AMSTERDAM – A trio of US internationals took to fields across the Atlantic on Sunday, with Clint Dempsey and Tottenham Hotspur moved clear in the race for fourth place with a 1-0 victory at West Bromwich Albion.
The US star switched to the No. 9 position at halftime due to an injury to Jermain Defoe. Dempsey put two of his five shots on target, but came up empty for the day after squandering a good late chance to add insurance.
With Brad Friedel watching from the bench, Spurs ran their EPL unbeaten streak to nine games.
In Bundesliga action, Timothy Chandler ably held down right flank as FC Nürnberg found the tonic in a 2-1 win over visiting Borussia Mönchengladbach. By winning for the first time in four games, Der Club moved to eight points above the danger zone in 14th place.
Across the border in Belgium's Jupiler League, Sacha Kljestan left after 68 minutes as nine-man Anderlecht rallied near time for a 2-2 home draw with 10-man archrivals Standard Liège.
After the champs grabbed an early lead, the American midfielder nearly doubled it in the 17th minute. Kljestan's bid to pick the corner with a dangerous free kick was cruelly denied by Standard netminder Eiji Kawashima.
Despite having their table lead cut to six points and waving goodbye to a 10-game win streak in league play, Anderlecht extended their domestic unbeaten run at home to 20.
Finally, over in La Liga, Oguchi Onyewu went unused as Málaga settled for a 1-1 share with guests Real Zaragoza. Despite remaining winless in three at home, the Anchovies climbed one rung to fourth place.
