AMSTERDAM — A pair of American 'keepers guarded the line in Wednesday Premier League action, with Tim Howard coming up big to help Everton beat Tottenham 2-1.
The US' main man in goal was at his best with the game tied at one, stopping Rafael van der Vaart cold in the 61st and 71st minutes before stretching to tip over a Peter Crouch drive with 18 minutes to play.
Toffees youngster Seamus Coleman rewarded Howard with a 75th-minute winner that pushed the hosts from 14th place to 11th in the league table.
Meanwhile, the winless slide of Aston Villa 'keeper Brad Friedel reached four games following a tough 1-0 loss at Sunderland that dipped them back into the drop zone.
Phil Bardsley's blast 10 minutes from time was enough to decide a match that saw each side finish with 10 men.
Elsewhere, Jonathan Spector was spared the embarrassment as an unused sub in West Ham United's 5-0 woodshed loss at Newcastle and Marcus Hahnemann served as Wolverhampton back-up netminder for a stunning 1-0 defeat of Chelsea.
