WEST BROMWICH // Two goals from Nicolas Anelka helped Chelsea beat West Bromwich Albion 3-0 in the Premier League on Saturday to claim a league-record 10th consecutive away win. Chelsea defied the cold and rain to better their previous record set in the 2004-05 season on nine consecutive away wins and rebounded from their embarrassing League Cup exit in midweek to Championship side Burnley. Chelsea stayed at the top of the league, leading Liverpool on goal difference with both clubs on 32 points after 13 matches. West Brom remain bottom with 11 points.
"Our away record has been fantastic," the Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel said. "We have been playing very well away from home, creating chances and scoring lots of goals." The West Brom goalkeeper Scott Carson was at fault for the opening goal in the 34th minute after being beaten at his near post by a speculative left-foot strike from the Portugal defender Jose Bosingwa from 20 yards out. It appeared to surprise Carson, who could only help the ball into the net.
The French striker Anelka doubled Chelsea's lead four minutes later when he ran on to Florent Malouda's header down the left wing and finished with a deft chip over Carson from close range. The contest was as good as over seconds before half-time when Anelka slotted home his league-leading 12th goal of the season. After a neat exchange of passes, Salomon Kalou broke through the middle and supplied Anelka on the left and his side-footed, first-time shot beat Carson at his near post. "We kept them at bay but their first goal was huge," the West Brom manager Tony Mowbray said. "To ship three goals before half-time was disappointing. Once the big teams score, they are able to relax and play at their own tempo. The result was no disgrace for us."
After a poor start to the season, Anelka now has eight goals in his last four games and is keeping Didier Drogba on the sidelines with his impressive form. "When you receive the ball one or two times, 10 times, and you don't score, some players in the team lose confidence in him," the Chelsea manager Felipe Scolari said of his in-form finisher. "But when he receives the ball one or two times and scores, players try to give more chances to Anelka for him to score more."
*AP
The five new places of worship
Church of South Indian Parish
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Church of the Virgin Mary and St Paul the Apostle, Ruwais
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2019 Asian Cup final
Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
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The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
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Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
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Producer: Excel Entertainment & Tiger Baby
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi
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31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
Saudi National Day
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Florida: The critical Sunshine State
Though mostly conservative, Florida is usually always “close” in presidential elections. In most elections, the candidate that wins the Sunshine State almost always wins the election, as evidenced in 2016 when Trump took Florida, a state which has not had a democratic governor since 1991.
Joe Biden’s campaign has spent $100 million there to turn things around, understandable given the state’s crucial 29 electoral votes.
In 2016, Mr Trump’s democratic rival Hillary Clinton paid frequent visits to Florida though analysts concluded that she failed to appeal towards middle-class voters, whom Barack Obama won over in the previous election.
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Guillermo Vilas - 659
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Thomas Muster - 422
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Eddie Dibbs - 370
Ilie Nastase - 338
Carlos Moya - 337
Ivan Lendl - 329
Andres Gomez - 322
Indoor Cricket World Cup Dubai 2017
Venue Insportz, Dubai; Admission Free
Day 1 fixtures (Saturday)
Men 1.45pm, Malaysia v Australia (Court 1); Singapore v India (Court 2); UAE v New Zealand (Court 3); South Africa v Sri Lanka (Court 4)
Women Noon, New Zealand v South Africa (Court 3); England v UAE (Court 4); 5.15pm, Australia v UAE (Court 3); England v New Zealand (Court 4)
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The UN-brokered ceasefire deal for Hodeidah will be implemented in two stages, with the first to be completed before the New Year begins, according to the Arab Coalition supporting the Yemeni government.
By midnight on December 31, the Houthi rebels will have to withdraw from the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Issa and Al Saqef, coalition officials told The National.
The second stage will be the complete withdrawal of all pro-government forces and rebels from Hodeidah city, to be completed by midnight on January 7.
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The agreement also calls the deployment of UN-supervised neutral forces in the city and the establishment of humanitarian corridors to ensure distribution of aid across the country.
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
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116 pitches
76 nations
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Brief scores:
Everton 0
Leicester City 1
Vardy 58'
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Bohemian Rhapsody
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- Open your curtains when it’s sunny
- Keep your oven open after cooking
- Have a cuddle with pets and loved ones to help stay cosy
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- Avoid alcohol
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