D Tuesday, October 27, 2009 METROSPORT 23 lottery.ie Wholl be the last past the post? All or Nothing - the new game from National Lottery Match NO numbers or Match them ALL and win 500,000 either way, every day CoCa-Cola Championship Reading ...... 0 Leicester .... 1 Att 16,192 Waghorn 45 P W D L F A Pts Newcastle 14 8 3 3 21 9 27 Cardiff 14 8 2 4 30 15 26 West Brom 14 7 4 3 24 13 25 Middlesbrough 14 7 3 4 22 15 24 Leicester 14 6 6 2 16 11 24 Bristol City 14 6 6 2 17 13 24 QPR 13 6 5 2 25 13 23 Blackpool 14 6 5 3 19 13 23 Preston 14 6 5 3 22 19 23 Nottm Forest 14 6 5 3 16 13 23 Watford 14 5 6 3 22 21 21 Swansea 14 4 7 3 9 10 19 Sheff Utd 14 4 5 5 23 25 17 Crystal Palace 13 4 5 4 13 15 17 Coventry 14 4 5 5 16 20 17 Scunthorpe 14 5 2 7 19 26 17 Sheff Wed 14 4 4 6 21 22 16 Doncaster 14 2 8 4 15 17 14 Derby 14 4 2 8 17 25 14 Barnsley 14 4 2 8 16 25 14 Peterborough 14 2 5 7 17 23 11 Reading 14 2 4 8 11 23 10 Plymouth 14 2 3 9 13 26 9 Ipswich 14 0 8 6 15 27 8 Javiers call for higher standards JAVIER MASCHERANO insists Liverpool must build on their shock 2-0 win against Manchester United. The Reds midfielder (pictured) has just emerged from worrying times for both club and country with Argentina only just clinching a place in next summers World Cup finals and Liverpool losing four straight games before Sundays win at Anfield. I was living for three to four months in a difficult situation with Argentina, said Mascherano. So I had the other experience before [the one] with Liverpool. We we were talking about [kick] starting our season and it was an important win [against United]. We have to keep going we have to look forward and not drop points in the future. It is time to start [our season] again. results sOCCer PRemieR LeAgue Clichy Gunners need ruthless streak Upson praises Irons will GAEL CLICHY admits Arsenal must learn to kill off games if they are to mount a genuine Premier League title assault. The Gunners were coasting towards a comfortable fifth straight league win when 2-0 up at West Ham on Sunday only to allow the home side to fight back and salvage a 2-2 draw. Boss Arsene Wenger insists his young side cannot afford many more lapses in concentration, especially as they were also caught by a stoppage-time equaliser in last weeks Champions League clash at AZ Alkmaar. And France full-back Clichy said: We have to stop losing points like this as it is a big disappointment. We have the quality, it is just small details that make the difference and we know that. On set-pieces you have to be focused and referee decisions are not in our hands. The Premier League is so tough, even at 3-0 up you can draw or lose the game. MATTHEW Upson claims West Hams fightback to earn a point against Arsenal on Sunday could prove a turning point in the troubled clubs season. Gianfranco Zolas side remain second bottom of the Premier League, their only victory so far coming at Wolves on the opening day of the season. However, if the efforts in recovering what with 15 minutes to go and trailing 2-0 looked a lost cause against Arsenal are anything to go by, the Hammers have plenty of reasons to stay positive. Everyone is behind the manager, said Upson, captain against his former club on Sunday, when late goals by Carlton Cole and Alessandro Diamanti salvaged a point for the Hammers. Criticism is going to come your way, especially as a manager, and I am sure he is used to dealing with it. We will take the criticism on the chin, do something about it and come back in a positive way for him. I think we can take a lot of positive belief out of this. It was a display of spirit in the team. Warning: Clichy We worked hard on lots of things, but the main thing was that everyone was together the team, the fans, the staff. The attitude was fantastic, and you can see that we can beat anyone. Against a good team you have to per- form well and be focused to achieve what you want. All the players wanted to impress, that was the difference. Benitez added: It was a result that will please a lot of people, maybe not United. But Ive said all season the top sides will lose more points that you would expect, that will make the title race more open. This is proof but I was determined to keep faith in my players. Meanwhile, Benitez hailed defender Jamie Carragher for his man-of-the- match performance against United. The 31-year-old has come in for severe criticism this season as Liverpool have struggled, but his manager said: Jamie played well. He had been having a diffi- cult time but he showed what a good defender he still is and [collectively] we have shown that we are not a bad team. MANAGER Rafael Benitez insists he never lost faith in his players and was confident Liverpool would start turning their season around by beating rivals Manchester United on Sunday. The Reds ended their worst sequence of results in 22 years as a 2-0 victory over the Premier League champions at Anfield ensured they halted a dismal run of four straight defeats in all competi- tions, including two in the league. Another reversal would have heaped huge pressure on the Spaniard and all but ended their title hopes. But Benitez says he turned a blind eye to reports over his own position and says more hard work on the training ground can spark a turnaround in fortunes. I have not been reading the papers, or listening to anything. I was only trying to keep focused, and the players the same, Benitez said. We knew we were not that bad. We had won six on the trot before this run of Rafas faith pays off as liverpool show new hunger Rafas roar: Benitez urges his side on to victory over united four defeats, and we got 86 points last season. We are not as bad as people were saying. They responded to the messages they had been given. It was simple, keep training the same way, keep working hard and things will change. In football, you can talk a lot but if you do not work hard you will not change anything. Picture:ActionImages By DAviD kenneDy index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html