The home side had trailed at half-time having conceded after just two minutes - but a spirited second-half fightback, inspired by the Portuguese midfielder, earned all three points.
On a memorable day for the youngster, Lopes set up the equaliser before bursting forward with pace and curling into the bottom corner to net his stunning winner, marking a superb display.
Conducting the Orchestra... 🎶✌️ Thank you all who took the time to send me such nice messages! 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/UJCdhVg1po
— Rony Lopes (@Rony10Lopes) March 1, 2015Another City loanee on the scoresheet this weekend was Jason Denayer - and what a crucial goal it turned out to be.
With Celtic hosting second-placed Aberdeen, the Hoops had the perfect opportunity to open up a six-point gap over the Dons - and they took it, in some style.
The Scottish champions cruised to a 4-0 triumph but it was Denayer’s header that broke the deadlock to give the home side a half-time lead and open the proverbial floodgates.
The defender completed 90 minutes for the hosts, while John Guidetti was brought on from the bench on 64 minutes. Both players also featured in the midweek Europa League tie at Inter Milan but couldn’t rescue their side from exiting the competition.
Elsewhere, Jordy Hiwula‘s impressive spell at Walsall has been rewarded with an extension to his contract.
Having netted three goals in six games since joining the Saddlers, the winger will stay at the club for a further month.
Manager Dean Smith was delighted with the news, telling the club’s official website: “Jordy has fitted in really well here.
“He’s bright, has great movement and is a nice kid. He’s been given a good grounding at Manchester City and that has enabled him to hit the ground running here.
I am pleased to be able to extend his stay with us.
Despite that pre-match boost, Hiwula’s side fell to a 2-0 home defeat to struggling Leyton Orient.
Also in League One, Greg Leigh completed 83 minutes for Crewe in their 0-0 draw with Swindon, while Devante Cole lasted 63 minutes of MK Dons’ 2-1 defeat at Coventry.
George Evans was also in action and impressed in Scunthorpe’s 1-1 draw with Yeovil, picking up the Man of the Match award and receiving deserved plaudits for his display.
@GeorgeEvans70 receiving his man of the match award after @SUFCOfficial 's game yesterday. Thanks for the loan @MCFC pic.twitter.com/CAjrp1QuES
— Karen Lee (@ScunnyBusLady) March 1, 2015@GeorgeEvans70 best performance for @SUFCOfficial yesterday. Kids got talent and a big future ⚽️👍 pic.twitter.com/PsxoCcDmy1
— Rob (@rbarraclough23) March 1, 2015A division above, Seko Fofana was an unused substitute in Fulham’s 2-0 victory at home to high-flying Derby, while Scott Sinclair completed 66 minutes of Aston Villa’s 1-0 defeat at Newcastle in the Premier League.
In La Liga, Alvaro Negredo helped Valencia to a 2-0 win over Real Sociedad. Meanwhile, Cordoba’s Bruno Zuculini was brought on as a 62nd-minute substitute but couldn’t prevent his side from falling to a sixth consecutive defeat at the hands of Espanyol.
Over in Germany, Matija Nastasic played the full 90 minutes for Schalke in Saturday’s Ruhr derby, as Borussia Dortmund ran out 3-0 winners in the Bundesliga, and also in the midweek Champions League defeat to Real Madrid.
On Sunday, Micah Richards was an unused substitute for Fiorentina in their 1-0 win at Inter Milan, although he did feature as the only Englishman to start in the midweek Europa League win over Tottenham.
In Holland, Sinan Bytyqi was named in the starting line-up for Cambuur but only managed 23 minutes of the Dutch side’s 1-0 win over Heracles due to injury. Divine Naah also made his debut for NAC Breda, coming on as a 63rd-minute substitute in their 1-1 draw with Twente.
Finally, Karim Rekik is still recovering from a hamstring problem so played no part in PSV’s home defeat to Ajax or Thursday night’s loss to Zenit St Petersburg - also in the Europa League.
Book now for City v Leicester
Midweek football is back at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday as City face Leicester in the Barclays Premier League.
With City aiming for a third Premier League title in four years and Leicester looking to climb off the bottom of the table, this is sure to be an unmissable clash.
There’s also a chance you’ll see our new signing Wilfried Bony in action - will this be the night he scores his first City goal? The game isn’t being televised in the UK, so there’s only one way to find out!
There are only six home Premier League games to go and we need your support every step of the way... see you at the match!
