Ten-man Aston Villa held on for a 0-0 draw at home to Sunderland on Sunday as the two teams inched away from the Premier League relegation zone.
Villa extended their unbeaten run against the Black Cats to seven games, but suffered from the absence of joint top scorer Gabriel Agbonlahor, who was serving a one-match suspension for picking up five yellow cards.
Kieran Richardson was also suspended for Paul Lambert’s side, while Joe Cole, Ashley Westwood, Philippe Senderos and Nathan Baker were all out injured.
The home side edged possession and attempts on goal during a scoreless first half, but Villa’s task was complicated three minutes after the restart when Fabian Delph was shown a straight red card for a reckless challenge.
Villa made it nine matches on the trot in which they have conceded one goal or less, while Sunderland extended their unbeaten streak on the road to five games.
Aston Villa climb to 21 points, five above Crystal Palace in the final relegation spot, while Gus Poyet’s men are now on 20 points.
Sunderland poured forward with their numerical advantage and rained 15 shots on target, with Jordi Gomez blasting a shot off the post from just outside the penalty area in the dying moments.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely