What loss? Smiling Maria Sharapova shows off her slim pins in patterned shorts, days after defeat by Serena Williams

She lost to Serena Williams at the Sony Open in Miami just three days ago.
But Maria Sharapova appears to be getting over her defeat, emerging on Sunday looking in remarkably good spirits.
The 26-year-old Russian-born tennis star showed off her lean legs in a pair of printed orange and blue shorts.

ooking casual but chic, she teamed her shorts with a black blouse, navy blazer, and strappy black sandals, while her hair was worn loose over her shoulders.
Maintaining her trim figure, the pro athlete sipped on a health green juice.

In the semi-finals on Thursday, Maria lost to Serena for the 15th successive time.
'Despite my results against her, I still look forward to playing against her because you learn so much from that type of level which she produces,' Maria told ESPN following the two set game.

'You finish the match, and you know where you need to improve and the things that you need to work on.'

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What a good sport! Maria Sharapova appeared to be quite happy as she left her hotel after losing to Serena Williams at the Sony Open in Miami, Florida

Looking casual but chic, she teamed her shorts with a black blouse, navy blazer, and strappy black sandals, while her hair was worn loose over her shoulders.
Maintaining her trim figure, the pro athlete sipped on a health green juice.

In the semi-finals on Thursday, Maria lost to Serena for the 15th successive time.
'Despite my results against her, I still look forward to playing against her because you learn so much from that type of level which she produces,' Maria told ESPN following the two set game.

'You finish the match, and you know where you need to improve and the things that you need to work on.'

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JAMIE REDKNAPP: If Liverpool can beat Man City and Chelsea to the Premier League title it'll be GREAT for English football

It's the time when people start talking about awards, but there is no question Liverpool should win the double. 
Luis Suarez has been magnificent and Brendan Rodgers is a class act.

They are the player and manager of the year. Liverpool had success under Gerard Houllier and Rafa Benitez, but never played with the same style as Rodgers’ side.

Unstoppable? Luis Suarez slides on his knees after netting one of Liverpool's four goals against Tottenham

Mastermind: Brendan Rodgers has guided his side to the top of the Premier League table

Slip up: Manchester City dropped points at Arsenal on a decent weekend for Liverpool

Woe: John Terry is consoled by Chelsea team-mate Petr Cech after heading into his own net

Last year they were 28 points off the title and now they lead by two. That is an incredible turnaround. Glen Johnson said it would be good for neutrals if Liverpool won the title, but it would be great for English football full stop.
They play such fantastic football with a British manager and Sunday had six Englishmen in their starting XI.
Suarez and Rodgers should win the individual awards, but they will want to make it a magnificent treble with the title.

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Europa League tonight live

Europa League - Round of 16March 21
00:00	Anzhi Makhachkala	? - ?	AZ Alkmaar
01:00	Benfica	? - ?	Tottenham Hotspur
01:00	Fiorentina	? - ?	Juventus
01:00	Valencia	? - ?	PFC Ludogorets Razgrad
01:00	Viktoria Plzen	? - ?	Lyon
03:05	Real Betis	? - ?	Sevilla
03:05	SSC Napoli	? - ?	FC Porto
03:05	Salzburg	? - ?	Basel

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Live Score Champions League

Champions League

FT	Manchester United	3 - 0	Olympiakos
	aggregate score:	(3 - 2)
	half-time:	(2 - 0)
match details :
6'			Konstantinos Manolas
10'	Michael Carrick		Alejandro Dominguez
25'	(pen.)Robin van Persie	1 - 0
45'	Robin van Persie	2 - 0
52'	Robin van Persie	3 - 0
61'	Patrice Evra
62'			Leandro Salino
90'	Rio Ferdinand		Ivan Marcano

FT	Borussia Dortmund	1 - 2	Zenit Petersburg
	aggregate score:	(5 - 4)
	half-time:	(1 - 1)
match details :
16'		0 - 1	Hulk
18'	Robert Lewandowski
23'			Nicolas Lombaerts
38'	Sebastian Kehl	1 - 1
55'	Sebastian Kehl
73'		1 - 2	Jose Salomon Rondon
75'	Milos Jojic

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Man United seek Champions League comeback

Manchester United manager David Moyes will lead his team into battle against Olympiakos in the Champions League on Wednesday potentially needing to make history in order to save his job.

MANCHESTER: Manchester United manager David Moyes will lead his team into battle against Olympiakos in the Champions League on Wednesday potentially needing to make history in order to save his job.

