No dream start for manager as Spurs lose to Liverpool

Press, 30 November 1987, Page 29

No dream start for manager as Spurs lose to Liverpool

NZPA-Reuter

London

Liverpool dashed Terry Venables’ hopes of a victorious return to English soccer when it beat his 10-man Tottenham Hotspur team 2-0 yesterday to move five points clear of Arsenal at the top of the first division.

Midfielder Steve McMahon made the decisive breakthrough In a high-speed game when he scored after 62 minutes. Craig Johnston added a second 10 minutes from time.

The result left Tottenham’s biggest crowd of the season, 47,500, with little to celebrate apart from the unexpected defeat of its north London rival Arsenal which was beaten 2-0 at Watford. But Arsenal stayed second behind Liverpool, which has a game in hand, thanks to the failures of all the challengers. The third-placed Queen’s Park Rangers team was beaten 3-1 at struggling Sheffield Wednesday, fourth-placed Nottingham Forest’s fixture against Luton was postponed because of fog, Everton drew 0-0 at home with Oxford and Chelsea was held to a 1-1 draw by Wimbledon. Tottenham, under Mr Venables’ control for the first time since he was appointed as David Pleat’s successor in the manager’s office, was reduced to 10 men when England midfielder Steve Hodge was sent off In the 17th minute.

Hodge was dismissed by referee Mr lan Borrett for elbowing Irish International midfielder Ray Houghton In the face. Hodge’s dismissal ruined Tottenham’s hopes of ending an eight-match run without a victory and realising the British news media’s description of the former Barcelona manager, Mr Venables, as Spurs’ Messiah. Hodge was not alone in being dismissed on another black day of Indiscipline in British soccer. Several players were sent off and the HibernianGlasgow Celtic clash in Scotland was held up for 17 minutes because of a second-half pitch invasion after a crowd disturbance. One of the least sightly matches was at Chelsea where. Wimbledon, wellknown for a highly physical approach to the game, had two players — Brian Gayle and Carlton Fairweather — sent off.

Gayle was dismissed for arguing with the referee when Chelsea was awarded a penalty from which Gordon Durie equalised Dennis Wise’s goal. Fairweather was off for a foul.

Arsenal, whose 14match winning streak was ended by Southampton the previous week-end, slumped to its second successive defeat at Watford, the club due to be controversially sold by chairman Elton John to the press and printing tycoon, Robert Maxwell. Mr Maxwell, who is chairman of Derby and also the owner of Oxford, had his plans thrust into the background for the day as Watford recorded only its second win in 11 games with goals by stalwarts Kenny Jackett and Luther Blissett.

Queen’s Park Rangers’ declining form continued in defeat at Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough ground where Mark Proctor and Gary Megson’s goals put the home team in command before Gary Bannister replied. Nottingham Forest’s home game with Luton was called off three minutes before the scheduled kick-off because of thick fog. Its fans’ disappointment was shared by Everton’s supporters who saw the champion labour to a goalless draw with Oxford, whose chairman is Mr Maxwell’s son Kevin.

To complete a good day for the three first division clubs with which Mr Maxwell is connected, Derby won 2-1 at Southampton with goals from Phil Gee and Andy Garner after Andy Townsend had put the home club ahead.

Glasgow Celtic replaced Hearts as leader of the Scottish premier league when it emerged as 1-0 winner of its interrupted clash at Hibernian. The former West Ham striker, Frank McAvennie, scored the only goal after 21 minutes to put it above Hearts which lost 3-2 at Glasgow Rangers. Rangers fielded the former England midfielder, Ray Wilkins — signed on Friday for 5U5450.000 from Paris Saint Germain — and squeezed home with a 74th minute winner from Scottish international midfielder lain Durrant Robert Fleck and an own goal by Craig Levein were Rangers’ other scorers. Mike Galloway and John Robertson, with his 20th goal of the season, replied for Hearts.

Results of British soccer matches played yester-

day.— ENGLAND Division one Chelsea 1, Wimbledon 1; Coventry 0, West Ham 0; Everton 0, Oxford 0; Newcastle 2, Charlton 1; Norwich 0, Portsmouth 1; Sheffield Wednesday 3, Queen’s Park Rangers 1; Southampton 1, Derby 2; Tottenham 0, Liverpool 2; Watford 2, Arsenal 0; postponed, Nottingham Forest v. Luton. Division two Birmingham 1, Ipswich 0; Bradford 2, Aston Villa 4; Crystal Palace 3, Leeds 0; Huddersfield 1, Leicester 0; Middlesbrough 2, Barnsley 0; Millwall 2, Hull 0; Oldham 0, Plymouth 1; Reading 0, Blackbum 0; Shrewsbury 0, Stoke 3; Swindon 4, Bournemouth 2; West Bromwich 1, Manchester City 1. Division three Aidershot 1, Rotherham 3; Blackpool 3, Northampton 1; Brighton 1, Notts County 1; Bristol Rovers 4, Grimsby 2; Chester 1, Chesterfield 1; Doncaster 0, Brentford 1; Fulham 0, Preston 1; Gillingham 3, Bury 3; Sunderland 2, Port Vale 1; Walsall 2, Mansfield 1; Wigan 1, Bristol City 1; York 0, Southend 3. Division four Bolton 2, Cambridge 2; Cardiff 1, Hartlepool 1; Carlisle 3, Torquay 3; Hereford 0, Leyton Orient 3; Peterborough 5, Bumley 0; Rochdale 1, Scarborough 1; Scunthorpe 1, Swansea 2; Wolverhampton 0, Wrexham 2; postponed, Darlington v. Ex- ■ eter. Played Saturday: Halifax 1, Crewe 2;. Stockport 1, Colchester 1; Tranmere 4, Newport 0. SCOTLAND Premier division Dundee United 1, Dundee 3; Dunfermline 0, Aberdeen 3; Hibernian 0, Celtic 1; Motherwell 1, Morton 0; Rangers 3, Hearts 2; St Mirren 2, Falkirk 2. Division one Airdrieonians 2, East Fife 1; Clyde 3, Dumbarton 4; Clydebank 0, Partick 3; Kilmarnock 1, Hamilton 0; Meadowbank 5, Queen of South 0; Raith 0, Forfar 0. Division two Albion 0, Cowdenbeath 0; Arbroath 1, Alloa 1; Ayr 1, Brechin 2; East Stirling 0, Queen’s Park 1; Montrose 4, Berwick 0; Stirling 0, St Johnstone 6; Stranraer 2, Stenhousemuir 3.