Diego Costa continued his top form in Atletico Madrid’s dominant win over Valencia. (Andres Kudacki/AP)
LONDON (AP) Luis Suarez extended his hot scoring run with a double on Sunday as Liverpool overwhelmed 10-man Tottenham 5-0 on Sunday to go within two points of the Premier League summit.
On the day he captained Liverpool for the first time, Suarez took his tally to eight goals in three games and helped to set up the other three goals by Jordan Henderson, Jon Flanagan and Raheem Sterling.
It was a scintillating way for Liverpool to end a five-game losing streak at White Hart Lane and win away for the first time since Sept. 29 at Sunderland.
“We were like animals … it was probably the most complete performance,” Liverpool manger Brendan Rodgers said.
Assuming the armband from the injured Steven Gerrard indicated that Suarez has fully completed his rehabilitation from bans for racist abuse and biting, and antagonizing fans by pushing for a transfer during the summer.
Suarez may well be relieved that Liverpool wouldn’t sanction the move to Arsenal, with the London club now only a place and two points ahead at the top of the standings after losing 6-3 at Manchester City on Saturday.
Suarez has 17 goals in a season that only began in late September as he completed the 10-game biting ban.
Such potency in just 11 games contrasts with Tottenham’s ineptitude in front of goal. Tottenham has scored only 15 times in 15 league games and couldn’t even muster a shot on target against the second-place visitors.
That’s despite more than $160 million being spent on the squad in the summer transfer window as Tottenham sold Gareth Bale to Real Madrid.
“We have the squad, we have the ability, we believe in each other, but the results aren’t there in the Premier League to prove it,” Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas said, highlighting the need to instill more confidence in his players.
Such an outlook puts further scrutiny on the 36-year-old manager’s future.
“I won’t resign,” he said. “And I’m not a quitter.”
As Tottenham struggled to cope with the speed and intensity of Liverpool’s attack, Suarez took just 17 minutes to open the scoring.
Henderson volleyed in another before halftime, following up after Suarez was denied by goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
Any hopes of a Tottenham comeback were thwarted by Paulinho being sent off in the 63rd for sinking his boot into Suarez’s ribs.
Suarez then set up Flanagan for Liverpool’s third, found the net again himself in the 84th, and fed the ball for Sterling to complete the rout five minutes later.
Tottenham’s collapse brought back memories of its 6-0 loss at Manchester City last month and left Spurs in seventh place, five points from the fourth Champions League place.
A force once again this season, Liverpool showed it can cope without the injured Gerrard and striker Daniel Sturridge.
The intensity and speed from Liverpool had Tottenham reeling from the start as the hosts struggled to cope with Sterling, Henderson and Suarez particularly.
After goalkeeper Hugo Lloris was kept busy in the opening exchanges, he was beaten after 18 minutes.
Michael Dawson blocked a throughball from Suarez, but Henderson recovered possession and fed the Uruguay striker to nip in and almost walk the ball into the goal.
The pressure was sustained, with Philippe Coutinho blasting the ball off the crossbar from Suarez’s cutback.
There was another blow for Tottenham when Sandro was forced off injured and replaced by Lewis Holtby on the half hour.
A header that Nacer Chadli sent over from a corner and Holtby sweeping the ball wide was about as close as Tottenham came to equalizing.
Liverpool ripped through Tottenham and chalked up another goal despite Lloris’ double save.
Lloris denied Henderson, then thwarted Suarez from the rebound. But he palmed the ball back for Henderson to volley in the second.
Roberto Soldado did find the net for Tottenham just before halftime but it was disallowed for an apparent foul by the striker on goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.
Tottenham never came as close again.
And at the start of the second half, Liverpool was only denied a third by the woodwork as Mamadou Sakho headed Sterling’s cross against the post.
When the third did come, after Paulinho’s dismissal, the slick break down the right flank exemplified the visitors’ effervescence in the heavy rain.
Henderson backheeled to Suarez, who crossed for Flanagan to curl the ball beyond Lloris in the 75th.
Suarez’s deserved second came when he chipped Lloris after being released by Luis Alberto. Then, Suarez turned provider once again, slipping the ball through for Sterling to slot into the net in the 89th.
“I am a striker so I try to score, but most important was the performance of the team,” Suarez said.
Atletico Madrid keeps pace with Barcelona after win; La Liga recap
(PhatzRadio / AP) — Diego Costa scored twice as Atletico Madrid beat Valencia 3-0 to maintain their winning home run this season and keep pace with Barcelona at the top of the La Liga table.
The in-form forward broke the deadlock on the hour mark and Raul Garcia added a second moments later with Valencia’s resistance broken.
Costa then missed a penalty but converted a second with nine minutes to go, his 17th league goal of the season putting him level with Real’s Cristiano Ronaldo at the top of the scoring charts.
“You need to show personality and fight for your achievements so after missing the first penalty I wanted to take the second,” Costa told reporters.
“Valencia played well in the first half and we knew that we had to do a bit more especially in attack which we did.”
Atletico are level on 43 points with Barcelona who beat Villarreal 2-1 on Saturday while third-placed Real Madrid lost further ground following a 2-2 draw at Osasuna.
Atletico started slowly with Gabi Fernandez and Tiago Cardoso quiet in the engine room and there were only flickers of life from their forwards.
They upped their level after halftime and Costa dribbled in from the left wing with Victor Ruiz backing off before slotting home.
Minutes later they were further in front when Raul Garcia knocked in a loose ball in the area.
Costa was then upended in the area by Ruiz and took the penalty himself but Diego Alves saved well with his feet.
