Pedro scores twice as Barcelona beats Levante 2-1

BARCELONA, Spain (AP): Pedro Rodriguez scored twice in the second half to give Barcelona a 2-1 win over Levante on Sunday, its 11th consecutive victory in the Spanish league.

Both goals were set up by Dani Alves, who provided the second-half spark that energized a Barcelona attack missing Lionel Messi, who was watching from the stands.

Levante succeeded in stifling the home side throughout the first half but at the start of the second, Alves slipped the ball to Pedro, who calmly slotted a shot through a wall of Levante defenders to put Barcelona ahead in the 47th.

Twelve minutes later, the Brazil right back centered low for Pedro to volley into the Levante goal.

Christian Stuani, who had just come on to the pitch, halved the deficit with a sharp strike with ten minutes to play.

Spain midfielder Xavi Hernandez played in his 549th game for Barcelona, tying Miguel Bernando for the club record.

"They defended deeply and it was difficult to find space," Xavi said. "It is an honor not for the record but for being able to defend these colors."

Also, Deportivo La Coruna beat Athletic Bilbao 2-1, Sevilla defeated Osasuna 1-0 and Malaga rallied to down Sporting Gijon 2-1.

Messi, who returned from his winter holidays on Sunday, was replaced in the team by striker Bojan Krkic. And with Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique unavailable because of injury and suspension, respectively, Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola experimented with midfielder Sergio Busquets alongside Eric Abidal in the center of his defense.

Levante showed few of the frailties that last week saw it lose 8-0 to Real Madrid, and made it difficult for Barcelona to deploy its crisp passing attack.

Victor Valdes almost handed Levante the lead in the 16th with a pass directly to Xisco Nadal who found Rafa Jorda, starting in place of the injured Felipe Caicedo, alone in the area, but the Barcelona goalkeeper made up for his mistake with a quick leg save.

In one of the Catalan club's few clear scoring chances in the first half, Bojan dribbled to the edge of the six-yard box, but Levante goalie Manolo Reina quickly cut off his angle and smothered his shot. Two minutes later, Andres Iniesta crossed to Bojan, whose blocked shot fell to Alves, who then shot high.

Barcelona came out in the second half looking for a breakthrough, and it soon came through Pedro's seventh and eighth league goals, all of which have come in the last eight games.

The Spain forward almost had a hat trick in the 67th when substitute Thiago Alcantara put him through on goal, but his shot hit the crossbar.

Despite the miss, Barcelona held on for the victory.

Barcelona's 11-game league winning streak is four shy of Spanish record, set by Real Madrid in 1960-61. The Catalan side has outscored its opponents 44-5 along the way. Barcelona also extended unbeaten streak in all competitions to 24 matches.

The loss left Levante two points above the relegation zone.

Earlier, Adrian Lopez scored twice to give Deportivo La Coruna a 2-1 win at Athletic Bilbao with both teams having a man sent off.

The Deportivo striker hit the first from the penalty spot in the 22nd minute and scored the second with a long-range strike in the 52nd.

After missing various chances earlier, Fernando Llorente pulled one back for Bilbao with a header in the 86th for his 11th goal of the season.

Bilbao defender Mikel San Jose was sent off in the 34th minute, with Deportivo midfielder Juan Rodriguez being dismissed in the 47th.

"Football is about maximum effectiveness," Bilbao coach Joaquin Caparros said. "The beginning of the game was one of the best we have had, but we just weren't lucky."

Deportivo's second away win provisionally lifted it into 12th place, five points from a Europa League place. The loss ended Bilbao's five-match winning streak at San Mames stadium and kept the team in eighth place.

Sevilla ended a five-game losing streak with its win over Osasuna to rise to ninth place.

Sevilla winger Jesus Navas, who returned after missing his team's last 20 matches with a leg injury, took the free kick from which Frederic Kanoute headed in the 35th-minute goal.

