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V I A S T N E Z
EVENT SNOWDRI FT1 Constant area for one to circulate
in prison (4)
3 The clan is excited about daughter
of the northern isles (10)
9 Passage was published, second one
to appear in Times? (7)
11 India invested in factory working
to get quantity of money? (7)
12 Conference item to be delivered
with speed? This should fix your
notes (5-4)
13 Aquatic mammal showing
excessive energy beside river (5)
14 Street right through area of land
— unknown quantity — it may
never be restored (4,8)
18 Oversight from treating things as a
lark for example? (5-3,4)
21 Depression, after initially fading, is
difficult (5)
22 Job assessment? Shock to receive
extra pay cut (9)
24 Most of confirmation about volume
is stipulation (7)
25 Keen political faction suppressing
misfortune (7)
26 Brutally treated after backsliding, a
politician offering insults (10)
27 Unfunded, missing new part of
comedy show (4)1 Project a gentle touch within
religious group (8)
2 Upright piano in part of India
misplaced (8)
4 Mostly very good about limitations
of the accommodation (5)
5 Watch report of herb superior to
rest? (9)
6 Observer overlooked what another
type of paper would catch?
(1,3,2,3,4)
7 International in time becomes
choice (6)
8 Stop using campaign item about
Republican rumour (6)
10 Being unappreciative about holiday
illumination (5,8)
15 Distinguished fellow initially
obtained two degrees? Not seen
around university (3,3,3)
16 Cosmetic comments that are
impertinent don’t go away (8)
17 Drunk comes round not quite
roaring early in the evening (8)
19 Work in malicious gossip, reversing
support for paparazzo? (6)
20 Pretend to agree with expression of
doubt, filling time (6)
23 Might at last trap someone in red?
(5)Newspapers
support recycling
The recycled paper content of
UK newspapers in 2020 was 67%2GM Thursday April 28 2022 | the timesSp ort
Soucek on trip to West End show
that brought team together
Page 66West Ham on song
DAVID RAWCLIFFE/PROPAGANDAMané, centre, is mobbed by team-mates after scoring Liverpool’s second goal to give them the advantage against Villarreal before they travel to Spain for the second leg
Stokes named
captain today
Elizabeth AmmonSemis over two
legs facing axe
Martyn Ziegler Chief Sports ReporterBen Stokes is set to be announced as
England’s next Test captain today after
holding formal talks with Rob Key.
Stokes, who became the overwhelm-
ing favourite for the job after Joe Root
resigned a fortnight ago, is expected to
bring back James Anderson and Stuart
Broad, who were dropped for the recent
tour to the West Indies.
Talks between Key, the new manag-
ing director of England men’s cricket,
and the star all-rounder centred on
Stokes’s workload and the strategy for
improving the performances of the
ailing Test team, as well as who should
fill the vacant head coach role.
It is understood that both Key and
Stokes want to bring Broad and Ander-
son back into the team this summer,
although it is unlikely either will play all
seven Test matches and may not both
Continued on page 61Two-legged Champions League semi-
finals are set to be scrapped with
Europe’s leading clubs backing a plan to
play the semis and the final over a single
week in a one city.
The Champions League “week of
football” would bring to an end the
two-legged semi-finals which have
been part of the European Cup since
the competition started in 1955.
Uefa says no decision has been made
but the European Club Association is
expected to back the idea and Uefa’s
president, Aleksander Ceferin, has
favoured it in the past. The European
Leagues organisation would also need
to agree to it. The earliest the change
could be brought in is the 2024-25
season, when Uefa’s new Champions
League format will be launched.
Full story, page 67One foot in
the final
Klopp’s side in sight of Paris after
two-goal burst in 133 seconds
Liverpool 2
Villarreal 0
y April 28 2022 | thththththththththththththththtththtththththtthththtttttthtththttttttththththhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetttttttttttittttttttmesw
Champions League
Semi-final first leg
Paul JoyceWhat next for Yorkshire
Darren Gough on how he is
leading county out of crisis
Mike Atherton, pages 60-61Liverpool took a giant stride
towards reaching their third
Champions League final in four
years with a powerful victory over
Villarreal that left Jürgen Klopp
praising his team’s maturity.
Klopp’s side will take a
commanding 2-0 aggregate
lead to Spain for Tuesday’s
semi-final second leg, after two
goals in as many minutes at the
start of the second half rewarded
their superiority.
A Jordan Henderson cross,
which took a deflection off
Pervis Estupiñán to loop over
the Villarreal goalkeeper
Gerónimo Rulli, was followed
two minutes later by Sadio Mané’s
14th goal in the knockout stages
of the competition.
Klopp understandably warned
against any complacency, but
was delighted with his side’s
all-round performance.
“Maturity is part of the quality,
to be honest,” Klopp said. “We
should be like this. It is intense for
us to play the way we play, but it’s
Continued on page 68