Justin Grimm

[jinshuiqian0713]

Manchester United earned the three points with an easy 4-1 win over Leicester City at Old Trafford on Saturday.A first-half meltdown from Leicester saw the game effectively ended when Jose Mourinhos side went into the break with a four-goal advantage. The game was well contested for the first 20 minutes, but Uniteds incision proved the difference. While Leicester struggled to pull the trigger, United went close with Paul Pogbas long-range attempt and Zlatan Ibrahimovics ambitious volley.It was skipper Chris Smalling who opened Uniteds account, though, heading home from Daley Blinds cross after 22 minutes. Juan Mata, Marcus Rashford and Pogba -- who netted for the first time since returning to Old Trafford -- all scored in a chaotic 10-minute climax to the first period.It was surely justification for Mourinho, who demoted Wayne Rooney to the bench after saying Friday that the striker had not been the same player since he was criticized for his display for England against Slovakia in early September.The second half looked to be a case of damage limitation for Leicester, with Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez withdrawn at the intermission. But Demarai Grays beautiful strike into the top corner gave them a consolation.Leicester certainly looked much improved in the second half, and had Andy King pulled a second goal back when he was left unmarked in the area, things may have turned sour for the hosts.This was just the performance United needed following a string of defeats. For Leicester, questions may be asked about whether they can perform well enough across all competitions, but their performance after the interval redeemed them somewhat. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! . - After leading the Saints to a fourth playoff appearance in five seasons, Drew Brees expressed confidence in the direction of his team and, perhaps more importantly, showed a willingness to listen to contract proposals if the team needs his help getting under the NFLs salary cap. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! . With their top three point guards and Kobe Bryant all sidelined by injury, the Lakers signed Marshall out of the D-League on Friday before their home game against Minnesota. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! .  Breaking three of his own world records on his way to winning in Paris, Chan silenced the critics and left the audiences standing in appreciation and awe. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! . McPhee said that Ovechkins father Mikhail is in stable condition after having the surgery this week and is no longer in intensive care. "Weve told him to stay as long as necessary with your dad," he said. Ovechkin and his Russian national team were eliminated from the mens hockey tournament in Sochi on Wednesday with a 3-1 quarter-final loss to Finland. Зарегистрируйтесь, чтобы увидеть ссылку! . It might not have mattered. While the Dodgers are preparing for the playoffs, the Padres showed their future has promise behind two rookies. ARLINGTON, Texas -- The slumping Texas Rangers a couple of boosts for their starting rotation. Yu Darvish returned from a 15-day break by allowing only two singles over 6 1-3 scoreless innings and Texas beat the New York Yankees 3-0 Monday night. "You could see he was fresh," manager Ron Washington said. "He was certainly sharp. Sharper than I thought he would be." Also, the Rangers announced right before the game that they had acquired right-hander Matt Garza from the Chicago Cubs. "Last few years when we get pitchers like him we go to the World Series," said Nelson Cruz, who homered. "So thats good news." Darvish (9-4), who last pitched July 6 before going on the disabled list with a right trapezius strain, struck out four and walked two. He left after allowing consecutive batters to reach in the seventh, having thrown 60 of 90 pitches for strikes. The Yankees could have to face the newest Texas ace before they leave town. Garza, pulled from his scheduled start for the Cubs at Arizona on Monday night, is likely to make his Texas debut on Wednesday night. "Youve got to commend (general manager) Jon Daniels and the group the way it worked to try to put this together, and they got us what we needed," Washington said. "We got a tremendous starting pitcher." The Rangers had lost seven of eight games, getting swept at home in a three-game series by Baltimore over the weekend after the All-Star break. Milwaukees Ryan Braun, the 2011 National League MVP, was suspended without pay for the rest of the season and the post-season Monday, the start of sanctions involving players reportedly tied to a Florida clinic accused of distributing performance-enhancing drugs. Cruz is among more than a dozen other players also targeted by MLB for having connections to the now-closed anti-aging clinic in Miami. "I guess it is what it is. I dont have any comment," Cruz said when asked about Braun. Cruz also said hes "playing the same way. Were playing to win. Were in the race so I come to the ballpark thinking about winning. So thats my goal." Three relievers wrapped up the three-hitter that was the eighth shutout of the season for the Rangers. All-Star closer Joe Nathan pitched the ninth for his 31st save in 32 chances Texas had reliever Robbie Ross warming up while batting in the sixth. But Darvish came out to start the seventh, and appeared surprised when Washington came out of the dugout to make the pitching change. "He was a little bit earlier than I thought, but I had about 15 dayss with a break and I think Wash was thinking about my body and how I felt, so I really appreciated what hes done," Darvish said through an interpreter.dddddddddddd New York didnt have a hit until Lyle Overbay led off the fifth with a bloop single into short left field that was out of the reach of third baseman Adrian Beltre. The Yankees didnt have another hit until Overbay lined a single to right in the seventh, just before Vernon Wells walked and Darvish came out of the game. "It seemed like he located really well," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "His fastball, our guys were talking about it, he was giving us first-pitch fastball, but it was all on the corner or down in the zone, he wasnt giving them a whole lot to swing at." Ross got Travis Hafner, the only batter he faced, to ground into an inning-ending double play. Tanner Scheppers worked a perfect eighth. Ivan Nova (4-3) struck out four while throwing a season-high 112 pitches over seven innings. The Yankees, coming off an 11-inning loss late Sunday night at Boston, were held scoreless for the eighth time. "Its something we have to deal with, so we got to find a way to do that," Overbay said. "Tonight, I dont know if any of those had an effect on us. It was more Darvish was on his game." Cruzs 23rd homer was a 412-foot solo shot in the seventh that landed in the Yankees bullpen in left-centre field and made it 3-0. The Rangers led for good after Ian Kinsler drew a leadoff walk in the first, stole second base and scored on Beltres single -- the first run theyve scored in the first inning in 11 games. In the sixth, Elvis Andrus had a walk and a stolen base before Geovany Soto doubled. NOTES: Darvish only missed one start for Texas, but was unable to pitch in the All-Star game even though he did go to New York last week. ... Texas sent rookie right-hander Justin Grimm, top prospect third baseman Mike Olt and Class-A pitcher C.J. Edwards to the Cubs. There will also be at least one player to be named later, possibly two, depending on who is chosen by Chicago. ... The Rangers bullpen has pitched 22 1-3 consecutive scoreless innings. ... Yankees OF Curtis Granderson, expected back early next month from a broken pinkie, got three at-bats in his first simulated game in Tampa and continued running the bases. Granderson said he feels like its "at the spring training point again" where preseason games are just a few days away. His status will be evaluated after simulated games Tuesday and Wednesday. ' ' '