SOCCER Liverpool gets boosts

Press, 23 December 1985, Page 24

SOCCER Liverpool gets boosts

NZPA-Reuter London The capricious striker, Charlie Nicholas, gave Liverpool’s title hopes a timely boost on Saturday when he inspired Arsenal to a 1-0 win over the English soccer first division leader, Manchester United. The out-of-favour Scottish international who turned down the opportunity of joining Liverpool in favour of Arsenal two seasons ago, scored the only goal of an enthralling game 15 minutes from the end to smash United’s unbeaten home record.

Though Liverpool was held to a 1-1 draw by Newcastle at Anfield, Nicholas’s intervention trimmed United’s lead at the top to four pointe. Peter Beardsley put New-

castle in front in the twentysecond minute but a Scootish World Cup fullback, Steve, Nicol, earned Liverpool a vital point with a superb individual effort 12 minutes later.

Though Nicholas was the man who did the damage, the Arsenal goalkeeper, John Lukic played his part by saving a nineteenth minute penalty taken by a Northern Ireland midfielder, Norman Whiteside.

If the English manager, Bobby Robson, is still on the lookout for a striker to lead his World Cup attack in Mexico he could do worse than .call in Beardsley. The prolific Newcastle goal-

scorer hit a dazzling opener at >. Anfield when he collected a through pass and delicately lifted the tall over the head of the Liverpool goalkeeper, Bruce Grobblelaar with ths _ outside of his left boot West Ham stretched its unbeaten run to 15 games when it drew, 0-0, at Luton, to remain third, level on pointe with Liverpool but with an inferior goal difference. The fourth placed Chelsea was the only one of the leading teams to take full pointe with a 2-1 win at Birmingham — where a wing, Pat Nevin, scored an eighty-eighth minute winner — to move on to 44 q pointe, one behind Liverpool and West Ham.

The Scottish champion, Aberdeen, surrendered its top M spot in the premier league when it was beaten, 2-1 by Dundee United and had its '* manager, Alex Ferguson, sent off. ?

Aberdeen’s defeat allowed " Hearts to. go to the top, the ? first time they have ever filled that slot in the premier league. The Edinburgh side won, 1-0, " ’ at St Mirren, courtesy of a first-half goal by Kenny Black, ’ and have now taken 24 pointe 7 from 20 matches, one more " than Aberdeen, who have a game in hand.