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Suarez refuses handshake

Suarez refuses handshake

TIPPING COMP: Manchester United defeated Liverpool 2-1 in a fiery encounter at Old Trafford that was overshadowed by Luis Suarez’s refusal to shake hands with Patrice Evra.

Friday 17 February 2012 03:31 PM


Suarez, left, refused to shake Evra’s hand in their first public meeting since last year’s October 15 clash.      –Photo AFP

Suarez, left, refused to shake Evra’s hand in their first public meeting since last year’s October 15 clash. –Photo AFP

The first half had seen little goalmouth activity but that all changed within a couple of minutes of the restart as Wayne Rooney blasted home an unstoppable volley from close range following a flick-on at a corner.


Rooney added a second in the 50th minute when he slotted past Pepe Reina after a mistake by Jay Spearing had been seized upon by Antonio Valencia.


Suarez temporarily silenced the Old Trafford boos that he had received all game with a predatory finish 10 minutes from time, but the Red Devils withstood a late spell of pressure to take all three points.


However, the match was dominated by the Suarez-Evra rivalry, with reports suggesting Liverpool management are now looking to offload Suarez.


Despite Utd’s efforts, Man City still hold top spot on the ladder after Joleon Lescott scored the only goal of the match against Aston Villa.


Tottenham meanwhile put aside any immediate speculation over the future of manager Harry Redknapp to demolish Newcastle 5-0 at White Hart Lane and remain firmly in the title race.


Chelsea came unstuck against Everton 2-0 to drop below London rivals Arsenal, who hit back from behind to
beat Sunderland 2-1 at the Stadium of Light.


The Blues were frustrated in their attempts to get back into the game after going behind at the five minute mark, and their hopes were finally extinguished when Denis Stracqualursi showed good composure to open his Premier League account on 71 minutes.


There were a couple of important games at the bottom of the table as Wigan edged out Bolton 2-1 and Blackburn withstood a thrilling QPR comeback to pick up three points (3-2).


Elsewhere, Norwich got the better of Swansea 3-2, while Fulham inflicted a fourth straight loss on Stoke with a 2-1 victory.


The results have ensured a close finish to the monthly  Phuket News tipping competition, with only 10 points separating the top ten players. The February prize will again be a B3,000 voucher from Australia Bar and Grill in Kata, where you can watch all the international sport on 50” plasma screen TVs or on the big screen.


‘Gafferworld’, meanwhile, continues his run at the top in the overall competition, while ‘MRB’ has leapfrogged ‘chasman’ to regain second spot. The overall winner will receive a return flight to the UK, courtesy of Albatross Lufthansa City Center.


This weekend sees the Premier League take another week off as the FA Cup enters Round 5. All the major teams have a fairly easy run through, with Chelsea hosting Birmingham City, Everton taking on Blackpool, Arsenal on the road against Sunderland, Stevenage taking on Tottenham and Liverpool against Brighton and Hove.