By FRANCO PANIZO
Geoff Cameron took part in his first Boxing Day on Wednesday, and he surely will not forget it any time soon.
Cameron and Stoke City extended their undefeated run to nine games by defeating Liverpool, 3-1, at Britannia Stadium. Cameron went the distance in his latest outing for the Trotters, but his major hiccup in the match came four minutes in when he received a yellow card that will force him out of Stoke’s next game.
While Cameron and Stoke enjoyed a big win, Tim Ream and Bolton Wanderers were left ruing another tough defeat. Bolton suffered a 1-0 loss to Sheffield Wednesday and Ream was partially to blame for conceding the set-piece goal in what was his first start in six matches for the struggling club.
From a results standpoint, things were not much better for Brad Guzan and Aston Villa. The Villans suffered another lopsided loss, with Tottenham handing them a 4-0 defeat, but Guzan was strong in goal again. Guzan made five saves to prevent the match from being any uglier for an Aston Villa team that has now given up 12 goals in its last two games.
Here’s how the Americans Abroad contingent who were in action on Wednesday fared:
Premiership
- Tim Howard started, played 90 minutes and made two saves in Everton’s 2-1 win vs. Wigan Athletic.
- Brad Friedel dressed but did not play in Tottenham’s 4-0 win vs. Aston Villa.
- Clint Dempsey did not dress for Tottenham. He is recovering from a groin injury.
- Brad Guzan started, played 90 minutes and made five saves in Aston Villa’s 4-0 loss vs. Tottenham.
- Eric Lichaj dressed but did not play for Aston Villa.
- Geoff Cameron started, played 90 minutes and received a yellow card in Stoke City’s 3-1 win vs. Liverpool.
- Maurice Edu did not dress for Stoke City.
Championship
- Tim Ream started and played 90 minutes in Bolton Wanderers’ 1-0 loss vs. Sheffield Wednesday.
- Stuart Holden did not dress for Bolton Wanderers.
- Jonathan Spector did not dress in Birmingham City’s 2-1 win vs. Barnsley. He is recovering from an ankle injury.
- Will Packwood did not dress for Birmingham City.
- Conor Doyle dressed but did not play in Derby County’s 2-0 loss vs. Burnley.
- Zak Whitbread started, played 90 minutes and received a yellow card in Leicester City’s 0-0 draw vs. Hull City.
- Robbie Findley did not dress in Nottingham Forest’s 4-2 win vs. Leeds United.
League One
- Frank Simek started and played 90 minutes in Carlisle United’s 3-0 win vs. Hartlepool United.
- Robbie Rogers did not dress in Stevenage’s 3-1 loss vs. Coventry City.
- Mike Grella dressed but did not play in Scunthorpe United’s 3-0 loss vs. Sheffield United.
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What do you think of these performances? Impressed by how well Cameron has adapted to the Premiership? What do you attribute Ream’s problems to?
Share your thoughts below.