Let’s start at NAC Breda, where there were five City loanees on show in their 1-0 win over FC Dordrecht on Monday, including James Horsfield who made his debut for the Dutch side.
Manu Garcia scored the winner after four minutes, with Ashley Smith-Brown and Thomas Agyepong also starting the game. There was an appearance, too, for Brandon Barker who came off the bench with around half an hour remaining.
The result leaves NAC fifth in the Eerste Divisie table.
LETHAL WEAPON: Manu Garcia was on target for NAC Breda
Also in Holland, Enes Unal played the full 90 minutes as FC Twente lost 2-0 at home to Feyenoord. Yaw Yeboah came off the bench for the final quarter of an hour but couldn’t stop the Eredivisie leaders taking all three points.
In Spain, Pablo Maffeo was a 64th-minute sub as Girona beat Real Valladolid 2-1 to consolidate second spot in the Spanish Segunda Division – recently-signed Angelino was not involved.
Marlos Moreno had a weekend off as Deportivo La Coruna’s game with Real Betis was postponed and Bruno Zuculini didn’t feature in Rayo Vallecano’s 1-0 win over Almeria.
In Italy, Joe Hart’s Torino continue to struggle for form after a 1-1 draw with strugglers Empoli left the Serie A side without a win in sixth, though comfortably placed in mid-table.
Olivier Ntcham’s Genoa continue to struggle as well, with the 1-0 loss to Sassuolo their eighth game without a victory.
CLEAN SHEET: Jason Denayer helped Sunderland to a 4-0 win at Crystal Palace
Here in England, Jason Denayer played the full 90 minutes as Sunderland won 4-0 away at relegation rivals Crystal Palace, a result that leaves them just two points adrift of safety. Denayer’s goal-line clearance that denied Jason Puncheon was crucial in the win.
Wilfried Bony was an unused sub as Stoke City lost to West Brom, while Aaron Mooy played a key role in Huddersfield’s 2-1 win over Leeds in the Championship. Huddersfield now sit fourth, seven points off top spot.
North of the border, Patrick Roberts played 86 minutes of Celtic’s 5-2 win away at St. Johnstone and impressed with his creativity. Celtic are now unbeaten in 29 games and lead the SPL by a whopping 27 points.
In Spain, Samir Nasri missed a penalty as Sevilla were held to a 0-0 draw at home to Villarreal, leaving them third in La Liga, while Eliaquim Mangala played the full game at centre-half in Valencia’s 4-0 home loss to Eibar.