The reigning English champions trail 2-0 to their Greek counterparts following the first leg of the last 16 tie and have never previously overturned a two-goal deficit in the competition's knockout phase.

Sunday's humbling 3-0 loss at home to Liverpool left United 18 points off the pace in the Premier League and 12 points below the top four, and having already exited both domestic cup competitions, Wednesday's game at Old Trafford represents a last opportunity to salvage their season.

British press reports suggest that Moyes may not survive the setback of elimination at the hands of Olympiakos, who have lost on all of their 11 previous visits to England.

The former Everton manager struck a defiant tone in his pre-game press conference, however, declaring that his future "has not changed one bit" and insisting that he still retains the full support of the club's board.

He also cited a 3-0 victory over Barcelona in the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1984 as reason to believe that United are capable of turning the tie around against the newly crowned Greek champions.

"We will try and do that," said Moyes, who succeeded storied former United manager Alex Ferguson at the end of last season.

"It is only twice that Manchester United have done that (overturn a 2-0 deficit in Europe in a home game).

"Nineteen-eighty-four was the recent one, against Barcelona. Robbo (Bryan Robson) I think it was with the two goals.

"It is not something that has happened a lot, but it is something we have to make happen."

Moyes is also aware of the debt that he owes to United's supporters, who continued to vocally back the team until the very end of Sunday's loss to Liverpool.

"The first thing I mentioned to the players was that me, the team, we need to make sure to give them a night to remember," he said.

"We will leave nothing behind on the night hopefully and give everything to get through to the next round."

United offered disconcertingly little resistance in the first-leg loss to Olympiakos in Piraeus on February 25, but defender Patrice Evra says the team are supremely motivated to make amends.

"We have not been in this situation before," he said.

"We were always playing to win the league, win the Champions League, but you have to show your character, your personality.

"We don't want to think about Sunday. It is gone, the past is the past. Now the game tomorrow (Wednesday) is the most important thing."

Moyes reported no fresh injuries after the defeat by Liverpool, but centre-backs Chris Smalling (hamstring) and Jonny Evans (calf) remain unavailable and Spanish midfielder Juan Mata is cup-tied.

Olympiakos's first-leg success unexpectedly proved the catalyst for a downturn in their domestic fortunes, as they slumped to consecutive defeats -- their first of the season -- against Panathinaikos and PAOK.

They returned to winning ways on Saturday, however, beating Panthrakikos 2-0 at the Karaiskakis Stadium to secure a 41st Greek league title -- their fourth in succession.

Manager Michel rested several first-team players with a view to Wednesday's game, but experienced forward Javier Saviola is a doubt after playing only a limited role in Tuesday's eve-of-match training session.

"We know the game lasts 90 minutes, so even if we score, we definitely won't think the game is over," said captain Avraam Papadopoulos, whose team last reached the quarter-finals in 1999.

"We're not stressed, but we understand the importance of the game. It's one of the most important games the team has ever played."

Michel added: "My players aren't scared of anything. Maybe the manager is a bit more scared than them, but as they're playing, I can assure you they won't be scared of anything."

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J-League denies match-fixing

Japan's professional football league has said an internal probe turned up no evidence to support suspicions that a recent match was fixed, as it wrestles with an embarrassing racism scandal.

TOKYO: Japan's professional football league has said an internal probe turned up no evidence to support suspicions that a recent match was fixed, as it wrestles with an embarrassing racism scandal.

The J-League launched an investigation earlier this month after a FIFA unit said it had noticed unusual online betting patterns in a March 8 game between Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Kawasaki Frontale.

Betting on football is legal in Japan. But FIFA's Early Warning System, launched in 2007 to fight corruption in world football, spotted an abnormal rise in bets that Kawasaki would lead the match at half-time, with its rival prevailing by the final whistle.

That turned out to be a profitable bet. Sanfrecce overcame a 1-0 half-time deficit to beat Kawasaki 2-1.

After questioning players, coaches, officials, referees and other people involved in the match, the league said in a statement on its website Tuesday that there was "no trace at all" of match-fixing.

"If wrongdoing is proven, any player involved in it will be expelled (from the league) forever and any club involved in it will not survive," J-League chairman Mitsuru Murai told reporters Tuesday.

"Our technical and referee committees analysed the game by film and found nothing unusual. We even drew a second opinion from overseas."

The claims came at a bad time for the 21-year-old league as it moves to repair its image following the appearance of a racist banner at a home match for the popular Urawa Red Diamonds.

