AMSTERDAM — Sacha Kljestan and Jupiler League leaders Anderlecht pulled one out of the fire on Sunday afternoon, rallying late for a 2-1 triumph away to arch nemesis Standard Liège.
The Mauves fell behind to a spot kick by former employee Mohamed Tchité after just eight minutes, but fought back to level against the run of play on a Roland Juhász strike just inside the final quarter-hour.
Scant moments after Kljestan was robbed in alone by Reds keeper Sinan Bolat, Dieumerci Mbokani completed the comeback by turning home a slip pass from fellow former Standard star Milan Jovanovic. The away derby victory maintained Anderlecht's seven-point edge at the top.
Meanwhile, new Gent man Mikkel Diskerud went unused as the hosts surrendered second place with a disappointing 3-1 derby defeat to Club Brugge.
Turning focus to the Bundesliga, Timothy Chandler worked a buzzing shift on right wing as FC Nürnberg settled for a 0-0 stalemate at Augsburg.
The US right-sider was a constant thorn in the home side after halftime, his exploits including a post-rattling shot on 48 minutes and a stoppage time run-and-cross that ended with teammate Dominic Maroh nodding agonizingly wide. The result kept Der Club glued to the basement and without a goal for 275 league minutes of play.
Over in Israel's Ligat Ha'Al, Bryan Gerzicich and Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona conceded with 11 minutes left to settle for a 1-1 home draw with Hapoel Be'er Sheva.
As has become customary, the Los Angeles-born player worked a sturdy 90 minutes in defensive midfield. However, Siraj Nasser eventually got loose from the defense, snapping the home side's 735-minute shutout streak in league play and trimming their penthouse cushion to 10 points through 25 rounds.
Finally, in England, Brad Guzan was a dugout spectator for Aston Villa's 1-0 home loss to Premier League leaders Manchester City.
