen of South 3, Brechin 1; Stranraer 1, Stirling 1. Alliance premier league. — Telford 3, Maidstone 1; Trowbridge 2, Dagenham 2; Wealdstone 3, Stafford 2; Yeovil 3, Bangor 2. Ulster Cup. — Cliftonville 0, Ballymena 5; Coleraine 2, Distillery 0; Glenavon 0, Ards 2; Glentoran 4, Crusaders 1; Larne 1. Linfield 1.