At El Molinon stadium, Diego Castro put Sporting in front from the penalty spot in the 42nd, but Weligton toed in a free kick to equalize for Malaga three minutes later, and Antonio Galdeano scored a penalty in the 59th for the victory.

Later, Valencia plays Espanyol.

Real Madrid visits Getafe on Monday in a Spanish capital derby.

Also Monday, it's: Villarreal vs. Almeria; Zaragoza vs. Real Sociedad; Atletico Madrid vs. Racing Santander and Mallorca vs. Hercules.

  

Coach says Ronaldinho wants to play in Brazil

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP): Ronaldinho is in Brazil to negotiate a transfer after being allowed to leave the team's training camp in Dubai, AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri said Sunday.

"It's just a decision by him to change his life, go back to Brazil," Allegri told The Associated Press. "It's difficult for him to come back."

Brazilian clubs Gremio, Flamengo and Palmeiras have said they are interested in the playmaker.

Ronaldinho's departure on Saturday came just days after AC Milan director Umberto Gandini said the Italian club planned to keep him. His agent, however, has been negotiating the player's release.

Milan beat United Arab Emirates club Al Ahli 2-1 in an exhibition match in Dubai on Sunday.

Ronaldinho, a two-time FIFA player of the year, has been playing sporadically with Milan and recently said he wanted to return to Brazilian football to improve his chances of getting back in the national team.

  

Kaka back in Real Madrid squad

MADRID (AP): Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has included Kaka in his squad for the first time this season, selecting the Brazil playmaker in his squad for the Spanish league derby against Getafe.

Kaka has not played for the Spanish club since undergoing surgery on his left knee on Aug. 5.

Mourinho says that Kaka "is not close" to starting but "he can give us 15 to 20 super-quality minutes."

Kaka wrote on Twitter that he was very happy that "after a long time, I am back with my teammates for tomorrow's game."

Mourinho also says that injured striker Gonzalo Higuain will have to undergo surgery. Higuain has been out for the past month with a back injury.

"We missed Kaka and we built a team without him," Mourinho says. "Now Higuain won't be here and we will have to build a team without him."

Mourinho said his squad will remain the same, with no players leaving or joining during the January transfer period.

"The information I have is that we will continue with the same 25 players, which will now be 24 with (the loss) of Higuain," he said.

  

Clark scores stoppage time equaliser to dent Chelsea’s title hopes

LONDON: An extraordinary last 10 minutes at Stamford Bridge saw Chelsea fight back from 2-1 down to lead Aston Villa 3-2 only for the champions to gift the visitors an injury-time equaliser yesterday.

After Didier Drogba made it 2-2 in the 84th minute, defender John Terry scored his first league goal for a year to send the home fans wild.

Yet barely before most of them had retaken their seats, Chelsea’s defence went to sleep to allow Ciaran Clark a free header from point-blank range to change the atmosphere again.

When the dust settled it meant Chelsea had taken just 10 points from the last 30 available. They remain in fifth place in the English Premier League on 35 points, one behind Tottenham Hotspur and four behind Arsenal. Manchester United and Manchester City lead the way with 41 points.

“I’m disappointed because we worked very hard in the second half to come back into the game when 2-1 down,” Carlo Ancelotti, the Chelsea manager, told Sky Sports.

“We did a fantastic job. We came back and scored to make it 3-2 and everyone thought the game was finished. We needed to be focused, we needed to play another five minutes. “We are improving, we have more confidence but we needed to win this game. “We didn’t and now it’s more difficult to prepare for the next game.”

Both Chelsea and Villa went into the match on a poor run, and both teams looked nervy in the first half.

Chelsea went ahead with a Frank Lampard penalty after 23 minutes but Villa levelled with their own penalty, by Ashley Young, just before half-time.

An Emile Heskey header put the visitors ahead two minutes after the restart, and after Brad Friedel made three great saves it looked as if Villa would hold on for a morale-boosting win.

