Merseysiders keep control

Press, 21 April 1986, Page 25

Merseysiders keep control

NZPA-Reuter London Having turned the English first division soccer championship into their own private club in recent years, Liverpool and Everton kept the door firmly shut on any prospective new members on Saturday. Liverpool, champions from 1982 to 1984, remained top on goal difference by beating second division-bound West Bromwich Albion, 2-1, away; while 1985 league winners Everton took maximum points with a 10 home win over Ipswich. Only West Ham of the chasing group managed to keep pace with the leaders, courtesy of a 2-0 victory at Watford. Manchester United and Chelsea dropped valuable points. United was held to a goal-less draw at Tottenham and, although it remains third, the championship is now beyond it, as it trails the Merseysiders by seven points with just two games to play. Chelsea still has a mathematical chance of winning the title after a 1-1 home draw against Newcastle but Liverpool and Everton would need to lose their remaining games for that to happen. West Ham, 10 points adrift, do not appear a serious threat, although they have three games in hand over Liverpool and two over Everton. With due respect to West Ham, which remains one of the most enterprise ing teams in the land, the title looks destined to go to Merseyside for a fifth successive season. Everton is the narrow favourite with a game in hand, but Liverpool looks ominously powerful. Liverpool totally outclassed West Bromwich during the opening half hour, though a 23rd minute goal by Kenny Dalglish was all they had to show for the superiority. '

Liverpool’s one flaw is a tendency to relax when in front and it suffered the acute embarrassment of conceding a shock equaliser six minutes from the interval when Craig Madden pounced on a defensive error.

A sixty-fifth minute effort from the Welshman, lan Rush, put Liverpool back in control. It proceeded to subdue the home team with its renowned possession football which left the West Bromwich players chasing shadows.

With its top scorer, Gary Lineker, sidelined through injury, Everton was understandably short of goal-power up front against Ipswich and Graeme Sharp’s sixtyfourth minute winner was scant reward for entertaining approach work. Sharp’s well-placed header was Everton’s only attempt on target in the entire 90 minutes, although Lineker’s stand-in, Adrian Heath, and the England World Cup midfielder, Trevor Steven, both hit the crossbar with Ipswich’s goalkeeper, Paul Cooper, stranded out of goal.

West Ham collected three points and the

respect of the home supporters at Watford for its refusal to throw up a blanket defence after Tony Cottee’s fifty-ninth minute opener.

The Londoners continued to press forward rather than defend and their entertaining approach was richly rewarded when their Scottish striker, Frank McAvennie, added a second goal in the last minute.

McAvennie’s international colleague, Pat Nevin, was on target for Chelsea after 20 minutes against Newcastle at Stamford Bridge. The Londoners failed to press home their advantage and the visitors gained a deserved share of the spoils when lan Anderson equalised on the stroke of halftime. At the other end of the table, Birmingham joined city neighbours West Bromwich in the second division after going down, 2-0, at home to Southampton.

Oxford are favourites to accompany them. Hearts’ hopes of winning the Scottish championship for the first time since 1960 received an unexpected boost when

Dundee United was held to a 1-Llraw by already Clydebank. That result means Glasgow Celtc retained an outside 'diance of overhauling he leading two with a 2-' home win over ■Hiberniai, with goals from Qyen Archdeacon and Briai McClair. ENGLSH LEAGUE Divisitt one: Birmingham 0,2; Chelsea'l, Newcastle 1; Coventry 1, Luton 0; Everton 1, Ipwich 0; Manchester City 1, Nottingham. Forest i 2; Sheffield Wednes&y 2, Aston Villa 0; Totteiham 0, Manchester Unifed 0; Watford 0, West kam 2; West Bromwih 1, Liverpool 2. Divisin two: Blackburn 6, ShefEld United 1; Carlisle 2, Fulham 1; Crystal Palace i, Leeds 0; Huddersfieldl, Brighton 0; Hull 1, Chacon 1; Millwall 2, Bradfoi 1; Norwich 1, Stoke ’1; Oldham 1, Middleorough 0; Portsmouth 3, Grimsby 1; Shrewsury 1, Wimbledon 1; Sunpriand 2, Barnsley Diviion three: Blackpool 2, Walsall 1; Bournemouth 1, Doncaster 1; BristoiCity 0, Swansea 1; Bury 5 Rotherham 0; Cardiff Bristol Rovers 0;

Chesterfield 1, Brentford 3; Darlington 0, Reading 0; Derby 2, Bolton 1; Gillingham 2, Wolverhampton 0; Notts County 1, Newport 2; Wigan 3, Plymouth 0; York 2, Lincoln 1. Division four: Aidershot 6, Stockport 1; Cambridge 1, Crewe 0; Exeter 0, Burnley 2; Mansfield 1, Swindon 1; Orient 0, Chester 0; Port Vale 2, Peterborough 0; Wrexham 3, Torquay 2; Colchester 4, Preston 0; Halifax 2, Northampton 0; Scunthorpe 3, Rochdale 1 ; Southend 3, Hereford 1; Tranmere 4, Hartlepool 2. SCOTTISH LEAGUE Premier division: Celtic 2, Hibernian 0; Clydebank 1, Dundee United 1; Dundee 4, Motherwell 0; St Mirren 2, Rangers 1. Division one: Airdrieonians 2, Ayr 1; Clyde 1, Alloa 1; East Fife 2, Montrose 0; Falkirk 2, Brechin 1; Forfar 2, Partick 1; Hamilton 2, Morton 1; Kilmarnock 3, Dumbarton 0. Division two: Arbroath 0, Queen of the South 1; Dunfermline 4, East Stirling 0; Meadowbank 3, Berwick 1; Queen’s Park 0, Cowdenbeath 1; St Johnstone 1, Albion 0; Stirling 3, Raith 1; Stranraer 0, Stenhousemuir 1.