AMSTERDAM – Everton star Tim Howard was a payback victim on Sunday afternoon, as former employers Manchester United got a measure of revenge for last season's Premier League sweep with a 2-1 victory at Old Trafford.
Howard made two saves, including a top-notch diving stop on Ángel Di María just after the Argentina winger has opened the scoring with a 27th minute beauty. After squandering a penalty kick near the break, Everton would knot the match through Steven Naismith near the hour.
However, left too much rebound from another Di Maria shot in the 62nd minute and Falcao cleaned up to win the contest with his first EPL goal for the Red Devils. Now winless in five overall games, Everton dipped to 17th place.
in England's Championship, Eric Lichaj went 81 minutes at left back as Nottingham Forest slipped just off the summit after a 2-2 home share with Ipswich Town.
The Reds were forced to fight back twice in the game, with Lichaj beaten by scorer Daryl Murphy on the visitors' 17th minute opener. Though still undefeated after 11 matches, Forest's fourth consecutive draw cost them first place by one goal in differential.
Over in Germany, meanwhile, Fabian Johnson set up the opener as Mönchengladbach battled visiting Mainz 05 to a 1-1 Bundesliga draw on Sunday evening.
A quarter hour into the contest, the US international teed up Max Kruse for his third assist across all competitions this term. Johnson departed on 70 minutes after putting in a solid all-around effort as the unbeaten Foals dropped to third place on goal differential.
One level down, Alfredo Morales and Ingolstadt stayed top of the charts thanks to a 1-0 home win over Braunschweig. The defensive midfielder nearly doubled the lead just after the hosts broke the ice early in the second half, forcing a good save after barging into the area late in the play. The last unbeaten in the 2.Bundesliga this season, Ingolstadt stand two points above the pack through nine rounds.
Elsewhere, the four-game scoring streak of Sandhausen striker Andrew Wooten came to an end in their 3-0 loss to visiting FSV Frankfurt.
The American twice came close to netting the first goal of the game during the first 18 minutes of the game, shooting just over once before being denied the away netminder. Sandhausen's second consecutive defeat dipped them down to 12th place.
Next door in France's Ligue 1, Alejandro Bedoya worked a positive shift on right wing to help Nantes score a 1-0 victory at Guingamp.
The US international was especially productive at the defensive end, leading all players with seven tackles and four pass picks. The fifth place Canaries extended their unbeaten run to four games.
Turning to Norway's Tippeligaen, Bob Bradley's Stabæk continued their survival form with a 1-1 draw away to Bodø/Glimt.
Both Andrew Jacobson and Michael Stephens worked all 90 minutes, with the former experiencing a far rougher night. The New York City FC loan midfielder Jacobson not only drew a yellow card, he squandered a pair of golden chances to score inside an 11-minute span of the first half. The Blue Ones, who have but one loss in their last six games, climbed to eighth place.
In Austria's top flight, Conor O'Brien went the distance as Wiener Neustadt fell hard, 4-1 away to title holders Red Bull Salzburg. Due to their fourth straight loss, the visitors stayed chained to the bottom.
Finally, in Belgium's Jupiler League, Sacha Kljestan went unused as table toppers Anderlecht settled for a 0-0 home draw with Genk. The Mauves remained four points clear at the top through 10 matches.