Several Urawa supporters hung a banner that read "Japanese only" in English, at an entrance to stands behind the goal at their home stadium near Tokyo during a match earlier this month.

As a penalty, the J-League ordered Urawa's next home match on Sunday to be played in an empty stadium with no fans in attendance.

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David Moyes bullish amid first hints of Manchester United hierarchy doubt

David Moyes is coming under increasing scrutiny from the Manchester United hierarchy, though the manager insists that his situation remains the same.

When asked about his job security, before Wednesday's Champions League second leg against Olympiakos, Moyes said: "My future has not changed one bit. I have got a great job, I know exactly the direction I want it to go in. It's not been the season we hoped we would have but I have ideas of what I want to do and put in place when the time is right.

"The most important thing now is to get the Olympiakos game played and hopefully get through. If we can it would be a massive lift but we know we have got ourselves in a poor position being 2-0 down. We have got a lot of belief and we have got to try to make it show in the game."

Over the coming week Moyes faces the return leg with the Greek champions at Old Trafford on Wednesday and Saturday's trip to West Ham United before the derby at home to Manchester City the following Tuesday, three games which could prove critical to his hopes of holding on to the job.

The position of the owners, the Glazers, is that Moyes retains their support but a discernible shift in the mood within the higher echelons reflects a desire to see noticeable signs of improvement.

Despite the Glazers having no wish to remove him as manager, Moyes conceded he has not been given any guarantees. "The biggest assurance is that they let me get on with the job. We never discuss it, we talk about the future. We are making big plans for years going forward, this is why it's a six-year contract, this is not a club that works on a short-term vision, it works on a long-term vision."

In a dismal title defence United are 18 points behind Chelsea, and 12 from Manchester City in fourth place, with the 20-times champions seventh. The 3-0 humiliation by Liverpool at Old Trafford was viewed as particularly disappointing due to the manner of the defeat and the concession by Patrice Evra that United are not used to being in such a lowly position will have been noted. "It's been a difficult season for everyone because we are not used to losing games, we always win," the defender said. "It's a difficult moment. It's a new challenge because we have never been in this situation, we are always playing to win the league, to win games, to win the Champions League, it's tough moment and you have to show your character and personality."

Moyes has taken strength from the support of fans at Old Trafford. United have lost five times at home in the league this season – the last time they lost six home games was 36 years ago in the 1977-78 campaign.

Losing the backing of the United hardcore would cause further debate at board level regarding his position but when it was put to Moyes that supporters might not be able to stomach another abysmal display against Olympiakos he was again defiant. "I actually think they have seen some defeats they would not have expected and have stuck with the team throughout. I think they understand the period we're all in together."

Moyes admits that displays like the one against Liverpool cannot be repeated. "When you lose in the fashion we did and obviously to one of our biggest rivals there is always a lot of disappointment," he said.

"We knew it was a big week with Liverpool and Olympiakos but as soon as it was over we were concentrating on this game. We told the players that on Monday morning when we got them back in that the only thing that matters now is this game and our focus now is now on that."

Despite the sense that some players have not bought into his ideas and are not completely committed, Moyes is determined to back them, publicly at least. "I see the players every day, I have the chance to work with them every day, the qualities they show me," he said.

"I think they know they can play better, I don't think any of them are questioning that. I've got a belief in the players. I can see what they can do and hopefully they can show it. I agree they have not showed it as often as we'd like but we will try to make that happen on Wednesday night."

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Ibra fires PSG past St Etienne, Monaco edge Lyon

Paris Saint Germain, fresh from progressing to the Champions League quarter-finals, have capped a profitable week with a 2-0 win over Saint Etienne.

PSG celebrate Zlatan Ibrahimovic's goal. (AFP/THOMAS SAMSON)

 

 

