Saturday Wrap

After last week’s FA Cup action, the Premier League kicked back into gear on Saturday.

Everton climbed to fifth place in the table following a 1-0 victory against Manchester City. Tim Howard made three saves, and the Toffees defended well as a team en route to their seventh home win of the campaign.

Reading suffered a 3-1 loss to Aston Villa at Villa Park. Marcus Hahnemann made 12 saves in the losing effort, while Bobby Convey came off the bench in the second half for the Royals.

Meanwhile, West Ham United defeated London neighbors Fulham at Upton Park. Jonathan Spector continued his run in the Hammers’ side, going 90 minutes in the 2-1 win. On the other side, Carlos Bocanegra and Clint Dempsey were again in the starting lineup for the Cottagers. Bocanegra was removed after 14 minutes with a head injury – we’ll be sure to keep you updated on that developing situation. Speaking of injuries, Brian McBride is back in first team training for Fulham. You can read about his return here.


Over in Portugal, Freddy Adu came off the bench in Benfica’s 0-0 against Leixoes. Adu entered the game in 79th minute but could only help Benfica to a point as the club remains in 2nd place in the league.