The American keeper did well again to block a Drogba shot after 84 minutes but the striker forced the rebound through three defenders to make it 2-2. Terry then seized on another rebound to shoot home what he and most of the stadium thought was the winner in the 89th minute.

However, Chelsea inexplicably allowed Clark to ghost in unmarked to nod in Marc Albrighton’s cross.

“We just kept fighting back today and hopefully we can kickstart our season from here,” Friedel said.

“We’ve had many chats but there is a time when the talking just has to stop, and I thought the boys showed some true grit and determination. ”

Meanwhile, Newcastle moved up two places to 10th after Shola Ameobi scored the winner in their 1-0 win at Wigan. 

  

Roy says players behind him after Bolton triumph

LIVERPOOL: Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson insisted his team’s 2-1 Premier League victory over Bolton Wanderers here at Anfield proved he had the backing of his players.

Speculation has been growing over Hodgson’s position after a string of poor results since he took over on Merseyside from Rafael Benitez in pre-season.

And the doubts over his future intensified when he said he had never had the “famous Anfield support” in his six months in charge following the side’s shock 1-0 midweek loss at home to relegation-threatened Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Although he apologised for those comments on Friday, reports on Saturday claimed Liverpool’s US-based owners were now seeking a new manager, with former Fulham boss Hodgson to be sacked if they found the right replacement.

Hodgson refused to discuss his future after Fernando Torres’ volley and Joe Cole’s stoppage-time goal earned Liverpool a 2-1 win over Bolton, who had taken the lead through England striker Kevin Davies.

But he did say his team’s performance showed he had the support of the dressing room.

“I know when players are behind their club and behind their manager and I know when they’re not,” said Hodgson. “Anyone who seriously suggests they are not behind me or the club after this is wrong.”

Hodgson is now hoping Liverpool and Torres can kick on after victory saw them reach the midway point of the season by climbing into ninth spot.

Torres equalised with a sublime finish, only his sixth goal of the season coming after the Spain striker had been heavily criticised for his performance in the 1-0 defeat by Wolves.

“The Fernando I saw on Wednes­day and the Fer­­nando I saw today are two totally different people,” added Hodgson after Saturday’s win.

“Today I thought his work-rate, effort and discipline was really first-class. I saw today a player who was world-class. I think we’ll see Fernando in this type of form between now and the end of the season given that we can keep him fit.”

Liverpool visit Blackburn on Wednesday on the back of what Hodgson labelled a thoroughly deserved home win.

“I was very proud of the performance,” he said.

“We have put the Wolves game well and truly behind us. I probably under-estimated the problems of a three-week layoff.

“But we were back with a bang and the victory makes it sweeter.

“Anyone who begrudges us that victory after watching the game must be very churlish indeed. The supporters were outstanding. The other night I was really trying to take the responsibility and they are entitled to voice their feelings when it is not going right.” 

  

Wenger eager for home comfort after easy away win

BIRMINGHAM: Arsene Wenger rarely manages to leave St Andrews in good humour but Arsenal’s 3-0 victory over Birmingham has put him in the mood for more success against fellow title contenders Manchester City on Wednesday.

After Arsenal defeated champions Chelsea at the start of the holiday fixture programme, Gunners manager Wenger insisted his side could no longer be bullied out of the title race.

The Londoners justified their French boss’ words by winning away to relegation-threatened Birmingham, one of the most uncompromising teams in the English top flight, on New Year’s Day.

But in between those wins, Arsenal dropped points in a draw away to Wigan.

However, an emphatic win at Bir­mingham on Saturday saw Arsenal stay in third place, two points behind both leaders Manchester United, who have a game in hand over the Gunners, and second-placed Manchester City.

Having seen Arsenal outclass Chel­sea at home, Wenger knows another impressive display at the Emirates against Roberto Mancini’s expensively-assembled side will be the ideal way to back up the performance at St Andrews.

