Norwich in clear soccer lead after victory at Anfield

Press, 19 December 1988, Page 21

Norwich in clear soccer lead after victory at Anfield

NZPA-Reuter London Norwich kept its place on top of the English soccer first division on Saturday when it maintained the best away record in the league with a 1-0 win over the defending champion, Liverpool. The midfielder, Andy Townsend, struck the decisive goal after 60 minutes to earn Norwich its first victory in six matches and leave Liverpool beaten at home for the second time this season.

It was Norwich’s sixth win in eight away matches — a vivid contrast to the champion’s disappointing home record of two wins, four draws and two defeats.

Second-placed Arsenal, which could have gone top if Norwich had lost or drawn and it had won, supplied the result it required by beating Manchester United 2-1 at Highbury to end a run of four games without success.

Goals by the England midfielder, Michael Thomas, and the striker, Paul Merson, in the opening 16 minutes put it in

command and United’s eighty-first minute reply from the Welsh international, Mark Hughes, came too late to weaken its grip. Norwich, on top of the table since September, now lead with 33 points from 17 matches. Arsenal is two points behind with a game in hand.

Millwall, recovering after last week’s defeat at Tottenham, moved up to third by beating mid-table Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 on an eighty-seventh minute goal by the striker, Teddy Sheringham. Millwall’s win gives it 27 points, one more than Coventry which was beaten 2-0 at home by Derby and two more than Liverpool and Southampton.

Coventry’s defeat could have been heavier if its goalkeeper, Steve Ogrizovic, had not been in such excellent form. He saved an early penalty from the Derby winger, Nigel Callaghan, but could not prevent the Scottish forward, Ted McMinn, and the Welsh striker, Dean Saunders, scoring in the second half.

To make matters worse for Coventry, which had hoped to maintain its challenge for the title, the match was plunged into darkness during the first half when there was a brief floodlights failure. Southampton, enjoying one of its best seasons for several years, was held to a 3-3 draw in a thrilling match at Newcastle where the home team trailed . 3-1 with 25 minutes remaining. The midfielder, Kevin Brock, the new Newcastle manager, Jim Smith’s £300,000 ($U5540,000) signing from his former club, Queen’s Park Rangers, had opened the scoring after eight minutes.

But Southampton stormed into the lead with two goals from Matthew Le Tissier and one from Rodney Wallace before the Irish midfielder, Michael O’Neill, rescued a point with goals after 65 and 89 minutes. Mr Smith’s former club Queen’s Park Rangers, now under the guidance of Trevor Francis, who was surprisingly named as player-manager last

Wednesday, drew 0-0 with Everton in a match which saw the London club’s controversial full-back Mark Dennis cautioned for the sixty-eighth time in his career. In Scotland, the leaders, Glasgow Rangers, Dundee United and Aberdeen all won to press home their challenge for the premier divisions title. The champion, Glasgow Celtic lost 2-0 at Dunedin United. Results of British soccer matches yesterday: ENGLAND Division one: Arsenal 2, Manchester United 1; Coventry 0, Derby 2; Liverpool 0, Norwich 1; Luton 1, Aston Villa 1; Middlesbrough 0, Charlton 0; Mill wall 1, Sheffield Wednesday 0; Newcastle 3, Southampton 3; Queens Park Rangers 0, Everton 0; West Ham 0, Tottenham 2. Playing today: Nottingham Forest v. Wimbledon. Division two: Barnsley 3, Leicester 0; Blackburn 2, Watford 1; Bournemouth 2, Walsall 1; Bradford 2, Swindon 2; Crystal Palace 0, Leeds 0; Manchester City 2, Shrewsbury 2; Portsmouth 2, Brighton 0. Played Friday: Birmingham 1, Chelsea 4; Ipswich 2, Oldham 1. Playing today: Plymouth v. Sunderland, West Bromwich v. Stoke. Division three: Blackpool 1, Bristol Rovers 1; Bolton 0,

Chester 1; Bristol City 2, Cardiff 0; Fulham 2, Preston 1; Huddersfield 3, Bury 2; Port Vale 3, Reading 0; Sheffield United 1, Southend 2; Swansea 2, Chesterfield 0; Wolverhampton 6, Mansfield 2. Playing today: Aidershot v. Brentford, Northampton v. Gillingham, Wigan v. Notts County.

Division four: Doncaster 2, Scunthorpe 2; Grimsby 2, Leyton Orient 2; Halifax 0, Scarborough 2; Hartlepool 0, Carlisle 2; Hereford 0, Burnley 0; Peterborough 0, Exeter 1; Stockport 1, Lincoln 0. Played Friday: Crewe 0, Torquay 0; Rochdale 1, Colchester 1; Tranmere 2, Darlington 0;. Wrexham 3, Cambridge 1; York 1, Rotherham 1. SCOTLAND Premier division: Aberdeen 3, St Mirren 1; Dundee United 2, Celtic 0; Hearts 2, Hamilton 0; Motherwell 1, Dundee 0; Rangers 1, Hibernian 0. Division one: Airdrieonians 1, Clydebank 1; Ayr 3, Morton 1; Forfar 0, Falkirk 0; Meadowbank 0, Dunfermline 1; Partick 2, Queen of South 1; Raith 0, Kilmarnock 0; St Johnstone 0, Clyde 0. Division two: Alloa 2, Dumbarton 0; Arbroath 1, East Fife 3; Berwick 1, Stenhousemuir 0; Brechin 2, East Stirling 2; Cowdenbeath 1, Stirling 1; Queen’s Park 0, Albion 0; Stranraer 1, Montrose 0.