12 Jul 2020

Today's sports news: What you need to know

7:29 am on 12 July 2020

Latest - Liverpool's 100 percent Premier League home record has ended as the champions were held to a 1-1 draw by Burnley at Anfield.

Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp.

Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Jay Rodriguez equalised for Burnley in the 69th minute after Andy Robertson had given Liverpool a first-half lead on Sunday (NZ time).

Liverpool, on 93 points, must win their last three games if they are to beat Manchester City's record total of 100 points from two years ago. Burnley are ninth on 50 points.

The last time Liverpool failed to win at Anfield in the league was in January, 2019, when they drew 1-1 with Leicester City.

Meanwhile Norwich City could not add a "third miracle" to their story as a 4-0 thrashing by West Ham United at Carrow Road condemned the Norfolk club to relegation from the Premier League.

Michail Antonio's four-goal salvo sent Norwich into the Championship and they are the first team to be relegated from the Premier League five times. They have 21 points from 35 games, 13 adrift of 17th-placed Watford with three games left.

Norwich, who showed promise early in the campaign when they beat defending champions Manchester City, have lost 24 times this season - more than any other team.

Watford striker Troy Deeney eased his team's relegation fears with two second-half penalties as they beat Newcastle United 2-1.

Deeney blasted his spot kicks straight down the middle in the 52nd and 82nd minutes to give the home side a win which leaves them 17th on 34 points with three games to play, six ahead of third-bottom Bournemouth who have a game in hand.

The game began with a minute's silence to mark the passing of former Newcastle and Ireland manager Jack Charlton, who won the World Cup with England as a player, after he died on Friday aged 85.

- Reuters

No fairytale return for Force

The New South Wales Waratahs ensured the Western Force did not pick up where they left off three years ago as they came back from a 14-point deficit to record a 23-14 victory in Super Rugby AU at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Saturday.

Rob Penney Watatahs coach.

Photo: PHOTOSPORT

The Force were playing their first Super Rugby fixture in three years after controversially being dumped from the competition following the 2017 season.

The Perth-based team's last game in Super Rugby was a 40-11 victory over the Waratahs.

The Waratahs had won just one of their seven games across both Super Rugby and the local competition this season

- Reuters

Cleary calming Panthers hype

Penrith coach Ivan Cleary has moved to dampen the hype after their thumping 56-24 win over Cronulla in the NRL on Saturday night.

The Panthers ran in 10 tries against the Sharks to jump to the top of the competition ladder ahead of Sunday's matches.

Panthers coach Ivan Cleary.

Panthers coach Ivan Cleary. Photo: Photosport

Four of those tries were scored by Charlie Staines, giving the 19-year-old an NRL debut to remember.

But Cleary said there were still things to work on, noting title contenders don't leak 24 points.

Meanwhile the Broncos collected their first win in 113 days, beating the bottom-placed Bulldogs 26-8.

The result snapped Brisbane's six-match losing streak, which stretched back to March 20.

In Canberra, the visiting Storm proved too good on their way to a 20-14 victory.

Adding to the Raiders disappointment, a probably ACL tear for Josh Hodgson meant he was set to be the team's fifth forward to pick up a long-term injury.

First test well balanced

England ended day four with a 170-run lead over West Indies as Zak Crawley and Dom Sibley notched up half-centuries in the second innings of the first test at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton.

England's Ben Stokes hits a shot on day one of the first Test cricket match between England and New Zealand at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on November 21, 2019.

Ben Stokes. Photo: David Gray / AFP

Crawley walked out to the crease with England 113-2 and trailing the visitors by one run, and stitched an important 98-run partnership with captain Ben Stokes.

Stokes struck six boundaries in his 79-ball 46 before being dismissed for the second time in the match by West Indies skipper Jason Holder, slashing a short ball straight to Shai Hope at gully.

Crawley, 22, missed out on his maiden test century as he was dismissed for 76 after his attempted flick off the pads flew straight to Alzarri Joseph, who took a good catch in his follow through.

Shannon Gabriel dismissed Dom Bess and Ollie Pope in quick succession to leave England tottering before Jofra Archer and Mark Wood saw them through to stumps at 284-8.

- Reuters

Hamilton masters Red Bull Ring rain

Six-times Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton lived up to his rain master reputation with an astonishing lap to put his Mercedes on pole position for the first Styrian Grand Prix at Austria's Red Bull Ring.

Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton.

Photo: PHOTOSPORT

In a session that started 46 minutes late after a washed out final practice, the Briton powered through the spray to go top with a time 1.216 seconds quicker than Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

The pole was a record-extending 89th of Hamilton's F1 career.

McLaren's Spaniard Carlos Sainz qualified third, a career best, with Hamilton's team mate Valtteri Bottas - winner of the season-opener from pole at the same circuit last weekend - fourth fastest.

The Finn was 1.4 seconds slower than Hamilton, who will be seeking his 85th Grand Prix win.

- Reuters