MANCHESTER, England -- Luis Suarez returned to the Premier League in explosive fashion on Sunday, teaming up with strike partner Daniel Sturridge to propel Liverpool to a 3-1 win at Sunderland that inflicted more misery on the divisions managerless bottom team. Wholesale USA Soccer Jerseys . Liverpool climbed to second place in the standings, two points behind Arsenal, after Suarez added to Sturridges contentious opening goal that came off his arm by scoring twice at the Stadium of Light. After serving a 10-match ban for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic during a league match in April, Suarez made his comeback in a frustrating League Cup loss to Manchester United on Wednesday. He found the cutting edge against Sunderland, though, to help Liverpool earn a fourth win in six games and provide another demonstration of his burgeoning partnership with Sturridge that was cut short by Suarezs act of folly five months ago. "Hes getting the reward for his hard work over the period that he was off," Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said of Suarez. "Him and Daniel up front are a real, real handful. They combined very well." Norwich beat Stoke 1-0 in Sundays other match, with Jonny Howson scoring the winner from long range in the 34th minute to secure his teams second victory of the season. Suarez couldnt have asked for more compliant opposition in his comeback match in the Premier League, with Sunderland having now lost five of its six games and being stranded at the foot of the table on just one point. Interim manager Kevin Ball, who is in charge following the firing of Paolo Di Canio last weekend, was unable to shore up the leagues leakiest defence in the face of one of the leading strike partnerships in English football. Sturridge climbed to the top of the scoring charts with his fifth goal of the campaign, inadvertently bundling the ball in with his upper arm after misjudging the flight of Steven Gerrards corner in the 28th minute. Sturridge then turned provider, cutting in from the right and crossing for Suarez to poke in at the far post in the 36th. After Emanuele Giaccherini had halved the deficit in the 52nd, the same combination struck for Liverpool again to seal victory in the 89th, Sturridge making inroads down the left flank this time and crossing for Suarez to hook home a left-footed finish. "Its great to have him back in, he gives us options and hes one of the best forwards in the league," Sturridge said of Suarez. "We form a good partnership." Liverpool went above third-place Tottenham on goals scored and is now six points above arch-rival Man United, which sits in 12th place after losing 2-1 to West Bromwich Albion on Saturday. United is level on seven points with Stoke and Norwich, who served up poor fare at Britannia Stadium except for Howsons brilliant effort that separated the sides. "It was a disappointing performance and we were poor," said Stoke manager Mark Hughes, whose team outplayed Man City in its last home game. "We never got any pace or power into our game, which is unlike us." USA Soccer Jerseys 2020 . Kelli Stack and Alex Carpenter also scored for the Americans, who avoided a repeat of Finlands upset at the Four Nations Cup in Lake Placid, N.Y., in November. Finnish goalie Noora Raty made 58 saves in that one, but the three-time Olympian could stop just 40 of 43 U. Russell Canouse Jersey . "Its amazing to do this coming from such a small island, where tennis isnt necessarily recognized as one of the main sports," Puig said. "Im just happy Im able to be here playing tennis not only for myself, but for my country too.LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Kobe Bryant isnt happy about spending Christmas Day on the sideline, unable to help the struggling Los Angeles Lakers. Its a place hes unaccustomed to being on the holiday. Bryant leads the NBA with a record 15 appearances on Christmas Day, but hes out an expected four to six weeks with a fracture in his left knee. "Its strange to be coming in on Christmas and not playing," he said before the Lakers hosted the streaking Miami Heat on Wednesday. "Its a foreign feeling, but Im here to support my guys." LeBron James and Co. has won five in a row; the Lakers have dropped two straight. "We need you tonight," Lakers guard Nick Young told the crowd before tipoff. Bryants injury was diagnosed last week, his second major one of the season. He didnt play his first game until Dec. 8 after nearly eight months away while recovering from a torn Achilles tendon. Then he got hurt again Dec. 17 at Memphis while playing his fourth game in five nights. "I was fortunate that it was not a meniscus," he said. Initially, Bryant didnt think he was seriously hurt against Memphis. He went down late in the third quarter, but returned to finish out the victory in which he logged a season-high 21 points in 32 minutes. "I didnt know it was fractured," he said. "I was expecting a bone bruise more than anything else. I thought (the doctor) was joking when he told me." Bryant has been limited to riding a bike; he isnt supposed to put any pressure on hiis knee. Antonee Robinson Jersey. "Its just been slow in terms of laying off it and letting it heal," he said. "When you dont have activity, you got to watch the other parts like nutrition." Typical of Bryants attention to detail, he said hes been reading critical comments that suggest he wont return this season. "Its the same old tune, just being sung a little more loudly now," he said. "These type of things just help me lock in more." Asked if theres any chance he wont be back, Bryant replied, "Not that Im aware of." Los Angeles signed the 35-year-old guard to a two-year, $48.5 million contract extension in November. James, along with other NBA players, tweeted out well wishes to Bryant, although the two superstars havent talked. "Especially games like today, you want to have the best guys out there," James said. After the Achilles injury, Bryant expressed rare self-doubt. He hasnt felt any this time. "The knee is not really a concern to me," he said. "The biggest question was would the Achilles respond to my game. It felt fine. It was strong." Bryant was looking forward to playing against the defending NBA champions as a way to see where he was physically with his Achilles. "This was a really big measuring stick," he said. Instead, he sat at the end of the bench wearing a black suit and print T-shirt. "My spirits are fine," he said. "I feel more locked in now than my entire career." ' ' '
RSS Feed
RSS Feed