Liverpool finds form early

Press, 25 August 1986, Page 23

Liverpool finds form early

NZPA-Reuter London The English league soccer picked up where it left off at the end. of the 1985-86 season with the champion, Liverpool, winning and the Welsh international, lan Rush, embarrassing opposing defenders. Rush, in his last season with Liverpool before joining Juventus, of Italy, scored twice on Saturday as the

league and F.A. Cup winner strolled to a 2-0 away victory against Newcastle on the opening day of the season. Its neighbour, Everton, the 1984-85 champion which came so close to retaining its title last season, also started on a high note in spite of starting the new term without the English striker, Gary Lineker, who joined Bar-

celona in the closed season. Kevin Sheedy took over Lineker’s scoring mantle, his two goals earning Everton a 2-0 home win against Nottingham Forest. Colin Clarke and Clive Allen went one better than Rush and Sheedy with hattricks as Southampton and Tottenham kicked off the season with a flourish. The Northern Irish inter-

national, Clarke, making his league debut after a summer move from the third division Bournemouth, netted after 35min, 58min and 68min as Southampton routed Queen’s Park Ranges, 5-1. Results.— English league Division one

Arsenal 1, Manchester United 0; Aston Villa 0, Tottenham 3; Charlton 1, Sheffield Wednesday 1; Everton 2, Nottingham Forest 0; Leicester 1, Luton 1; Manchester City 3, Wimbledon 1; Newcastle 0, Liverpool 2; Southampton 5, Queen’s Park Rangers 1; Watford 3, Oxford 0: West Ham 1. Coventry 0. Division two ■Barnsley 2, Cystal Palace 3; Blackburn 2, Leeds 1; Bradford 2, Plymouth 2; Brighton

0, Portsmouth 0; Derby 0, Oldham 1; Huddersfield 0, Sunderland 2; Hull 2, West Bromwich 0; Ipswich 1, Grimsby 1; Reading 0, Mill wall 1; Sheffield United 1, Shrewsbury 1; Stoke 0, Birmingham 2. Division three Blackpool 0, Chesterfield 0; Bolton 1, Swindon 2; Brentford 1, Bournemouth 1; Bristol City 2, Bury 2; Chester 2, Carlisle 2; Mansfield 2, Doncaster 1; Newport 1, Gillingham 2; Notts County 2, Wigan 0; Rotherham 0, Fulham 0; Walsall 0, Bristol Rovers 3; York 3, Darlington 1. Division four Exeter 1, Orient 0; Halifax 1, Aidershot 0; Hartlepool 1, Cardiff 1; Hereford 0, Wrex-

ham 0; Lincoln 3, Colchester 1; Peterborough 2, Southend 0; Rochdale 1, Crewe 1; Scunthorpe 2, Northampton 2; Swansea 3, Stockport 0; Tranmere 1, Preston 1; Wolverhampton 1, Cambridge 2. Scottish league Premier division Celtic 1, Aberdeen 1; Dundee United 1, Hearts 0; Falkirk 0, Dundee. 1; Hamilton 1, Rangers 2; Hibernian 0, Motherwell 0; St Mirren 0, Clydebank 1.