Steve Cherundolo got an early start to the holidays when he was sent off late in Hannover's 3-1 loss at Nuremberg for a handball in the box.

The loss snapped a four-game unbeaten streak for Hannover, which entered the Bundesliga's winter break in 11th place -- a respectable placement after a terrible start. Things don't look as rosy for the Bundesliga's other Americans, however.

Kasey Keller's Borussia Moenchengladbach lost, 2-0, at Bochum, to finish with a 10-game winless streak and fall into the relegation zone in 16th place. Benny Feilhaber watched from the bench as 17th-place Hamburg gave up two late goals and had to settle for a 3-3 tie at Alemannia Aachen. Conor Casey, rumored to be moving during the January transfer window, didn't play in last-place Mainz's 4-0 loss to Bayern Munich.

In England, Tim Howard was the victim of some long-range shooting as Everton dropped a 3-2 decision to visiting Chelsea. The first Blues goal came when German Michael Ballack's free kick from 25 yards crept in off the post -- and Howard's back. Frank Lampard scored the second Chelsea goal from 20 yards, and Didier Drogba won the game in the 87th minute with a looping shot from 35 yards.

Jonathan Spector was the only player from outside the British Isles to start in West Ham's 1-0 victory over EPL leader Manchester United, his former club. Spector was reunited with new West Ham manager Alan Curbishley, who was his boss last season at Charlton, where he played on loan from United.

Brad Friedel won the duel of American keepers as Blackburn edged Marcus Hahnemann's Reading, 2-1. Claudio Reyna was the only other American to play in the EPL over the weekend, going 69 minutes in Manchester City's 2-1 home loss to Tottenham.