Jonathan Spector was in the starting lineup for West Ham yet again, but he couldn't duplicate his past Carling Cup magic as the Hammers lost to Birmingham, 3-1, in overtime of their second leg at St. Andrews on Wednesday. The loss sent Birmingham to the Carling Cup Final.
West Ham came in with a 2-1 lead on aggregate, but Birmingham forced extra time with its own 2-1 regulation scoreline and clinched the victory at home courtesy of a Craig Gardner goal.
Spector played 105 minutes in central midfield, solidifying his place in Avram Grant's lineup, but the loss means West Ham can now turn its full attentions to escaping the bottom of the Premier League standings. Here are match highlights.
Spector wasn't the only American in action:
Clint Dempsey had a strong game, but couldn't find the net as a John Pantsil own goal doomed Fulham to a 1-0 loss to Liverpool in league play at Anfield.
Oguchi Onyewu earned another start for FC Twente, in its Dutch Cup tie against PSV Eindhoven, but Onyewu left the match in the 26th minute with a back injury. No word yet on the severity of the injury.
It wasn't all bad news for Americans Abroad on Wednesday. Maurice Edu came off the bench and played 23 minutes in Rangers' 2-0 win against Hibernian.
Here are highlights from the Liverpool-Fulham match:
Liverpool 1, Fulham 0
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What did you think of Wednesday's action? Impressed with Spector's performance? Amazed yet again at how well Dempsey is playing? Worried about Onyewu's health status?
Share your thoughts below.
