Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/384358
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 21 SEPTEMBER 2014 55 Sport FOOTBALL West Ham shock Liverpool with early blitz A review of Saturday's action in the Barclays Premier League AN exquisite lob from Diafra Sa- kho helped earn West Ham just a second Premier League win of the season as Liverpool were outplayed in a 3-1 victory for the home side at Upton Park. West Ham were 2-0 up after seven minutes as Winston Reid headed in before Diafra Sakho exposed the Reds' defensive inadequacies once more with a stunning chip. Mario Balotelli and Adrian were booked following an altercation af- ter the Liverpool striker's late tack- le on the West Ham goalkeeper, who reacted angrily. Balotelli showed his better side when bringing down the cross which led to Raheem Sterling pull- ing a goal back for the visitors, but West Ham were by far superior throughout. Liverpool improved in the second half but, in pressing for an equal- iser, were vulnerable at the back and Morgan Amalfitano struck a late third. Danny Welbeck scored his first goal for Arsenal to help the Gun- ners end a run of three successive draws in the Premier League with a 3-0 victory away to Aston Villa. Three goals in as many first-half minutes gave the win to the Gun- ners. Mesut Ozil began the scoring just after the half-hour, with a left-foot shot from Welbeck's cross. Then England striker Welbeck headed in his first goal for the Gun- ners since his move from Manches- ter United, thanks to an Ozil cross, and an Aly Cissokho own goal made it 3-0 after only 36 minutes. Papiss Cisse was the saviour for under-pressure Newcastle manag- er Alan Pardew with two second- half goals in a 2-2 draw at home to Hull. Tigers forward Nikica Jelavic struck just after the break, and then Mohamed Diame made it 2-0 with 20 minutes to go. But substi- tute Cisse replied in the 73rd and 87th minutes to salvage a point for the Magpies. Southampton are up to second after continuing their fine early- season form with a 1-0 win away to 10-man Swansea. Swansea striker Wilfried Bony was sent off after two first-half bookings, and Victor Wanyama's first goal for the Saints settled the game in the 80th minute. Burnley and Sunderland took a point from their goalless stalemate at Turf Moor. Ashley Barnes came within a whisker of claiming Burnley's first victory of the season, only to see a late effort def lected against the crossbar. In the lunchtime kick-off, a late equaliser earned QPR a point in a 2-2 draw at home to Stoke. Stoke, managed by former QPR boss Mark Hughes, had taken the lead after 11 minutes through Mame Biram Diouf, only for Ste- ven Caulker to level just before the break. Crouch, who played at QPR as a youngster, looked to have secured victory when he swept home from close range after 51 minutes. However, with two minutes left, Niko Kranjcar clipped in a fine 20- yard free-kick to earn Harry Red- knapp's men a share of the points. Real put eight past Deportivo CRISTIANO Ronaldo scored a hat- trick while Gareth Bale and Javier Hernandez both scored twice as Real Madrid ran riot against Deportivo La Coruna at Riazor. Although Los Blancos needed around 30 minutes to break the dead- lock through Ronaldo, once Carlo Ancelotti's side had got the first goal they went about mauling their hosts and buried the memory of last week- end's defeat to local rivals Atletico Madrid by blitzing the Galicians 8-2. While Ronaldo, Bale and substitute Hernandez contributed the majority of the goals, James Rodriguez also scored his first goal in the Primera Division, while Haris Medunjanin and Toche replied for the hosts. Madrid made a rampant start to the game and peppered the Depor goal in search of an opener, which arrived just before the half-hour mark. Ronaldo picked out Alvaro Arbe- loa over on the right hand side and then ghosted into the box to head his team-mate's high cross looping into the far corner, scoring at Riazor for the first time. Madrid would not be content with just the one-goal lead at the break and extended their advantage less than 10 minutes later, Rodriguez receiving the ball 25 yards from goal before sending a perfectly-executed left- footed shot into the top corner. Depor were out of sorts and desper- ate, and found themselves exposed again before the break. Marcelo's long ball from deep split the hosts' defence and gave Ben- zema a clear path to goal, which was blocked by the out-rushing German Lux, who sent the Frenchman to the floor. The goalkeeper was spared an al- most certain red card by Ronaldo, who knocked the loose ball into the empty net from outside the area. Depor were given faint hope of an unlikely comeback shortly after the break, Medunjanin stroking home from the penalty spot after Sergio Ramos was judged to have blocked a cross with his arm. The goal breathed some life into Depor, with Luis Farina testing Iker Casillas soon after and then substi- tute Ivan Cavaleiro shot high over the Spain captain's bar. However, Madrid soon put the game to bed through Bale, who shot on the turn to score goal number four, Lux unable to prevent the ball bouncing off the post and trickling into the net. But neither the Welshman nor Ma- drid were done yet. Substitute Isco spotted a gap in the now ragged Depor defence and threaded the ball through to Bale, who chipped Lux to score goal number five, and Ronaldo then com- pleted his treble by slamming the ball into the bottom far corner after Rod- riguez dispossessed a Depor defender in his own area. But there was still time for more goals. Toche headed past Casillas to score Depor's second, but that brief mo- ment of relief for the hosts was soon cancelled out by Hernandez, who struck twice in the space of four min- utes to complete the rout. Winston Reid put West Ham ahead inside 90 seconds