AMSTERDAM – Hertha Berlin defender John Anthony Brooks was in charge at the back as Hertha Berlin blanked visiting Borussia Dortmund 1-0 on Saturday afternoon.
The US center back rang up a game-high 11 clearances, five tackles, four pass interceptions and a pair of shot blocks at the defensive end to help the capital crew post their first shutout since October. In addition, Brooks completed 34 of 41 passes on the day, including seven long deliveries that moved his team across the midfield stripe.
On the down side, Brooks' lone foul drew a yellow card and resulted in a good restart chance for the visitors. Hertha backstop Thomas Kraft was up to the task, however, and the hosts closed out the victory to reach 12th place.
Turning focus to England's Premier League, Geoff Cameron put in a strong defensive midfield shift as Stoke City earned a 1-1 share at Crystal Palace.
The former Houston Dynamo ace led all players with five interceptions, to go with a two tackles and a pair of shot blocks. Cameron also completed a half-dozen long balls as the Potters nudged their way up to 11th place.
Elsewhere, Aston Villa netminder Brad Guzan committed a fatal error that directly led to home side West Bromwich Albion's 1-0 derby winner.
Until the decider by former Villan Craig Gardner, Guzan was shaping up as a Man of the Match candidate with four saves and four cross claims for a team reduced to 10 men by Kieran Richardson's first half red card. The American's best stop came when he turned away Stéphane Sessegnon at the doorstep shortly before the break.
However, Guzan would be punished for straying outside his area without capturing the ball as Gardner bagged the game's only goal in the 72nd minute. By suffering their first defeat in six, Villa slipped to 12th place.
Jozy Altidore had an otherwise solid 61-minute outing marred by squandering a golden chance at the winner in Sunderland's 1-1 home draw with West Ham United.
The US striker executed eight hold up plays and forced two turnovers with pressure during the opening frame, but was left head in hands just prior to the halftime whistle.
After making a shrewd run to get free at the far post, Altidore somehow all but fanned on a pinpoint Sebastian Larsson cross with the last action of the period. Having now drawn an league-high 10 matches in 16 rounds, Sunderland dropped to 15th place.
