B.C. election campaign officially starts; Eby campaign bus on road

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Luis Díaz scored two fine goals inside two minutes as Liverpool beat Bournemouth 3-0 to move to the top of the English Premier League on Saturday.

Arne Slot’s side leads Manchester City on goal difference only and the defending champion needs a draw at home to Arsenal in Sunday’s big game to reclaim first place.

On a rare quiet day for teammate Mohamed Salah in front of goal, Díaz scored off both feet to display his own finishing skills at Anfield.

The Colombia forward chased down a long pass from defender Ibrahima Konaté, controlled the ball exquisitely on his waist as he turned, and then glided past goalkeeper Kepa before sliding the ball into the bottom left corner in the 28th minute.

That was with his right foot, and his second goal came off his left in the 30th.

Liverpool broke from midfield and Trent Alexander-Arnold galloped forward before slipping the ball to Díaz inside the left of the penalty area and he clipped it neatly past Kepa.

Darwin Núñez scored a fine third in the 37th. Collecting the ball wide right he looked to cross it, before changing his mind and curling a fine shot in off the left post.

Newcastle misses chance to go top

Victory would have moved Newcastle to the top of the league but it lost at Fulham 3-1 to drop to sixth spot.

Fulham led early through Raúl Jiménez’s shot into the bottom right corner and a howler by goalie Nick Pope gifted Emile Smith Rowe Fulham’s second in the 22nd.

Harvey Barnes pulled one back after halftime but Reiss Nelson sealed victory in stoppage time.

Watkins inspires Villa turnaround

In-form England striker Ollie Watkins came to the rescue as Aston Villa bounced back to beat rock-bottom Wolverhampton 3-1 in a fiery derby match to move into third spot.

An awful pass from Diego Carlos gifted Matheus Cunha the opening goal.

Villa struggled to create anything against a winless team before Watkins levelled in the 73rd with a deflected finish for his fourth goal in three matches.

Ezri Konsa fired in a cross by Youri Tielemans in the 88th and Jhon Duran lived up to his super-sub reputation by netting in stoppage time. It was the fourth time this season the Colombia forward has come off the bench to score.

There was nearly 15 minutes of stoppage time at Villa Park due to a lengthy delay while Colombia defender Yerson Mosquera was treated for an injury before being taken off on a stretcher.

Villa is level on points with City but trails on goal difference, with both two points ahead of Chelsea.

Double delight for Jackson

Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson marked his 50th club appearance with two early goals to inspire his team to a 3-0 win at West Ham.

Jackson added an assist for Cole Palmer against a poor West Ham side which was booed at the end of the match by home fans. New West Ham coach Julen Lopetegui is under pressure after his third loss.

Chelsea’s three league wins have all come away from home.

Chelsea scored in the fourth minute when Jackson played a one-two with Jadon Sancho and surged forward before cutting in from the left and firing between goalie Alphonse Areola’s legs.

Jackson doubled his tally in the 18th after latching onto a Moises Caicedo throughball and drilling into the bottom left corner. He turned provider in the 47th for Palmer, who fired in off the left post.

Tottenham rallies to beat Brentford

Tottenham hit back to beat Brentford 3-1 after Bryan Mbuemo scored in the first minute for the visitors.

Dominic Solanke levelled from close range seven minutes later after James Maddison’s shot was saved.

Brennan Johnson put Spurs 2-1 ahead in the 28th on a pass from captain Son Heung-Min, who set up Maddison’s late goal.

Crossbar twice thwarts United

Manchester United remained midtable after squandering a host of chances in a 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace.

After United winger Alejandro Garnacho had an early effort saved, defenders Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez saw efforts saved by goalie Dean Henderson.

Midway through a frantic first half, Garnacho then hit the crossbar and midfielder Bruno Fernandes did likewise when he followed up.

The result left United in 11th place and Palace in 16th.

Still no win for struggling Saints

Southampton was denied its first win when visiting Ipswich scored in the fifth minute of injury time to draw 1-1.

Saints goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale saved Dara O’Shea’s header but Ipswich captain Sam Morsy scored from the ensuing corner with a fine 20-meter strike.

Veteran midfielder Adam Lallana set up 18-year-old midfielder Tyler Dibling early on for Southampton, which is in 18th place.

Everton again fails to protect lead

Everton leaked again when it drew 1-1 at Leicester, where torrential rain delayed the start of the second half by six minutes.

Everton lost its previous two games despite going 2-0 up.

