It was a successful Sunday for Americans playing in European top flights, with Tim Howard and Everton blasting Newcastle 3-0 at Goodison Park and Fabian Johnson coming on as a late sub in Borussia Moenchengladbach’s 2-0 home win over Hannover 96.
Howard got the nod in goal for Everton, who took the lead through James McCarthy in the 20th minute before adding to their lead with a 56th minute Romelu Lukaku penalty and a 93rd minute Ross Barkley tally. Howard made a huge save in the 78th minute, sprawling to stop an effort from Newcastle’s Moussa Sissoko.
The shutout – Howard’s first since a Europa League clean-sheet against Wolfsburg on November 27 – boosted Everton into sole possession of 14th-place in the Premier League with 31 points, two behind Crystal Palace and West Brom for 12th.
Johnson came on in the 80th minute of Borussia Moenchengladbach’s victory over Hannover, replacing Belgian international Thorgan Hazard on the right wing to help the Foals to extend their Bundesliga unbeaten run to six games. The win maintained Moenchengladbach’s position in the Bundesliga’s Champions League places, keeping them in third in the league, two points ahead of fourth-place Bayer Leverkusen.
Things weren’t as rosy for the Americans in the German second division, with Ingolstadt’s Alfredo Morales and Sandhausen’s Andrew Wooten both taking part in losing efforts on Sunday.
Morales went the full 90 in Ingolstadt’s 3-1 home loss to Karlsruher SC, picking up a late yellow card in the defeat. Despite the loss – and their 1-2-2 record in their last five – Ingolstadt remains in first in the 2. Bundesliga with 48 points, three points ahead of second-place SV Darmstadt.
Like Morales and Ingolstadt, Wooten and Sandhausen also dropped a home game on Sunday, falling 1-0 to fifth-place Eintracht Braunschweig. Wooten got the start and went 70 minutes for 12th-place Sandhausen, which was unbeaten in its previous five 2. Bundesliga matches.
