AMSTERDAM – Everton netminder Tim Howard extended his unbeaten run at Goodison Park to five games without making a Wednesday night save, but the hosts were forced to settle for a 1-1 Premier League share with relegation bait Hull City.
The No. 24 shirt did manage to haul down three Tigers crosses, but was beaten on a fine individual effort by Sone Aluko just before the hour mark. The result saw Everton slip a spot to 11th place at the end of Round 14.
Meanwhile, Jozy Altidore replaced injured Sunderland striker Steven Fletcher in the 55th minute as the Black Cats were dealt a harsh lesson at home in a 4-1 defeat to Manchester City.
The Black Cats hit first through Connor Wickham, but were already down 3-1 when the US striker joined play. Altidore put in a decent shift with a couple of strong dribbles in limited touches. Sunderland's win drought reached four as they dipped to 14th place.
Over in Belgium's Cofidis Cup, Sacha Kljestan set up Anderlecht's final strike in a 4-1 round-of-16 cruise past visiting Mechelen. The American, who went the distance, expertly teed up young striker Nathan Kabasele with eight minutes remaining for his second assist of the campaign.