PARIS: Paris Saint Germain, fresh from progressing to the Champions League quarter-finals, capped a profitable week with a 2-0 win over Saint Etienne on Sunday.
The Ligue 1 leaders' closest rivals Monaco had earlier cut the gap to five points after a controversial 3-2 win over Lyon in a game where the referee subsequently admitted to mistakes on all three of Monaco's goals.
But PSG regained their eight-point cushion on Claudio Ranieri's side with superstar striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic putting the game to bed with two first half goals.
This latest stepping stone on what is becoming a relentless march to the French title extended PSG's unbeaten league run to 13 matches.
Coach Laurent Blanc brought back several players rested in midweek for the win against Bayer Leverkusen, including former St Etienne captain Blaise Matuidi.
St Etienne have developed a reputation as a bogey team for the French capital side but not on this occasion.
Ibrahimovic had PSG deservedly in front in the 14th minute, the Swedish striker rolling the ball in although St Etienne rounded on the referee claiming Matuidi had been offside.
The St Etienne goal continued to be the centre of attention as the hosts dominated, with Ibrahimovic doubling up four minutes from the break, prodding home Edinson Cavani's cross from the left having started the sweet move.
St Etienne emerged revitalised after the interval, Benjamin Corgnet thumping the ball into the side netting after Yohan Mollo's effort was blocked, then substitute Melvut Erding forcing PSG keeper Salvatore Sirigu into producing a deft save.
PSG, who lost Yohan Cabaye to injury, the former Newcastle midfielder replaced by Marco Verrati, eventually managed to reassert themselves to hold out for the win and move closer to sealing the championship.
Earlier Monaco saw off Lyon in a contentious game marked by a series of dubious calls from the referee who later conceded all Monaco's goals resulted from off-side situations.
For Lyon this result ended a five-match unbeaten run in the league and the former multiple French champions remain in fifth place.
Lyon, for the third match in a row, conceded a goal in the opening 10 minutes, this time Valere Garmain inflicting the damage after four minutes.
This was the first of referee Freddy Fautrel's mistakes as Garmain was set up by Dimitar Berbatov's back pass, with the Bulgarian striker clearly offside.
James Rodriguez doubled up for Monaco who once again was sent on his way by Berbatov in an off-side position after a cross from the right from Mounir Obbadi.
A dozen minutes after the restart Berbatov, offside when he picked up a cross, scored from close range.
Lyon had pulled one back after the half hour when Miguel Lopes on the right flank found Jimmy Briand, who gave Lyon hope of salvaging a point with 12 minutes left on the clock with his second.
Fautrel held his hands up to a bad day at the office, declaring: "We (he and his assistants) recognise mistakes were made by the refereeing team - three goals were off-side.
"I've got other bad memories of course but tonight is a very bad memory for me and my colleagues."
Lyon coach Remi Garde said: "I'm disappointed that the players weren't rewarded for their enthusiasm and solidarity and courage.
"I'm not going to talk about the referee as I'd risk being banned."
Ranieri commented: "As for the refereeing I think it was very hard today for us and for Lyon. But when a team scores three goals away from home it deserves to win."
Montpellier held Bordeaux to a 1-1 draw in Sunday's other game.

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Seven up for Barca as Messi breaks another record

Four-time World Player of the Year Lionel Messi became Barcelona's all-time leading goalscorer, including friendlies and unofficial matches, with a double against Osasuna on Sunday.

Barcelona's Argentinian forward Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring a goal during his team's demolition of Osasuna. (AFP/Lluis Gene)

MADRID: Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick to become Barcelona's all-time record goalscorer as they cut the gap on La Liga leaders Real Madrid to four points ahead of their meeting next weekend with a 7-0 thrashing of Osasuna.
After a slow start, the hosts were sparked into life by Messi's opening goal as he flicked home at the near post from Alexis Sanchez's cross.
Sanchez was next on the scoresheet as he finished off a similar move involving Andres Iniesta and Jordi Alba before Iniesta's wonderful strike from 25 yards made it 3-0.
Messi then broke another record by registering his 370th Barca goal to overtake Paulinho Alcantara as the club's record marksman before rounding off his hat-trick in between further strikes from Cristian Tello and Pedro Rodriguez.
"To enter into the history of this club is spectacular," Messi told Barca TV.
"If you play in this team it is much easier. This group continues to do great things and I think it deserves to continue winning things."
Next up for Barcelona is a trip to the Santiago Bernabeu next Sunday and Messi is sure they can get themselves back into the title race by ending Madrid's five-month unbeaten run in all competitions.
"I hope we see a good version of Barcelona and we can get a positive result, which we need to still be in there fighting for La Liga just a point behind.
"We have a unique opportunity to cut the gap on Madrid. It will be a very difficult game because we are playing away from home and Real Madrid is a great team playing with a lot of confidence. It will be difficult but it all depends on us."
Amazingly, Barca had to withstand a bright opening from Osasuna as Victor Valdes produced a great save to deny Emiliano Armenteros and Oriol Riera was rightly flagged offside as he put the rebound into the net.
However, the Catalans opened the scoring 10 minutes later when Sanchez was fed by Xavi and Messi got across his man to delicately touch home the Chilean's low cross.
Sanchez should have doubled his side's advantage two minutes later when he chipped over with just Andres Fernandez to beat, but the former Udinese man made amends when he side-footed home after a lovely one-two between Alba and Iniesta opened up the Osasuna defence.
Iniesta then made it 3-0 with just his second goal of the season 11 minutes before half-time with a sweetly struck left-footed effort that flew into the top corner.
Fernandez was forced into fine saves from Dani Alves and Xavi to ensure Barca didn't go in even further ahead at the break.
Osasuna should have got themselves back in the game early in the second-half as Riera and Roberto Torres failed to hit the target when presented with clear sights of goal.
They were soon further behind, though, as Messi slammed home Iniesta's cut-back just after the hour mark to surpass Alcantara's 369 goals in 357 games between 1912 and 1927.
Substitute Tello got his side's fifth goal with virtually his first touch as he whipped the ball into the far corner from just outside the area.
Messi fittingly sealed his hat-trick as he received Dani Alves' pass before easily side-footing in from close range for his 31st goal of the season.
And Messi then teed up Pedro to make it 7-0 in stoppage time with a neat low finish past Fernandez.