This time it led 1-0 through Iliman Ndiaye’s 12th-minute goal only for forward Stephy Mavididi to equalize in the 73rd and leave Everton in 19th spot.

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AP soccer:

MONTREAL – A 24-year-old man is facing a weapon-related charge after allegedly entering a Montreal-area mosque on Friday while carrying a knife, leading to an altercation that left three men with minor injuries.

Châteauguay Police spokesman Marc-Olivier Chatelois says the suspect, Younes Abib, is a resident of Châteauguay, a suburb southwest of Montreal.

Chatelois says police do not believe the suspect intended to hurt anyone, adding the knife was in Abib’s belt.

He has been charged with one count of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

Rachid Azmane, an administrator at the Muslim cultural centre in Châteauguay, Que., says the man entered the mosque before prayers and drew the attention of staff, who noticed he was acting “a little bizarre” and became alarmed when they saw he was carrying a knife.

Azmane says the three men who were hurt, all volunteers, sustained their injuries while trying to disarm Abib “as a precaution.”

On Friday police in Châteauguay said the three men were in their 50s and suffered minor injuries, with one taken to hospital for wounds to his hand.

At the time, police did not say whether the knife was used to cause any of the injuries.

The suspect was taken to the police station on Friday afternoon.

Chatelois says the suspect was known by worshippers at the mosque; but Azmane said he had no connection to the mosque itself.

Azmane said the alleged interactions between Abib and the injured men took place in the building’s basement, adding he did not witness what happened himself.

Abib appeared in court Saturday afternoon and will be detained until he returns to court next week.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 21, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

British Columbia’s election campaign is officially underway, New Democrat Leader David Eby told a crowd of cheering supporters on Saturday during a visit to a Metro Vancouver suburb.

Eby’s own re-election bid officially launched on Friday, but Saturday marked the day Lt.-Gov. Janet Austin issued the writ for the vote set to take place on Oct. 19.

Eby spent Saturday morning in Richmond, where supporters lined a local street and packed the room where Eby spoke while sporting the party’s trademark orange hue.

He said the province is facing many tough challenges, including affordable housing, public health care, mental health and addictions and the cost of living. But he pledged to be “laser focused” on tackling them.

“We can’t divide each other,” he said. “The only way we solve these problems is by working together. Here’s my commitment to you, to everybody in this room, to all British Columbians: we won’t rest until the job is done.”

B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad kicked off his party’s campaign in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside at the neighbourhood’s CRAB Park, the sight of a long-standing, high-profile encampment for homeless residents.

He said the location was chosen because it showcased the industrial activity happening at the city port, as well as issues of homelessness and toxic drugs. Rustad spoke from a podium in front of the shoreline, with about 10 tents that remain in the park visible behind him.

“It is a stark contrast between what we’re trying to do for the people of British Columbia and where we hope to see hope for our future,” he said of the scene.

“B.C. is at a crossroads … the question is, are we going to fight for a future, or are we going to continue to manage decline?”

Rustad said his party would lay out the Tory plan over the next 29 days to address issues that he said the NDP have failed to solve, calling Eby’s leadership “weak.”

“There is hope that we can bring change, whether it is getting rid of the carbon tax, whether it’s the investments that we’re going to make in healthcare, whether it is the changes that we need to do to get treatment and recovery in place for people with addictions, or whether it is making sure that we get our economy going,” he said.

Green Leader Sonia Furstenau kicked off her campaign in Victoria. She said her party is committed to “greater collaboration” and “communication” to address issues in the province, adding the other two parties have been “focused on mudslinging” instead of problem solving.

She said the goal should be to solve problems of healthcare, education, social safety, infrastructure and affordable housing.

“We have to address these challenges. They’re all solvable, but we don’t solve them by going to our corners and pointing our fingers at each other and spending all of our time focused on who’s right and who’s wrong,” she said. “It is about working together.”

Furstenau said the party’s full platform would be released in the coming days.

Despite the fact the official election period only launched when the writ was signed, some political leaders got a head start on the campaign trail.

Eby began his campaign early Friday by getting on the party’s bus and heading straight to the Metro Vancouver city of Surrey, which is expected to be a major battleground for the New Democrats and B.C. Conservatives. He and the NDP’s campaign bus are scheduled to make several Lower Mainland stops on the first full day of campaigning, including North Vancouver, Langley, Burnaby and Richmond.

Rustad was scheduled to head to Vancouver Island after his campaign launch at Crab Park.

Furstenau remains in Victoria for what the party said will be its largest canvassing effort to date to connect with voters.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 21, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.