AMSTERDAM – Tim Howard and Everton ran their Premier League win streak to three games with a 1-0 decision over visiting Southampton on Saturday afternoon.
Despite the Saints carrying play for much of the game, the American needed just two saves to record his fifth EPL clean sheet of the season. Howard's best work came when he robbed Graziano Pellè in just the fifth minute. Now unbeaten in nine home games across all competitions, Everton climbed a spot to 11th place.
Around the EPL, Brad Guzan's strong outing in goal could not prevent Aston Villa from falling 3-1 at Manchester United.
The US backstop rang up four saves, four cross claims and a pair of difficult punches. Midway through the opening frame, Guzan kept the game scoreless by tipping over a Marcos Rojo drive from distance midway through the opening frame and had to be on his toes to do the same with a bouncing Marouane Fellaini header with Villa still in a one-goal game just past the hour mark.
The defeat, Villa's second in succession, trimmed their survival cushion to three points.
One flight below in the Championship, Tim Ream worked a somewhat frustrating full shift at left as Bolton rallied near time for a 1-1 derby share with Blackpool.
After being among the culpable on the away side's early opener, the former Red Bulls defender twice had a doorstep shot blocked away during corner kick scrambles at the other end. In addition to ending a six-game losing run away from home, Wanderers climbed a rung to 16th place.
Turning to the Bundesliga, Fabian Johnson went the distance on left wing to help Borussia Mönchengladbach score a 4-1 road victory over former employers Hoffenheim.
The US international won the penalty for Gladbach's 22nd-minute equalizer. Johnson was tripped in the area and Max Kruse stepped up to bury the resulting spot kick.
Johnson had a big chance to put the Foals ahead on the edge of halftime, but could only volley a back post cross straight into the arms of Hoffenheim netminder Oliver Baumann. For the match, the No. 19 shirt completed 37 of 43 passes and won a pair of free kicks in the defensive end. Thanks to their fifth win in the last six league rounds, third-place Mönchengladbach hold an 11-point Champions League cushion with seven games to play.
Meanwhile, Timothy Chandler's Eintracht Frankfurt squandered a two-goal lead after the break to settle for a 2-2 home draw with Hannover 96.
Returning to right back, Chandler piled up a game-high totals with seven tackles and four pass picks to go with a close range shot block while Eintracht were still up two near the hour. The defender also set up a pair of good chances for teammates and worked without a handling turnover as the hosts inched to within three points of the last Europa League slot.
Greg Seltzer covers Americans based in Europe for MLSsoccer.com.