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Rosicky sinks Spurs to boost Arsenal title bid

Tomas Rosicky fired Arsenal back into the Premier League title race with a quick-fire strike that clinched a 1-0 win over north London rivals Tottenham.

Arsenal's Tomas Rosicky (2ndL) celebrates after scoring a superb strike in the 2nd minute to help his side clinch bragging rights in the North London derby. (AFP/Carl Court)

LONDON: Tomas Rosicky fired Arsenal back into the Premier League title race as the Czech midfielder's quick-fire strike clinched a crucial 1-0 win over north London rivals Tottenham on Sunday.
Arsene Wenger's side began the weekend seven points behind Chelsea, but they moved to within four points of the leaders -- with a game in hand -- thanks to Rosicky's winner after just 72 seconds.
The Czech midfielder's goal, and the gritty defensive display that followed it, secured Arsenal's first league win at White Hart Lane since 2007 in Wenger's 999th match in charge.
The third placed Gunners feared their title challenge was fading after a defeat at Stoke, but they are firmly back in the race and a titanic encounter against Jose Mourinho's Chelsea side looms at Stamford Bridge next weekend.
"It's a huge result because we were under pressure to win before the game," Wenger said.
"Tottenham played well and sometimes we were under pressure, so we needed some special resilience to get away with it. It's three massive points."
Tottenham's third successive defeat was harsh on Tim Sherwood's fifth placed team, who look to have blown their chances of qualifying for the Champions League via a top-four finish.
"First and foremost, I wanted the performance. We got that but we didn't get the result," Sherwood said.
"The fans won't be happy with that but anyone who has seen that performance will know we didn't deserve to lose."
Arsenal had already defeated their hated neighbours twice this season and they were quickly back in the ascendancy thanks to a virtuoso contribution from the man nicknamed 'the little Mozart'.
Rosicky was only playing because of an injury to the club's record signing Mesut Ozil, but he took less than two minutes to make a more decisive contribution than the German has managed for months.
Rosicky seized possession near the halfway line after a Tottenham attack broke down and surged forward with real intent.
Tottenham were caught short-handed at the back and the Czech picked out Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the edge of the penalty area.
Oxlade-Chamberlain couldn't control the ball, but it rolled fortuitously back to Rosicky and, although the angle didn't suggest the shot was on, he unleashed a ferocious half-volley that flashed into the top corner past the stunned Hugo Lloris.
It was just Rosicky's third club goal of the season, but Spurs will be sick of the sight of the 33-year-old, who also scored against them in the FA Cup third round.
Rosicky was pulling the strings and he produced a perfectly-weighted pass to put Oxlade-Chamberlain clean through on goal, but the midfielder chipped woefully wide with just Lloris to beat.
Tottenham threatened for the first time when Andros Townsend whipped over a teasing cross that just eluded Emmanuel Adebayor.
That provided a much-needed jolt of adrenaline for the hosts, who had made a lethargic start in unseasonably warm temperatures.
The mercury rose even higher when Arsenal right-back Bacary Sagna escaped with only a booking from referee Mike Dean after clattering Danny Rose with a crude lunge.
Tottenham should have been level just after half-time when Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny made a hash of a routine cross.
Szczesny tried to catch the ball one-handed but instead fumbled it to Nacer Chadli, yet Arsenal escaped as the Belgian winger shot tamely at Laurent Koscielny with the goal at his mercy.
Sherwood questioned his players' character after their thrashing at Chelsea last weekend, but he could have no complaints here.
Spurs were the dominant force and they went close twice in quick succession.
First Chadli flicked wide from Townsend's low delivery, then Adebayor rose highest to meet Nabil Bentaleb's cross but couldn't hit the target with his header.
Sherwood, involved in a row with Benfica boss Jorge Jesus in midweek, has cut a manic figure on the touchline as results have gone against him and he let his emotions get the better of him again when he threw the ball at Sagna in the closing stages.
The hosts kept pressing for an equaliser, but Arsenal, superbly marshalled by Koscielny, threw enough bodies in the way to repel the assault.