Atletico were now ripping open the Valencia defence and Antonio Barragan fouled Costa in the area before the striker found the top corner with his spot-kick.
Earlier, Real Sociedad bounced back from their Champions League exit with a resounding 5-1 win over bottom side Real Betis and Sevilla and Athletic Bilbao shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw.
Bilbao, fresh from beating leaders Barcelona last time out, were looking to consolidate fourth place but conceded an early goal from Alberto Moreno, who finished well from the edge of the area after four minutes.
Athletic were level moments later when Gaizka Toquero picked up a short back-pass from Federico Fazio and crossed for Markel Susaeta to prod the ball home from close range.
Sevilla had keeper Beto to thank when he saved a penalty at the end of the first half.
Bilbao stayed fourth on 30 points and Sevilla, who came into the game on the back of three league wins, climbed to seventh on 23.
Sociedad lie sixth with 26 points and Betis are two points adrift at the foot of the table with 10 points.
The Basque side struggled with the demands of Europe’s top competition, picking up just one point from their group, but they put the disappointment behind them with their third successive league win.
Imanol Agirretxe scored the first of his two goals early on for the hosts before Jorge Molina equalised after 19 minutes.
Ion Ansotegi headed Sociedad back in front soon after the break and Betis’s misery was further compounded through further second-half goals by Antoine Griezmann, Agirretxe and Xabi Prieto.
World Soccer Scores / Courtesy of Livescore.com
England – Premier League December 15
FT Aston Villa 0 – 3 Manchester United
FT Norwich City 1 – 1 Swansea City
FT Tottenham Hotspur 0 – 5 Liverpool
England – Championship December 15
FT Wigan Athletic 3 – 2 Bolton Wanderers
Italy – Serie A December 15
FT ChievoVerona 0 – 1 Sampdoria
FT Fiorentina 3 – 0 Bologna
FT Genoa 1 – 1 Atalanta
FT Lazio 2 – 0 Livorno
FT Parma 0 – 0 Cagliari
FT Udinese 0 – 2 Torino
FT Juventus 4 – 0 Sassuolo
FT SSC Napoli 4 – 2 Inter
Italy – Serie B December 15
FT Virtus Lanciano 0 – 1 Pescara
Spain – Liga BBVA December 15
FT Almeria 0 – 0 Espanyol
FT Real Sociedad 5 – 1 Real Betis
FT Sevilla 1 – 1 Athletic Bilbao
FT Atletico Madrid 3 – 0 Valencia
Spain – Liga Adelante December 15
FT Eibar 2 – 1 Deportivo La Coruna
FT Murcia 3 – 1 Barcelona B
FT Sporting Gijon 3 – 2 Mirandes
FT Cordoba 1 – 0 Tenerife
FT Real Jaen 2 – 1 Mallorca
Germany – Bundesliga December 15
FT Schalke 04 2 – 0 Freiburg
FT Bayer Leverkusen 0 – 1 Eintracht Frankfurt
Germany – 2. Bundesliga December 15
FT Aue 0 – 0 Ingolstadt
FT Bielefeld 4 – 1 Greuther Furth
FT Karlsruhe 3 – 3 FSV Frankfurt
Germany – Regionalliga West December 15
FT Oberhausen 1 – 1 Schalke 04 II
France – Ligue 1 December 15
FT Bordeaux 2 – 1 Valenciennes
FT Lille 2 – 1 Bastia
FT Lyon 2 – 2 Marseille
Argentina – Primera Apertura December 15
FT Newells Old Boys 2 – 2 Lanus
FT Velez Sarsfield 0 – 0 San Lorenzo
Bolivia – Primera Division Apertura December 15
FT Guabira 1 – 1 Jorge Wilstermann
FT Real Potosi 2 – 1 Sport Boys Warnes
FT Universitario 1 – 1 Nacional Potosi
FT Aurora 3 – 3 San Jose
FT Bolivar 2 – 1 Blooming
FT Oriente Petrolero 0 – 2 The Strongest
Colombia – Liga Postobón I Clausura Play-Off December 15
FT Atletico Nacional 2 – 0 Deportivo Cali
Peru – Primera División Final December 15
FT Universitario de Deportes 3 – 0 Real Garcilaso
Peru – Cup December 15
FT San Simon 2 – 3 Union Huaral
Uruguay – Primera Division Apertura December 15
FT Miramar Misiones 0 – 0 Juventud de las Piedras
FT Defensor Sporting 1 – 1 River Plate
FT Montevideo Wanderers 5 – 0 El Tanque Sisley
FT Nacional 1 – 2 Fenix
FT Sud America 0 – 1 Danubio
Venezuela – Liga Movistar:: Apertura December 15
FT Aragua FC 3 – 3 Tachira
FT Carabobo FC 1 – 0 El Vigia
FT Caracas 3 – 2 Deportivo Anzoategui
FT Deportivo La Guaira 2 – 2 Yaracuyanos FC
FT Estudiantes Merida 0 – 2 Deportivo Petare
FT Llaneros Guanare 2 – 0 Atletico Venezuela
FT Mineros De Guayana 3 – 1 Deportivo Lara
FT Trujillanos FC 2 – 2 Tucanes FC
FT Zulia 1 – 0 Zamora FC
Mexico – Primera Division Apertura Play Off December 15
FT CF America 1 – 3 Leon
Honduras – Liga Nacional Apertura Play-Off December 15
AET CD Real Sociedad 2 – 0 Real Espana *
Soccer Roundup: Suarez scores twice as Liverpool routs Spurs 5-0 is a post from: PhatzRadio.com
