It’s hard to believe it was only nine months ago that Liverpool consigned old rivals Manchester United to an embarrassing 3-0 loss at Old Trafford as they embarked on an astonishing 11-game winning run. Fast forward to December 2014 and how the tables have turned. The Reds returned to Old Trafford last night but this time it was the home side coming away with a 3-0 win as Liverpool’s defensive frailties and ongoing inability to find the back of the net again conspired to haunt them.
Even with the loss of star striker Luis Suarez to Barcelona and a near season-long groin injury to Daniel Sturridge, it’s amazing how far Liverpool have fallen as they struggle along in 10th spot on the EPL ladder. Meanwhile, normal service appears to have been restored at the top of the ladder with United’s latest win moving them into third behind fellow giants Chelsea and Manchester City who both enjoyed wins on the weekend.
The New England Patriots have clinched their sixth Consecutive AFC East title after finishing over the top of the Miami Dolphins 41-13 overnight. With every result now playing such a crucial role in each team’s seeding come playoff time, the Patriots are now favored to take top spot in the conference with games against the struggling New York Jets and inconsistent Buffalo Bills to come.
Their performance was the most impressive of any of the top sides, with the Cardinals losing quarterback Drew Stanton to injury in their narrow 12-6 win over the Rams, while the Packers fell to a surprise 21-13 loss to Buffalo and defending SuperBowl champions Seattle scraped through against the 49ers 17-7 on the back of another powerful defensive display.
And La Lakers veteran Kobe Bryant has overtaken the great Michael Jordan on the NBA’s all-time scorers list, moving into third spot while helping the Lakers to a 100-94 win over the Timberwolves. The 36-year-old moved past Jordan’s mark of 32,292 this morning and now trails only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with 38,387 and Karl Malone with 36,928.