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Football: Dortmund shocked at home by 10-man Gladbach

Borussia Dortmund stay second in the Bundesliga despite slumping to a 2-1 defeat at home to ten-man Borussia Moenchengladbach.

Wolfsburg's midfielder Luiz Gustavo celebrates scoring during a German first division Bundesliga football match against Eintracht Braunschweig in Braunschweig, Germany, March 15, 2014. (AFP/Peter Steffen)

BERLIN: Borussia Dortmund stay second in the Bundesliga despite slumping to a 2-1 defeat at home to ten-man Borussia Moenchengladbach on Saturday.
The result means runaway leaders Bayern Munich hosting fourth-placed Bayer Leverkusen at the Allianz Arena later, the European champions can extend their lead to 23 points with a 16th-straight league win.
Leverkusen are the last German team to win against Bayern - who are unbeaten in all of their 49 matches since - dating back to October 28, 2012.
Behind the scenes, Bayern have endured arguably the most turbulent week in the club's history after Uli Hoeness was convicted of major tax fraud on Thursday and resigned as club president 24 hours later.
If Bayern go 23 points clear, they could be confirmed Bundesliga champions next Saturday, if they pick up another three points and their rivals lose, to go 26 points clear with eight games left to play.
Gladbach earned their first win in ten games to dent Dortmund's confidence ahead of Wednesday's Champions League last 16 clash at home to Zenit St Petersburg when they hold a 4-2 lead from the first leg.
"That is a bitter result for us, so the disappointment is huge," said Dortmund captain Sebastian Kehl.
Dortmund are now just one point clear of third-placed rivals Schalke ahead of the Ruhr Valley derby on March 25.
"We could have a cushion behind us, now things are tight," admitted Dortmund midfielder Nuri Sahin.
Swiss coach Lucien Favre extended his Gladbach contract last week until 2017 and his side produced a devastating nine-minute first-half spell at Dortmund's Westfalenstadion.
"Don't worry, you'll still finish second in the league," Favre told Klopp after the final whistle.
Gladbach took the lead when a scuffed shot from Brazilian striker Raffael wrong-footed Dortmundgoalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller on 31 minutes after Patrick Herrmann got the better of Borussia defender Mats Hummels to fire in a cross.
The hosts doubled their lead five minutes before the break when Herrmann found Juan Arango and the Venezuelan put in a great final pass for Germany squad striker Max Kruse to fire home five minutes before the break.
Gladbach midfielder Havard Nordtveit was sent off for a second yellow card for the final 20 minutes and new-signing Milos Jojic pulled one back for Dortmund on 77 minutes.
Mainz moved up to fifth with a sensational 4-2 victory at Hoffenheim with Japan's Shinji Okazaki netting their last two goals as the guests scored three times in seven stunning second-half minutes to come from 2-0 down.
The win keeps Thomas Tuchel's Mainz in the hunt for a European spot next season and are only three points short of a Champions League berth.
Relegation-threatened VfB Stuttgart, with new coach Huub Stevens in charge, are winless in their last 10 matches as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Werder Bremen.
Stuttgart's Martin Harnik hammered a first-half penalty attempt off the post just before the break against his old club, but defender Georg Niedermeier gave the guests a 55th-minute lead.
Bremen's Germany midfielder Aaron Hunt fired home a direct free-kick on 79 minutes to share a point.
Wolfsburg drop to sixth after their 1-1 draw at bottom side Eintracht Braunschweig as only three points separate the bottom four clubs including Freiburg, Hamburg and Stuttgart.
Hertha's European aspirations suffered a dent as they lost 2-0 at home to Hanover 96 to stay ninth and four points off the top six.
On Friday, Schalke 04 moved up to third - an automatic Champions League spot - with a 2-1 win at Augsburg as Dutch striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scored twice.
Having scored a hat-trick in last Saturday's 4-0 rout of Hoffenheim, Huntelaar took his tally to six goals in his last four games.
The victory is a welcome boost for the Royal Blues ahead of Tuesday's trip to Real Madrid where they face the near-impossible task of over-turning their 6-1 home leg defeat.

