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Benzema seals fifth straight LaLiga win

Real Madrid moved seven points clear at the summit of LaLiga as Karim Benzema’s solitary goal sealed a 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday.

Benzema, who also scored in the 2-1 win over Sevilla at the weekend, struck in the 40th minute with his 12th league goal of the campaign – three more than anyone else in LaLiga.

Athletic created enough chances to claim at least a point at the Santiago Bernabeu, yet they were unable to find a way past Thibaut Courtois.

A fifth league win in a row lifted Carlo Ancelotti’s side well clear of second-placed Atletico Madrid, although Diego Simeone’s men have a game in hand.

Unai Simon twice denied Benzema from close range inside the opening 15 minutes as Madrid started brightly.

Athletic grew into the game, though, and twice went close before the half-hour mark, Inaki Williams seeing an effort deflected narrowly wide and an unmarked Raul Garcia heading straight at Courtois.

Madrid went ahead five minutes before the interval, Benzema sliding into an empty net from Luka Modric’s mishit shot after Simon had thwarted Marco Asensio.

Toni Kroos whipped wide after a fine team move shortly after the restart, before Lucas Vazquez denied Dani Garcia a near-certain goal at the other end with a superb block.

Unai Nunez inexplicably headed wide from an inswinging free-kick with 20 minutes remaining, while Courtois raced off his line to deny Oihan Sancet as Athletic ultimately fell short of finding the leveller they deserved.

What does it mean? Madrid pushed all the way

Athletic’s tally of 18 shots is evidence that Madrid were far from their best, but Ancelotti’s men did just enough to seal maximum points against their spirited opponents.

The result means Los Blancos are now unbeaten in their last 13 LaLiga games against Athletic – their best such run against them in the top flight.

The superb Benzema has now scored 35 goals in 46 games for Madrid across all competitions in 2021, equalling his best goalscoring tally in a single calendar year for Los Blancos (35 goals in 50 games in 2019).

He sealed all three points against Sevilla on Sunday with a sublime strike, but Vinicius Junior had no such luck in front of goal here. The Brazil international made a game-high five key passes, but failed to have a single shot as Madrid largely toiled in attack.

Madrid travel to third-placed Real Sociedad on Saturday, while Athletic are next in action on Monday when they visit Getafe.

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BURNLEY IMPRESSIVE WITH DRAW AT WOLVES

Burnley maintained their impressive record against Wolves with a 0-0 draw that made it six unbeaten versus the West Midlands side for Sean Dyche.

It was the first time that Dyche’s side had played since their thrilling 3-3 draw with Crystal Palace last month after Storm Arwen postponed the Clarets’ clash with Tottenham last Sunday.

Although a point will not please Dyche too much, his side are proving tough to beat as they have only lost one from their last eight Premier League games.

Only the top three teams in the league had conceded fewer than Wolves coming into their fixture with Burnley and that continued as they kept their third clean sheet in a row.

But Bruno Lage’s men need to direct their training efforts to the other end of the pitch as their goal drought continued. Wolves have managed just one goal in their last four games.

The most danger Wolves caused Burnley came on the half-hour mark as Adama Traore led a counter-attack with his renowned pace.

Raul Jimenez joined him and created a two-on-one situation where the two Wolves forwards were running at Charlie Taylor. Taylor forced Traore wide and the Spanish forward struck from distance which rocketed off the bar and Nathan Collins cleared.

It was the type of match that Wolves could have benefitted from Ruben Neves’ creativity, but he served his one-match ban.

Traore again had an opportunity to put his side ahead. This time in the early stages of the second half. Rayan Ait-Nouri’s low cross was blocked and deflected into the path of Traore who slipped as he was about to shoot from inside the 18-yard box.

Traore used his lightning pace again with a direct run past four Burnley men. His deep cross was a stretch for Jimenez and Nick Pope collected with ease.

That did spark Lage to gee up the Molineux crowd and Hwang Hee-chan nearly rewarded them for their support but his low-driven shot was deflected wide.

Burnley’s first attempt at target was Dwight McNeil’s guided effort which forced Jose Sa to turn around the post and out for a corner.

Jay Rodriguez audaciously attempted to chip Sa from outside the box in injury time but it was well over the bar.

Dyche’s side remain in the bottom three but do have a game in hand, whereas Wolves missed an opportunity to go fifth.

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SALAH NETS BRACE AS LIVERPOOL CLAIM RECORD-BREAKING VICTORY AT EVERTON

Liverpool piled more pressure on former manager Rafael Benitez with a record-breaking 4-1 win over Everton at Goodison Park in the 239th Merseyside derby.

In maintaining their current Premier League average of three goals per game, Jurgen Klopp’s side became the first top-flight English team to score at least twice in 18 successive fixtures in all competitions.

Mohamed Salah’s figures continue to be equally impressive as his double, after Jordan Henderson’s opener, made it 19 goals in as many appearances.

His first was a beautifully-crafted curling shot across Jordan Pickford into the far corner but his second was all about a predatory instinct.

With the score at 2-1 after Demarai Gray pulled one back just before half-time, he seized on a calamitous error by Everton captain Seamus Coleman to race the length of the pitch to score.

Diogo Jota lashing a shot past Pickford’s near post was the last thing Benitez – now eight matches without a win and just two points from a possible 24 – wanted to see.

For some fans it was the last thing they did see as they began to stream for the exits.

The game was played on the 62nd anniversary of Bill Shankly’s appointment as Liverpool manager and the early part of the second half in particular was something of a throwback as Everton put up a brief fight which had been lacking in the majority of their previous seven matches.

But that aside, the amount of space Liverpool were given in midfield in a Merseyside derby was barely believable.

Everton’s players were so far off the pace the visitors were able to play through them at will with Henderson running the show in the first 20 minutes.

Joel Matip’s header and two efforts from Salah, one denied by a smart low save from Pickford, could have put Klopp’s side ahead before Henderson actually did in the ninth minute.

A ball over the top to Sadio Mane had players looking for an offside flag but – in the meantime – the ball was moved on to Andy Robertson who cut back for Henderson, unsurprisingly unmarked inside the penalty area considering Everton’s earlier failings, and he coolly passed the ball beyond Pickford with his weaker left foot.

Had it not been for their goalkeeper, Everton would have been buried before half-time as he also saved from Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mane but was powerless to deny the class of Salah.

Caught in possession midway in the opposition’s half, Everton were left chasing shadows as Henderson’s inch-perfect through-ball inside left-back Lucas Digne sent the Egypt international racing clear and he clinically beat Pickford with a curling left-footed shot placed into the far corner.

Fittingly considering the impact Salah has had, it was the 500th league goal scored in Klopp’s 234th game.

The atmosphere was starting to turn inside Goodison and seeing Andros Townsend and Gray booked for diving did nothing to help the mood.

Alexander-Arnold slicing a Richarlison cross over his own crossbar appeared the closest Everton would come to troubling Liverpool’s goal before, out of nothing, they gave themselves a lifeline.

Mane lost possession wide on the left and Richarlison quickly slotted the ball through to Gray, who charged down through the middle to fire in a shot which Alisson Becker could not keep out.

It was Everton’s first goal in a month and one which saw Gray equal his joint-best Premier League scoring season, matching the four he got for Leicester in 2018-19.

The goal injected new life into the crowd and the players with even lumbering 32-year-old striker Salomon Rondon suddenly finding the energy to press the central defenders.

Mane’s goal-bound header blocked by Ben Godfrey just before the break suggested the pain was not over for Everton.

Benitez’s side came out galvanised for the second half and were making a contest of it until one error decided the game.

When Liverpool cleared a corner the ball was passed back by Gray to Coleman but the Toffees captain miscontrolled and the Egyptian brilliantly seized the opportunity, racing from halfway to roll a shot past Pickford.

Benitez – yet to beat his former side in seven attempts in domestic competition – tried his best to encourage and cajole renewed effort from his players but it was a hopeless task without his still-injured main striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and Jota made things worse in the 79th minute.

As Blues fans made a swift exit, the visiting Reds supporters entertained themselves with chants of “Rafa’s at the wheel” – a cruel twist on the song they taunted Manchester United fans with after their 5-0 win at Old Trafford in October.

