AMSTERDAM – Geoff Cameron and Stoke City climbed into the better half of the Premier League table with a 2-0 home victory over West Bromwich Albion.
Working from right back, the US handyman put in a strong all-around shift. The Potters were barking for a penalty at the end of one of several dangerous Cameron crosses just five minutes into the contest.
Though he had one bad giveaway that resulted in a Baggies chance just past the break, Cameron notched a team-high three tackles and added three late clearances to help preserve the shutout. With consecutive league wins for the first time since March, Stoke tentatively jumped one rung to 10th.
Around the league, Brad Guzan notched three saves as 10-man Aston Villa battled visiting Sunderland to a 0-0 stalemate.
With Jozy Altidore watching from the away dugout, his US teammate saved Villa's point by tipping a long-range Jordi Gomez drive onto the post near time. Guzan now stands tied for fifth on the EPL clean sheet chart, two back of the league lead. The result kept the Villans and their guests in 13th and 14th place, respectively.
One flight down in the Championship, Daniel Williams and Reading got well with a 2-1 home triumph over Norwich City.
The US midfielder enjoyed a fine two-way outing, including a game-best seven pass picks. Thanks to their first win in five, the Royals rose to 16th place.
Despite a decent left back shift from Tim Ream, Bolton's eight-game unbeaten run ended with a 2-1 defeat at Huddersfield Town.
Though his impact in attack was considerably lower than usual, Ream logged four interceptions, four clearances, three tackles and four blocked crosses. The loss dipped Bolton to 15th place.
An impressive match from Eric Lichaj went to waste as Nottingham Forest fell 3-1 to rude guests Birmingham City.
The Reds right back was a menace all day long with his long passing, while registering a game-high four tackles to go with four pass interceptions. Lichaj nearly got Forest on the board much earlier than their last-gasp consolation with a rocket just over the bar from 25 yards on 48 minutes. Winless in six, the home side dropped a rung to 10th place.
