SPORTS

WELBECK SPARES ARSENAL’S BLUSHES
London – Danny Welbeck earned Arsenal a point in a 2-2 Premier League draw at home to Hull on Saturday as the teams met for the first time since last season’s FA Cup final. At Wembley, Hull took a 2-0 lead before being beaten 3-2 in extra-time and this game saw them almost take all three points at the Emirates Stadium. But the Tigers could not hold out on this occasion either, with England forward Welbeck netting his eighth goal for club and country since a £16 million move from Manchester United on transfer deadline day. Injuries had hit the home side hard and there was the added complication of Lukas Podolski, the Germany forward, pulling out because of illness.
ANDY MURRAY BEAT DAVID
Andy Murray came from a set down to beat David Ferrer 5-7 6-2 7-5 in the final of the Vienna Open. The victory means he moves ahead of the Spaniard in the race to qualify for the World Tour Finals. Murray, 27, broke his opponent three times in the final set before holding his nerve to serve out the match and win only his second title of the year. The win means that the Briton leapfrogs Ferrer, 32 and moves up to eighth in the race to London. “It always feels good to win a tournament,” said Murray, following the match that lasted two hours and 42 minutes. “It was an extremely difficult match. Ferrer deserved to win the first set, I deserved the second and the third could have gone either way. But it’s been a great week and I’m very happy.”

LA LIGA: REAL MADRID V BARCELONA. VENUE: BERNABEU STADIUM DATE: SATURDAY, 25
Barcelona manager Luis Enrique has played down the first El Clasico of the season, saying Saturday’s game with Real Madrid will not be “decisive”. Leaders Barca travel to the Spanish capital with a four-point La Liga advantage on their arch-rivals. Barcelona are yet to concede a La Liga goal in 2013-14, while Real have scored 25 in their past five league games. “There are still a lot of games to play and I don’t think the game will be decisive,” said Enrique. Both sides are in Champions League action before next weekend’s eagerly-awaited game at the Bernabeu. Real visit Liverpool on Wednesday, 24 hours after Barcelona host Dutch champions Ajax.