Liverpool, Arsenal still set pace

Press, 18 December 1989, Page 25

Liverpool, Arsenal still set pace

NZPA-Reuter London Arsenal and Liverpool continued to set the pace in the English first division with high-scoring wins on Saturday. The champions beat Luton 3-2 to extend their unbeaten . home run this season to 10 matches and top the league with 36 points, two more than second-placed Liverpool. Liverpool crushed Chelsea 5-2 after going two goals up in the opening five minutes through Peter Beardsley — overlooked by England for last Wednesday's World Cup warm-up against Yugoslavia — and lan Rush. Rush rounded off Liven pool's scoring in the 75th minute with his 11th goal of the season and the 14th Chelsea have conceded in their last three matches. Aston Villa, who had won eight and drawn one of their previous 10 matches and were joint second with Liverpool, fell to a surprise 2-0 defeat at Millwall who had not won in their last 10 games. Villa were joined on 31 points by Norwich, who are also still unbeaten at home after a 1-0 win over Derby. Results: English league Division one.—Arsenal 3, Luton 2; Charlton I, Crystal Palace 2; Chelsea 2, Liverpool 5; Coventry 2, Wimbledon 1; Manchester United 0, Tottenham 1; Mill wall 2, Aston Villa 0; Norwich 1, Derby 0; Sheffield Wednesday 2, Queen’s Park Rangers 0. Playing Sunday: Everton v. Manchester City, Nottingham Forest v. Southampton. Division two.— Bournemouth 2, Barnsley 1; Leeds 3, Brighton 0; Middlesbrough 4, Leicester 1; Oxford 2, Wolverhampton 2; Portsmouth 3, Sunderland 3; Port Vale 1, Sheffield United 1; Watford 7, Bradford 2; West Ham 0, Oldham 2. Postponed: Blackburn v. Stoke, Hull v. Ipswich and Newcastle v. Plymouth. Playing Sunday: West Bromwich v. Swindon. Division three.— Birmingham 3, Preston 1; Blackpool 0, Fulham 1; Bristol City 2, Leyton Orient 1; Bury 0, Walsall 2; Cardiff 1, Notts , County 3; Rotherham 0, Huddersfield 0; Shrewsbury 3, Bolton 3; Wigan 2, Swansea 0. Played Friday: Crew 1 Bristol Rovers 0; Tranmere 0 Chester 0. Playing Sunday: Brentford v. Mansfield, Northampton v. Reading. Division four.— Chesterfield 0, York 0; Colchester 0,

Torquay 3; Exeter 3, Gillingham 1; Hereford 1, Scunthrope 2; Maidstone 4, Hartlepool 2; Rochdale 1, Lincoln 0. Postponed: Grimsby v. Southend, Scarborough v. Aidershot and Wrexham v. Burnley. Played Friday: Halifax 0, Doncaster 2. Playing Sunday: Cambridge v. Peterborough, Carlisle v. Stockport. Scottish League Premier division.— Celtic 4, Dundee 1; Dundee United 1, Rangers 1. Postponed: Hearts v. Aberdeen, Motherwell v. Hibernian and St Mirren v. Dunfermline. Pools panel assessed results of postponed matches: English division two.— Blackburn v. Stoke — home win. Hull v. Ipswich — no score draw. Newcastle v. Plymouth — score draw. Division four.— Grimsby v. Southend — home win. Scarborough v. Aidershot — home win. Wrexham v. Burnley — away win. Homes League Premier.— Ashford v. Atherstone — home win. Vauxhall Premier.— Aylesbury v. St Albans — home win. Barking v. Bromley — home win. Dulwich v. Bognor — away win. Scottish premier.— Hearts v. Aberdeen — home win. Motherwell v. Hibernian — home win. St Mirren v. Dunfermline — score draw. Scottish division one.— Albion v. Hamilton — away win. Alloa v. Forfar — score draw. Clydebank v. Falkirk — home win. Meadowbank v. Airdrieonians — away win. Partick v. Morton — home win. SCOTTISH LEAGUE Division one.— Ayr 1, Raith 0; St Johnstone 2, Clyde 0. Postponed: Albion v. Hamilton, Alloa v. Forfar, Clydebank v. Falkirk, Meadowbank v. Airdrieonians and Partick v. Morton. Division two.— East Fife 2, Kilmarnock 1, (abandoned after 75 minutes, pitch waterlogged). Queens Park 2, Dumbarton 2. Postponed: Arbroath v. Stranraer, Cowdenbeath v. Queen of the South, East Stirling v. Brechin, Montrose v. Stirling and Stenhousemuir v. Berwick. NORTHERN IRISH LEAGUE Coleraine 1, Cliftonville 1. Postponed: Bangor v. Newry, Crusaders v. Glentoran, Distillery v. Carrick, Larne v. Ballymena and Linfield v. Ards.