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Football: Sunderland frustrated by Palace stalemate

Sunderland missed a chance to improve their Premier League survival prospects after being held to a 0-0 draw by fellow strugglers Crystal Palace.

Sunderland's midfielder Liam Bridcutt during the EPL match between Sunderland and Crystal Palace in Sunderland, northeast England, March 15, 2014. (AFP/Ian Macnicol)

SUNDERLAND, United Kingdom: Sunderland missed a chance to improve their Premier League survival prospects after being held to a 0-0 draw by fellow strugglers Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Gus Poyet's team were unable to turn their possession into goals in a tense clash at the Stadium of Light and they remain in the relegation zone, sitting three points adrift of safety following their third consecutive league match without a win.
Palace dropped to one place above the bottom three after their fourth successive game without a win.
With Sunderland desperate for a victory against one of their main rivals in the fight to beat the drop, Poyet made seven changes to the team beaten by Hull in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
Oscar Ustari, Santiago Vergini, Andrea Dossena, Lee Cattermole, Jack Colback, Emanuele Giaccherini and Ignacio Scocco were axed as Vito Mannone, Wes Brown, Marcos Alonso, Liam Bridcutt, Ki Sung-Yueng, Adam Johnson and Fabio Borini returned.
Sunderland were quickly into their stride, with former Manchester City star Johnson at the heart of their best moments.
Johnson was a real menace to Palace left-back Joel Ward, who earned an early booking after chopping down the elusive winger.
The fierce wind whipping around the Stadium of Light made two already anxious teams even more hesitant in possession and there were few real chances in a scrappy first half.
Poyet's men were having the better of it but poor execution let them down on the rare occasions they had a sight of goal.
Steven Fletcher was unable to convert a miscued shot from Borini, while South Korea midfielder Ki blazed well wide from long-range.
Poyet sent on Jozy Altidore for Fletcher at half-time and the American striker came close to breaking the deadlock with a dipping shot that forced Julian Speroni to make a fine save.
Yannick Bolasie fired straight at Sunderland goalkeeper Mannone when Palace finally got through the Black Cats' defence after good work from Tom Ince.
Borini was denied by the woodwork when his powerful strike beat Speroni but cannoned back off the angle of bar and post.
And Palace fared no better when South African midfielder Kagisho Dikgacoi dragged his shot wide from a good position inside the Sunderland penalty area.

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Football: City trim Chelsea's lead, Fulham bite back

Manchester City survived the 10th-minute dismissal of captain Vincent Kompany to win 2-0 at Hull City and reduce Chelsea's lead in the Premier League to six points.

Manchester City's midfielder David Silva (R) shoots to score against Hull City in Hull, northeast England, March 15, 2014. (AFP/Lindesy Parnaby)