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MAUPAY’S OVERHEAD KICK SNATCHES LAST-GSAP POINT AT WESTHAM

Neal Maupay’s spectacular late equaliser ensured West Ham’s Brighton hoodoo struck again in a 1-1 draw at the London Stadium.

Maupay’s overhead kick a minute from time means West Ham are still waiting for a first Premier League win over the Seagulls after nine attempts.

The Hammers looked to have finally beaten their bogey team as they led through Tomas Soucek’s first-half header.

But Brighton had other ideas and finally put one of their chances away to deny the hosts victory yet again.

This had the feel of a big match in the context of West Ham’s lofty aspirations this season, having clung on to fourth place despite successive defeats on the road against Wolves and Manchester City – and with leaders Chelsea the visitors on Saturday.

Alarm bells may have started to ring had Brighton taken the lead inside two minutes, but Maupay fired across goal and wide from close range after a defensive mix-up allowed Yves Bissouma to stroll into the penalty area.

Instead, West Ham went ahead in the fifth minute through a familiar routine.

Seagulls boss Graham Potter admitted beforehand that he was wary of West Ham’s threat from set-pieces, yet from the first corner of the match Pablo Fornals crossed to the near post where Soucek was allowed to leap unchallenged and glance the ball into the net.

It was almost two when Michail Antonio headed Vladimir Coufal’s cross back across goal to Fornals, whose volley crashed against the underside of the crossbar.

Brighton’s cause was not helped by losing two players, Jeremy Sarmiento and Adam Webster, to injury in the first half.

But one of their substitutes, Solly March, almost created an equaliser when he played in Maupay, who in turn fed Jakub Moder in front of goal, but his shot was well saved by fellow Pole Lukasz Fabianski.

The problem in the first half was as stark as it had been in the 0-0 draw against Leeds on Saturday, when they were booed by some of their own fans – Brighton simply could not find the net.

After the break March had a cross deflected over and Lewis Dunk headed the corner straight at Fabianski, before West Ham were denied a second by a lengthy VAR check.

It looked like a job for cricket’s snickometer to prove for certain whether the ball had brushed the ankle of the offside Antonio as it was bundled in from a corner, but the goal was eventually chalked off.

Jarrod Bowen squandered a chance to kill Brighton off when his shot rolled past the far post and late Robert Sanchez saves kept Declan Rice and Antonio at bay.

They were to prove costly as the clock ticked down and Brighton sub Tariq Lamptey stood up a cross which Maupay expertly hooked home to frustrate the Hammers yet again.

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MADDISON ON TARGET AS LEICESTER FORCED TO DRAW AT SOUTHAMPTON

James Maddison scored for the third successive game as Leicester twice came from behind to salvage a 2-2 Premier League draw at Southampton.

In-form Maddison conjured a moment of magic early in the second period but the Foxes squandered golden chances to complete a comeback success on the south coast.

Jamie Vardy blazed over when through on goal, while Harvey Barnes was denied by a fine save from home goalkeeper Alex McCarthy.

Defender Jonny Evans had initially fired the visitors level, in between first-half goals from Saints duo Jan Bednarek and Che Adams.

Brendan Rodgers’ men have fallen agonisingly short of Champions League qualification in the past two seasons and cracking the top four this term already looks a tall order.

A point at St Mary’s was sufficient to move to eighth but left them with just one win from five as their inconsistent form continued.
Southampton, meanwhile, hold a five-point buffer on the relegation zone after scoring more than once in a top-flight fixture for only the third time this campaign.

Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl reacted to Saturday’s 4-0 thrashing at Liverpool by recalling Kyle Walker-Peters, Nathan Tella and Nathan Redmond, while the visitors stuck with an unchanged 20-man squad following a 4-2 win over Watford.

Leicester fans were back at the ground for the first time since a record-breaking 9-0 win in October 2019 and took little time to mock the hosts.

But chants of ‘Who put the ball in Southampton’s net? Half the f team did’ were silenced inside three minutes.

Tella and James Ward-Prowse worked a short corner on the left and, after Foxes keeper Kasper Schmeichel saved Mohammed Salisu’s initial effort, Bednarek scuffed the rebound into the bottom right corner.

