The story appears on

Page B13

November 3, 2010

GET this page in PDF

Free for subscribers

View shopping cart

Related News

HomeSportsSoccer

Blackpool grabs overdue home win

BLACKPOOL celebrated a first home win in the English top flight for nearly 40 years when it beat nine-man West Bromwich Albion 2-1 at Bloomfield Road on Monday.

West Brom could have moved into fourth place in the English Premier League with victory but its hopes fizzled out in the rain as Pablo Ibanez and Gonzalo Jara were sent off before halftime.

Ibanez was unfortunate when his momentum took him into DJ Campbell after the striker turned sharply in the penalty area after 12 minutes. Charlie Adam slotted home the resulting spot kick.

Even Blackpool manager Ian Holloway thought Ibanez was unlucky to receive a red card.

"I'd prefer a yellow card (to Ibanez) and the penalty," Holloway said. "It's a great move, probably the best of the game, a great ball from Charlie to DJ Campbell, who has turned him. But is it really a sending off? I thought that ruined the game as a spectacle."

There was no doubt about Jara's red card when the Chilean inexplicably launched into a crazy tackle on Luke Varney near the corner flag.

If Jara sought sympathy from his manager, he did not get it.

"I think he called it right, the referee," said Roberto Di Matteo, who also agreed with the penalty decision for Ibanez's challenge if not the sending off. "The player lost his head a bit, after the first decision, but he made a terrible tackle and made a mistake."

West Brom looked capable of an equalizer despite its numerical disadvantage but Varney doubled Blackpool's lead after 62 minutes when he slid in to meet Elliot Grandin's low cross.

What should have been an enjoyable final few minutes for the home crowd became fraught with tension when Youssouf Mulumbu weaved into the area and finished in style.

In a breathtaking finish to the game, Graham Dorrans wasted a great chance to snatch an unlikely point for the visitors when he blazed a last-minute chance over.

Blackpool moved up seven places to ninth and West Brom, like its opponent promoted to the top flight this season, remained sixth after its first defeat since losing to Liverpool in August.

In Spain, Pierre Webo scored with five minutes left to give Mallorca a 2-1 victory over Levante, completing the ninth round of Spanish league games on Monday.

Webo headed in a corner from Jonathan de Guzman to take the Balearic Island club to seventh with 14 points.

Christian Stuani headed Levante in front after 26 minutes from Valdo's pass from the right, but Michael Pereira responded in the 64th to begin Mallorca's recovery.

Levante is 17th with eight points. Real Madrid (23) leads, one better than defending champion Barcelona. Villarreal is third on 20.



 

Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.

娌叕缃戝畨澶 31010602000204鍙

Email this to your friend