STUTTGART, Germany – Clint Dempsey started a late Tottenham Hotspur rally on Sunday, scoring the equalizer with 15 minutes remaining to spark a crucial 3-1 victory over visiting defending champs Manchester City.
The US star converted Gareth Bale's back-post feed on the slide, kicking off a string of three Spurs goals inside a seven-minute span that flipped the result. It was Dempsey's sixth EPL strike of the season and his 11th in all competitions.
Meanwhile, Brad Friedel returned to backup duty as Tottenham tentatively moved even on points with fourth-place Chelsea, who currently hold the last Champions League position. The win was also Spurs' first in four games at White Hart Lane.
Over in the Bundesliga, Timothy Chandler was forced out of FC Nürnberg's galling 1-0 defeat to derby visitors Greuther Fürth with a charley horse injury. Thanks to their second straight loss, Der Club fell seven points off Europa League pace with four games remaining.
Down south in Serie A, Michael Bradley worked the final 19 minutes of AS Roma's disappointing 1-1 home draw with bottom-feeders Pescara. The result caused the Coppa Italia finalists to slip a point back of the last Europa League slot.
Turning to Belgium's Jupiler League championship hexagonal, Sacha Kljestan went 74 minutes as defending champs Anderlecht were knocked off the top by a 2-1 loss at Zulte Waregem. With but one victory in their last six games, the Mauves now stand one point behind their Sunday hosts.
In Denmark's Superliga, Conor O'Brien saw yellow during a 53-minute shift in FC Nordsjælland's 0-0 stalemate at Randers FC. With Charlie Davies watching from the home dugout, the Horses remained seven points shy of the league's second Champions League spot held by Nordsjælland.
Clarence Goodson also went unused as Brøndby stayed above the trap door on goal differential with a 2-2 draw against last-place guests Silkeborg.
Across the water in Norway's Tippeligaen, Mikkel Diskerud fired the consolation strike for 10-man Rosenborg in a 3-1 loss at FK Haugesund. Six minutes past intermission, the midfielder picked the far corner from a sharp angle to bag his second goal of the young season.
Elsewhere, Steve Clark's gaffe in the Hønefoss net forced the visitors to claw back late for a 1-1 share at Sandnes Ulf. The netminder made five quality saves on the day, but put his team in a hole by misjudging a long free kick in windy conditions to allow it past him just before the break.
Portuguese Liga ZON Sagres action saw Estoril attacker Tony Taylor on for the last 13 minutes of a 1-0 defeat at Vitória Setúbal. The loss shaved the season darlings' edge for the last Europa League berth to a single point.
Next door in Spain's second flight, Carlos Bocanegra narrowly missed scoring from a corner kick midway through the opening frame of Racing Santander's 1-0 loss at Villarreal. The setback kept the visitors three pints adrift of the safety zone.
Finally, in the Swedish Allsvenskan, Alejandro Bedoya and Helsingborg climbed to second place with a 2-0 triumph at Brommapojkarna. The US international, who could have notched an assist were it not for a missed sitter, drew a yellow card during his 58 minutes of work.