“We will concentrate on (Man­ches­ter) City now,” said Wenger. “It is a very big game and we know that. We have had a difficult schedule with away games, but now we are back at the Emirates.

“We know how important the Emi­rates can be for us. We are happy playing there and we know that we have great support. It is good for us that we play all our rivals there in the second half of the season.”

For a change, Wenger and his team escaped St Andrews without either heartache or injury, almost three years since former Gunners striker Eduardo suffered a horrific broken leg at Birmingham’s home ground.

Wenger reverted to the side that beat Chelsea for the game against Bir­ming­ham, having been criticised for making multiple changes at Wigan.

But as for the line-up against City, Wenger said: “I will have to see how we recover first. We have to see how our fitness is.”

In the meantime he was elated by the way Arsenal coped with Bir­mingham’s aggression while sticking to their passing game in a match featuring goals from Robin van Persie, Samir Nasri and Roger Johnson’s own-goal.

“I am delighted with the victory. It was physically very tough but we had the mental strength to deal with it,” said Wenger.

“We also kept very calm, which was good and we kept the faith in the way we can play. That is why I am very proud of my team. They showed great nerve.

“We kept putting the ball down and passing and playing our game. It was a great performance and the team is getting stronger and stronger.”

Wenger refused to comment on the stamp by Lee Bowyer on Bacary Sagna, but the Birmingham midfielder faces disciplinary action if referee Peter Walton is asked for his revised opinion on the flashpoint in the second half.

“There were a couple of challenges that I would like to see again, but I would rather talk about the way we played,” Wenger said.

Birmingham manager Alex McLeish has already held preliminary meetings with club vice-chairman Peter Pannu regarding new signings during the January transfer window and he will step up his pursuit of want-away Tottenham striker Robbie Keane after another blank in front of goal.

“We are just not scoring enough goals,” said McLeish, whose side are now only above basement club Wolves in the Premier League table.

“They have been hard to come by for us all season and we need to improve on that. We have to add quality to the team and we will be trying to do that. It has to get better over the second half of the season.

“It is not drastic yet – relegation is not confirmed in January – but we have to get better.”

  

City confident of forward boost against Gunners

MANCHESTER: Manchester City are hopeful Mario Balotelli and David Silva will be fit for their match away to Premier League title rivals Arsenal on Wednesday.

Balotelli was absent from City’s 1-0 victory over Blackpool at Eastlands on Saturday, a result that saw Roberto Mancini’s men stay second on goal difference from leaders Manchester United, with a minor knee problem dating back to surgery at the start of the season.

Spain winger Silva limped off in the win over Blackpool but City coach David Platt is optimistic the former Valencia man will be able to feature at the Emirates.

The game against Arsene Wenger’s side could be pivotal in the title race and Mancini will be desperate for the duo to be available.

“Silva got a bang on his knee and just opened his knee up a little bit,” Platt said.

“The pleasing thing was that he walked off the pitch and hopefully it’s not anything too serious,” the former England midfielder added.

“Mario had a knee problem. In the early part of that operation, a bit of blood leaked in there. Every now and again he has a little swelling on it.”

Big-spenders City continue to be linked with Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko and while Platt insisted he could not comment on the potential deal, he insisted Mancini already had a squad packed with quality.

“We’ve got a complement of players that makes us competitive until the end of the season.

“If there’s a bit of business we can do to make us even more competitive for the seasons to come, if it’s good business they’ll do it.”

City have responded to their 2-0 defeat to Everton before Christmas with three straight victories.

Adam Johnson scored the only goal against Blackpool, with Carlos Tevez subsequently missing from the penalty spot.

Platt believes the squad depth that big-spending City enjoy is paying off during the congested holiday fixture schedule.

“The festive period favours the top clubs when you’ve got so many games in such a short space of time.

“They’ve got the ability to change things around without losing quality. The majority of the players were fresh and hadn’t played on Dec 28 and we juggled it around and got nine points.”