Leicester were not behind for long and their 22nd-minute equaliser had hallmarks of the opener.

This time Saints keeper McCarthy could not keep hold of a stinging shot from Wilfred Ndidi following good wing play from Maddison and Evans thumped home the loose ball. The emphatic finish was the defender’s first goal since equalising in a 1-1 draw here in April.

Southampton regained the lead 11 minutes before the break, benefiting from some incredibly slack Leicester defending.

Following a partially-cleared corner, Redmond was given time to pick out a cross from the right and the unmarked Adams sent a diving header into the far corner from just outside the six-yard box.

Kick-off for the second half was delayed by around 15 minutes after a fan required medical treatment in the Kingsland Stand.

Saints had a golden chance to double their advantage less than a minute after the restart when the unmarked Tella headed high and wide after being picked out by Ward-Prowse.

That miss looked even more costly just three minutes later as Maddison continued his purple patch.

The creative midfielder collected the ball from Luke Thomas inside Southampton’s crowded 18-yard box and expertly cut inside the sliding Tino Livramento before lashing past McCarthy at the near post.

Leicester should probably have gone on to take all three points but were denied by a combination of exceptional goalkeeping and uncharacteristic profligacy.

Firstly, McCarthy somehow kept his side level by superbly tipping wide from Barnes in the 71st minute, although a possible handball in the build up may have ruled it out anyway.
Vardy should then have won it with 15 minutes to go. The Foxes talisman was sent clear after a Walker-Peters back pass clipped team-mate Salisu but, with most inside the ground waiting for the net to bulge, the former England man smashed over.

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TOTTENHAM SUFFER HUMILIATING DEFEAT TO SLOVENIAN MINNOWS NS MURA

Tottenham endured one of the most embarrassing nights in their history as they were beaten 2-1 by the lowest-ranked team in the Europa Conference League, going down 2-1 to NS Mura in Maribor.

New boss Antonio Conte will have watched on with horror as his side lost at the death to a team with a UEFA coefficient ranking of 341.

Even though they were reduced to 10 men just after the half-hour when Ryan Sessegnon was sent off, Spurs should still have had enough to see off opposition who had lost their previous four games in the competition and are mid-table in the Slovenian league.

Instead they lost to Amadej Marosa’s stoppage-time goal after Harry Kane had earlier cancelled out Tomi Horvat’s shock opener.

The defeat means Spurs will likely have to beat Rennes in their final game to be assured of qualification for the knockout stages and they can no longer qualify as group winners, meaning they will have to play an extra round.

It was another night of disappointment for those hoping for the chance to impress Conte, with Dele Alli particularly poor and not lasting beyond 52 minutes, and the Italian has further evidence of just how big a job he faces in north London.

The night started in difficult fashion as Tottenham endured what are now customary troubles on their travels in Europe.

Mura, who were only formed in 2012, forged ahead in the 11th minute as Horvat was set free down the right. He took advantage of Davinson Sanchez’s slip and cut inside before curling a left-footed effort into the far corner.

In Kane, Alli and Tanguy Ndombele, Spurs had enough individual quality on the pitch to hurt their opposition, but they were playing with no cohesion and inflicted more self-harm in the 32nd minute.

All the pre-match narrative had been about how this was Sessegnon’s chance to stake his claim under Conte, but he had a night to forget as he picked up a second yellow card for a clumsy challenge on Ziga Kous and was sent off.

Kane nearly brought the 10 men level five minutes later after a neat turn, but his shot from 12 yards went just wide.

In the end Spurs were lucky to get to the interval just 1-0 down as Nik Lorbek flashed an effort just wide with goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini rooted to the spot.

Conte had seen enough early in the second half and introduced Son Heung-min, Lucas Moura, Eric Dier and Ben Davies – and it almost paid immediate dividends.

Son went on a surging run into the penalty area, rounding several defenders before stinging the palms of Matko Obradovic, who made his first save of the evening.

From the resulting corner Kane should have equalised, but he directed a free header straight at Obradovic.

Spurs eventually found a leveller in the 72nd minute as Kane produced a nice finish.

