ST. PETERSBURG, Russia – Borussia Mönchengladbach ace Fabian Johnson scored for the fourth time in 10 days on Saturday afternoon, as the streaking home side tentatively reached third place thanks to a 3-1 triumph over Bundesliga-leading holders Bayern Munich.
The winger slipped through an offside trap to breach the Bayern area before firing 'Gladbach's third into the top corner on 68 minutes. The strike gave Johnson four on the season and six for the overall term, or more than he bagged over the last three full campaigns. By dealing the Bavarians their first loss of the season, the Foals ran their league unbeaten run to 10 games.
Elsewhere, John Anthony Brooks nodded home the winner as Hertha Berlin pulled level on points with 'Gladbach with a 2-1 defeat of guests Bayer Leverkusen.
The defender broke a deadlock with a corner kick header on the hour to chalk up his first goal in nearly a year. Brooks nearly bagged a second eight minutes from time, only to have his area drive cruelly turned away by Leverkusen 'keeper Bernd Leno. The youngster also enjoyed an excellent day of long passing, with 13 successful switches and 11 connections into the attacking half, as Hertha won for the fifth time in six home games.
Ingolstadt midfielder Alfredo Morales departed with the hosts leading in the 89th minute, but they conceded deep into stopage time to settle for a 1-1 home share with Hoffenheim.
Morales went close to netting his first career Bundesliga goal when his long-range rocket buzzed the bar shortly after intermission. The US international also earned a one-game ban with his fifth yellow card of the season as Ingolstadt slipped to 11th place.
Turning to the Premier League, Geoff Cameron and Stoke City pulled off a 2-0 upset of visiting Premier League leaders Manchester City on Saturday afternoon.
The US handyman put in a solid full shift in defensive midfield. Cameron helped keep the champs scoreless by racking up five pass interceptions, two tackles and a cross block. The victory, Stoke's third from the last four EPL rounds, conditionally lifted them into the better half of the table.
The hard luck continued for Brad Guzan and Aston Villa, who lost a lead with 17 minutes left on the clock to end up with a 1-1 draw away to Southampton.
The Villans backstop was busy dealing with the dominant Saints, piling up three saves, two punches, a cross capture, a yellow card and one long boot that set up a good scoring chance for teammate Jordan Ayew. Shortly after Guzan made his best stop of the game to disappoint Juanmi, he was beaten by Southampton sub Oriol Romeu's restart half-volley. The result kept cellar dwellers Villa winless in 14 EPL matches.
DeAndre Yedlin worked a hot-and-cold shift as Sunderland battled hard in a 3-1 loss at Arsenal.
The right back was beaten by the set-up man, Costa Rica attacker Joel Campbell, on the Gunners' opening goal.
With the Black Cats down only one in the 66th minute, Yedlin covered his post perfectly by clearing an Olivier Giroud corner kick header from the line.
The Tottenham loan item also logged a game-high four tackles, six clearances, three pass picks and his first EPL booking as 17th place Sunderland waved goodbye to a two-game win streak.
One flight down in the Championship, a star turn from Eric Lichaj helped Nottingham Forest blank visiting Fulham 3-0.
The Reds right back notched his second assist of the season in spectacular fashion to set up the decider just before halftime. On an over-hit corner kick, Lichaj hopped on his bicycle to send the ball back into the area, where Matt Mills headed home the opener.
Lichaj almost doubled the Forest advantage shortly after the break, only to have Cottagers defender Tim Ream block his close-range effort at the end of a restart. The St. Louis native also pitched in with seven clearances and four pass interceptions in a decent left back outing, while teammate Emerson Hyndman appeared for the final 15 minutes. The result gave the warming home side their third win in four games, while Fulham saw their win drought reach five games.
Also, David Wagner celebrated his first win as Huddersfield Town boss with a 2-0 decision away to Jonathan Spector's Birmingham City.
Spector did not have one of his finer outings, but still managed seven clearances and a doorstep shot block. Birmingham's third defeat in a row pushed them out of the promotion playoff zone, while Wagner's Terriers snapped a six-match winless slide to escape the bottom three.
Finally, in Ligue 1 action, Alejandro Bedoya and Nantes were forced to make do with a 1-1 share at Gazelec Ajaccio after leaking a late equalizer.
The US attacker put on a well-rounded display that included a 30th minute blast from the top of the area that drew a save. Bedoya also contributed five clearances, three tackles and a area shot block at the defensive end. The draw kept 11th place Nantes winless in five.