LONDON: Manchester City survived the 10th-minute dismissal of captain Vincent Kompany to win 2-0 at Hull City on Saturday and reduce Chelsea's lead in the Premier League to six points.
Kompany saw red for a last-man foul on Nikica Jelavic, but David Silva put City ahead with a glorious curling effort just four minutes later and Edin Dzeko made sure of victory at the death.
It was City's first league match for three weeks and they still have two games in hand on Chelsea, although the leaders can reassert their nine-point advantage with victory at Aston Villa later on Saturday.
City's success at the KC Stadium also saw them climb to second place above Liverpool, who visit Manchester United on Sunday, and Arsenal, who travel to Tottenham Hotspur later the same day.
"We needed to win today and playing with one player less for 80 minutes is very difficult, but I think we did a very good performance," said City manager Manuel Pellegrini, who saw his side eliminated from both the FA Cup and the Champions League earlier this week.
"We defended well with and without the ball, but we also attacked a lot. It was a very professional response from the players."
City were missing top scorer Sergio Aguero due to injury and they received a further setback in the 10th minute when Kompany was given his marching orders.
Jelavic appeared to foul Kompany as they jostled for possession, but play was allowed to continue and when the City captain hauled the Croatian down, referee Lee Mason immediately brandished the red card.
Kompany kicked out at a door in frustration as he stalked down the tunnel, but City reacted in stirring fashion, with Silva gathering a pass from Yaya Toure and arcing a beautiful shot inside the left-hand post from 25 yards.
Visiting right-back Pablo Zabaleta then saw a tremendous volley hit the bar and bounce on the goal-line, but Hull finished the first half strongly.
Jelavic had earlier put a volley wide from an Ahmed Elmohamady cross and after David Meyler had seen a goal ruled out for offside, Jake Livermore drilled a shot just off-target from long range.
Joe Hart saved from Shane Long, twice, and Jelavic early in the second period, while substitute George Boyd had a penalty appeal turned down after tumbling over a challenge by the City goalkeeper.
Fernandinho spurned a gilt-edged chance to double City's lead when he scuffed wide from only 10 yards, but Hart saved from Boyd and Jelavic to preserve the visitors' advantage.
Hull goalkeeper Allan McGregor prevented Dzeko from putting the game to bed in the closing stages, but the Bosnian atoned in the last minute by sweeping home from Silva's incisive pass.
Kompany expressed his pride - and perhaps relief - via Twitter, writing: "Proud of the guys! Phenomenal shift they have put in again!"
Meanwhile, bottom club Fulham gave their chances of avoiding relegation a boost with a 1-0 win at home to Newcastle United that kept them four points from safety.
Ashkan Dejagah's swerving 68th-minute shot crept beneath visiting goalkeeper Tim Krul to consign Newcastle to defeat on the day manager Alan Pardew began a seven-game ban for headbutting Hull midfielder Meyler.
West Bromwich Albion manager Pepe Mel tasted victory for the first time as an 85th-minute Youssouf Mulumbu goal saw his side complete a 2-1 comeback win at Swansea City that sent them three points clear of the drop zone.
Sunderland remain in the bottom three after a 0-0 draw at home to Crystal Palace, but they moved above Cardiff City, who fell to an injury-time Seamus Coleman strike in a cruel 2-1 defeat at Everton.
Goals from Morgan Schneiderlin, Rickie Lambert, Jay Rodriguez and Sam Gallagher saw Southampton beat Norwich City 4-2, while Peter Odemwingie scored twice as Stoke City sank West Ham United 3-1 at the Britannia Stadium.

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Horikawa wins Faldo Series

Mikumu Horikawa of Japan raced to victory in the eighth Faldo Series Asia Grand Final at Mission Hills Golf Club in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen yesterday, pushing overnight leader Paul Kinnear of England into second place.
The 21-year-old from Kanagawa fired a superb final round of 68 on the Sir Nick Faldo-designed course to win by three shots and follow in the footsteps of compatriot Masamichi Ito, who won the title in 2010 and 2012.
“The time is now for the Faldo Series. Mikumu [Horikawa]’s come-from-behind victory caps an amazing week which has seen us crown champions from around the world,” Sir Nick Faldo said in a statement made available to the Post.
“‘Today’s winners will travel later this year to the United States where they will be vying to emulate the success of Korean-American Megan Khang, who became our first girl champion at The Greenbrier last October. It’s an international story and I’m proud of that,” added the six-time Major winner.
On receiving his trophy from Faldo, Horikawa said: “This victory means so much to me as it was my third final and last chance to win the Faldo Series. I picked up a putting tip from Sir Nick yesterday which really made a difference to my game today.” Horikawa opened with three birdies in his first four holes to stun the overnight leader. He went on to reach nine-under par and finish three ahead of Kinnear, who closed with a 73 to finish second.
Pauline del Rosario held off a strong challenge from fellow Filipino Princess Mary Superal to win the Girls’ division. The 15-year-old qualifies for the 2014 Faldo Series Grand Final along with Horikawa, Boys’ U18 winner Marc Ong of Singapore and Girls’ U21 winner Wang Mei-Xing from China.
Bai Zheng-Kai from Guangdong made it a double success for China by winning the Boys U16 division. The 16-year-old also claimed the Mission Hills Trophy as the highest-placed finisher from mainland China.
As many as 81 golfers from 19 countries joined Sir Nick Faldo at Mission Hills in Shenzhen for the eighth Asia Grand Final. Competitors aged 12 to 21 played over three rounds on the Faldo course for the World Amateur Golf Ranking event. Off the course, they spent time with the maestro, his personal coach Keith Wood and other experts.

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