Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/296073
23 Sport maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 16 APRIL 2014 Answers to the MaltaToday crossword will be published next Wednesday WEATHER: Partly cloudy becoming fine, and becoming cloudy in the evening. VISIBILITY: Good WIND: Southwest force 3 to 4 locally force 4 to 5 becoming mainly Northwesterly force 4 to 5 locally force 5 to 6. Sea: Slight to moderate becoming moderate to rough. . Swell: Negligible becoming low Northwesterly. A B C D E F G H 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 White to play and mate in four moves A B C D E F G H 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Last week's solution Sudoku rules are extremely easy: Fill all empty squares so that the numbers 1 to 9 appear once in each row, column and 9x9 box. PARTLY CLOUDY 19 º C / 13 º C UV INDEX: 6 Today's Weather Chess Sudoku Pursuits b7+ Kb8 Kb6 Bg6 (or any bishop move) c7+ Nxc7 a7+ mate OPINION Across 9. Something improvised (13) 10. Owing (3) 11. Access hole (7) 12. A person that uses (4) 13. Weapons (4) 15. Register (5) 17. Free from sin (7) 19. Intense hatred (5) 21. Become firm (3) 23. Toe or finger (5) 24. Illness (7) 25. Rascal (5) 27. Hand (4) 28. The wise men (4) 30. Articles (7) 32. The Lion (3) 33. Meteorologist (13) Down 1. Masked (9) 2. Edible fruit (5) 3. Froth (4) 4. Very large woman (8) 5. Toil (6) 6. Location (4) 7. Dig beneath (9) 8. Back portions of feet (5) 14. Thaws (5) 16. Humble (5) 18. Nightdress (9) 20. Marriage (9) 22. Hand woven pictorial design (8) 26. Absence of passion (6) 27. Mediterranean island (5) 29. Misuse (5) 30. Stuff (4) 31. Sledge (4) THE scenes at Anfield before the Manchester City visit said it all. Countless scarves were thrust high into the sky as huge banners waved their never forgotten 96 on. The Kop choir was in full voice as the lyrics of You'll Never Walk Alone echoed throughout the United Kingdom, united this weekend behind Liver- pool's call for Justice, Justice for the 96 Liverpool fans killed 25 years ago at Hillsborough. Arguably one of the best tributes in football was staged this weekend as all matches kicked off a full seven minutes later, representing the time shown as that match was cancelled following terrible scenes at Hillsbor- ough. Each stadium stood in silence as fans observed a full one-minute silence throughout the league. 'Gone but never forgotten' is always the message, but the ultimate gift for the departed was the result, which effectively leaves Liverpool with one hand on the trophy, their first of the Premier League era, and their 19th league title in all. A club full of history and desire was showing its wounds of yesteryear this weekend and the performance on the pitch was just the tonic for all Liver- pool fans. With the 12th man well and truly behind them Steven Ger- rard lead his team out for another epic victory at Anfield this season, and for the first time this year Manchester City were made to look like a school team in the first half. Perhaps Vincent Kompany's biggest mistake of his af- ternoon was not his sloppy clearance for the third goal, but opting to switch sides at the coin toss, forcing his team to defend at the Kop in the first half. Defending at the Kop is never an easy task, but defending it on such a historical date seemed impossible and Liverpool raced to a 2-0 lead early in the first half. Perhaps shell- shocked early on, Manchester City did finally emerge and clawed them- selves back into the game in the sec- ond half, however Kompany's other mistake led Coutinho to slot home the match winner, a goal which could be Liverpool's most important one of their season. The result sees them go two points ahead of Chelsea and to make things even more interesting for the Reds, Mourinho's men are due to play at Anfield at the end of this month in what has been dubbed as the title de- cider. With Chelsea edging out Swan- sea last weekend, the Blues are still in with a shout, however as City found out, Anfield is no easy place to pick up points. Chelsea's inconsistencies this season have riddled their season however we all know just how capable Mourinho's tactics can be when push comes to shove. I believe the Chel- sea game was always going to be the key clash this month with Liverpool somehow expecting to beat Man- chester City on such a momentous occasion for the club last weekend. What Liverpool lack in defend- ing they more than make up for go- ing forward. The SAS partnership of Suarez and Sturridge is just the tip of the iceberg for the Reds this season as we have seen the rise of a star in Raheem Sterling and Philppe Coutin- ho's outstanding performance against Manchester City was not a one off. Coutinho came to England for the very low price of £8 million and the Brazlian Paul Scholes has proved to be an unsung hero for Liverpool. His performances in the 4-0 drubbing of Everton and last weekend's vital should give him enough recognition to be called up for his nation in time for the World Cup. Uncapped at international level it remains unclear whether the mid- fielder will form part of a Brazilian diamond. Brendan Rodger's main dealings in the transfer window have been bargains with Daniel Sturridge ar- riving for just over £10 million from Chelsea and given a massive cash injection should Liverpool go on to win the league the sky is the limit for the club. As Rodger's told the media last month, the current position is a surprise even to himself as his inten- tion was to challenge for the league title next season. In my eyes however Manchester City and Chelsea will still be the ones to look out for, par- ticularly if Liverpool do not bolster their defending. Manchester City could, and should have, scored four goals or more at An- field last week and any manager will tell you, that is simply unacceptable. Mark Strijbosch One hand on the trophy