Two Mura defenders left a Moura pass to each other, allowing the England captain to nip in and clip home in style.

Spurs pushed forward for a winner, with Moura drilling an effort over, but they never looked like winning and instead it was the Slovenians who capped a historic night.

Marosa was released down the right, he cut inside Sanchez and his deflected effort looped over a helpless Gollini to spark wild scenes of celebration.

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RAPHINA’S STOPPAGE-TIME PENALTY GIVES LEEDS VICTORY OVER CRYSTAL PALACE

Raphinha’s stoppage-time penalty clinched Leeds a 1-0 home win against Crystal Palace and three much-needed Premier League points.

The Brazilian’s spot-kick in the third minute of added time, after Palace defender Marc Guehi had handled, raised the roof at Elland Road and secured Leeds just their third league win of the season.

It was a dramatic finale to what appeared to be another frustrating night for Marcelo Bielsa’s side, who could have been on the end of a defeat had Palace substitute Christian Benteke not headed a golden second-half chance wide.

Leeds’ victory lifted them five points clear of the relegation zone and sent Palace spinning to back-to-back league defeats for the first time under boss Patrick Vieira

The first half fizzled out after a promising start, with both sides losing their way down cul-de-sacs each time they worked the ball into the final third.

Leeds tore into their opponents from the off in pursuit of a galvanising victory, but Palace stood firm under the early onslaught and helped set a frantic tempo.

Adam Forshaw fired narrowly wide from the edge of the penalty area in the 15th minute and Jeffrey Schlupp went just as close for Palace with a similar effort soon after.

Kalvin Phillips, restored to his favoured midfield holding role, burst through two challenges on to the edge of the area, but blazed high and wide.

Bielsa made two changes at the interval, sending on Rodrigo and Junior Firpo for Mateusz Klich and Pascal Struijk.

Firpo’s first contribution was to mis-place a pass and then concede a free-kick as Jordan Ayew scampered clear, but Conor Gallagher’s free-kick hit the wall and Wilfried Zaha miscued the rebound.

Leeds responded with their best move of the match. Raphinha’s brilliant cross-field ball picked out Dan James and the Wales forward’s pass into the area was pushed wide by Rodrigo.

The home crowd turned up the volume as Leeds began to build momentum, but clear-cut chances continued to elude them.

Forshaw rifled over at the end of one period of sustained pressure, while Palace remained a threat, with Zaha and Ayew the targets as they looked to hit Leeds on the counter.

Palace boss Vieira sensed the points were very much up for grabs when he sent on Benteke for Odsonne Edouard in the 67th minute.

The Belgium striker was then guilty of squandering the best chance of the match so far when heading Gallagher’s cross wide at the back post seven minutes later.

Leeds forced three successive corners, all scrambled clear, and Benteke went close to breaking the deadlock again when stretching on to Ayew’s speculative cross, only for Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier to snaffle the ball on the goalline.

Tyler Roberts’ curling effort was easily saved by Palace goalkeeper Vicente Guaita before another Raphinha corner led to the decisive penalty.

Referee Kevin Friend checked the pitch-side monitor after Cooper’s header struck Guehi’s raised hand and Raphinha converted the spot-kick in the third minute of added time.

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FORMER LIVERPOOL AND ARSENAL PLAYER RAY KENNEDY DIES AT 70.

Former Liverpool and Arsenal player Ray Kennedy has died at the age of 70, the Merseyside club have announced.

Kennedy won three European Cups and five league titles with the Reds, whom he joined from Arsenal in 1974 having done the league and FA Cup double with the Gunners three years earlier.

A personal highlight was his pivotal away goal in the 1981 European Cup semi-final second leg against Bayern Munich.

He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 1984 and a testimonial game between Liverpool and Arsenal was held in 1991.

Later that year he sold his medals and 17 England caps to help raise funds for his care.

A statement on Liverpool’s official website read: “The thoughts of everybody at Liverpool FC are with Ray’s family and friends at this sad and difficult time.”

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TEEMU PUKKI EARNS NORWICH A POINT AGAINST 10-MAN NEWCASTLE

Soccer Football - Premier League - Newcastle United v Norwich City - St James' Park, Newcastle, Britain - November 30, 2021 Norwich City's Teemu Pukki celebrates scoring their first goal with teammates Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.

Teemu Pukki ensured 10-man Newcastle’s wait for a first Premier League win of the season extended to 14 games as Norwich fought back to snatch a 1-1 draw at St James’ Park.

The beleaguered Magpies, who had defender Ciaran Clark sent off after just nine minutes, looked to be on course to end their drought when Callum Wilson converted a 61st-minute penalty awarded for handball after a VAR review.

However, Pukki’s sumptuous 79th-minute volley robbed head coach Eddie Howe, belatedly in the home dugout for the first time, the victory he so desperately needed and left the Magpies rooted to the foot of the table.

With skipper Jamaal Lascelles and wing-back Matt Ritchie suspended, Howe abandoned the five-man defence with which he had started his first two games in favour of a 4-2-3-1 formation with Joe Willock partnering Jonjo Shelvey in the middle of the field.

However, his game-plan was ripped up within nine minutes when, having miskicked his attempted clearance straight at Pukki, Clark dragged the striker back and was shown a straight red card by referee Andy Madley.

Goalkeeper Martin Dubravka spared the home side further pain with a good save from Billy Gilmour as he took charge of the resulting free-kick as Howe sacrificed winger Ryan Fraser to send on defender Federico Fernandez.

Nevertheless, it was the home side that almost took the lead with 20 minutes gone when Allan Saint-Maximin turned Gilmour and raced towards goal before squaring for Joelinton, whose rising drive flew just too high.

Norwich, however, were making good use of their numerical advantage to pin the Magpies back with Gilmour prominent, and it took a superb block by Canaries old boy Jamal Lewis to deny Josh Sargent after he had met Christos Tzolis’ 29th-minute cross at the far post.

Dubravka had to get down smartly to save Tzolis’ effort at his near post in first-half stoppage time, but there was to be no breakthrough before the whistle sounded.

Norwich returned with real purpose to force their hosts back once again, although they continued to lack the cutting edge to make the most of the pressure they were exerting.

For their part, the Magpies still looked dangerous on the break and Joelinton was aggrieved not to earn a 53rd-minute penalty after going down under Brandon Williams’ challenge.

However, Madley did point to the spot after being advised to take a second look at Fernandez’s 59th-minute header, which appeared to be blocked illegally by Gilmour, and although former Magpie Tim Krul got a firm hand to Wilson’s spot-kick, he could not keep it out of his net.

But Newcastle were pegged back when, after Dubravka had spilled Gilmour’s deep cross, Pukki volleyed home emphatically after Dimitris Giannoulis had recycled beyond the far post, although the Slovakia keeper redeemed himself at the death with a crucial stoppage-time bock from substitute Pierre Lees-Melou.

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LIONEL MESSI WINS RECORD SEVENTH BALLON D’OR.

Lionel Messi was on Monday night named the recipient of the 2021 Ballon d’Or as the Argentine forward claimed the award for a record-extending seventh time.

The Paris Saint-Germain star, who joined the French club from Barcelona in the summer, was voted ahead of Bayern Munich’s Polish striker Robert Lewandowski and Italian Chelsea midfielder Jorginho.

Messi has won the Ballon d’Or in successive editions for the first time since winning the award four years in a row between 2009 and 2012. Last year’s ceremony was cancelled due to the pandemic.

The 34-year-old forward may have endured a frustrating year with former club Barcelona and is yet to hit his immeasurable heights for PSG, but he still scored 40 goals for club and country – 28 for Barcelona, four for PSG and eight for Argentina. Messi was also named player of the tournament at the Copa America, where he led his national team to the title – his first major international trophy.

Lewandowski finished runner-up after another exemplary year for Bayern, scoring 53 goals in all competitions, and was named Striker of the Year – a new award announced just hours before the ceremony.

Jorginho, meanwhile, took third spot after winning the two biggest prizes on offer for a European player, helping Chelsea claim the Champions League title, before playing a pivotal role in Italy’s Euro 2020 triumph.

The Ballon d’Or is voted for by 180 selected journalists from around the world. Check out the full rankings of the 2021 edition by clicking through the photo gallery above.