Ryan McGivern suffered the shock result of the weekend as Bristol City were beaten away at League Two leaders Crawley Town. McGivern played 80 minutes before being replaced and despite two divisions separating the two sides; a single goal was enough to knock the Robins out of the competition.
Fellow defender Dedryck Boyata was also almost on the wrong end of an FA Cup upset as his Bolton side was forced to rely upon a late David Wheater equalizer to secure a reply against the Silkmen – the Belgian remained on the subs bench throughout.
Kieran Trippier’s move to Burnley was made permanent by the Clarets this week, but for now they still have one player plying their trade at Turf Moor, Ben Mee.
He played 90 minutes for the Championship side who, despite their impressive recent league form, were well beaten 4-1 by Norwich.
Andrea Mancini has now become a regular fixture on the Oldham Athletic substitute bench and as a result missed out on his side’s trip to Anfield. There was, however, space in Paul Dickov’s first team for Luca Scapuzzi.
The Italian striker played 54 minutes for the Latics in the 5-1 drubbing at the hands of Liverpool who admitted that the scoreline was flattering.
Roque Santa Cruz scored a 23rd minute opener against nine-men Sporting Gijon as Real Betis won 2-0 to claim a third consecutive victory. The Paraguayan striker was replaced just after the hour mark and a deserved three points lifted the Spanish outfit into 10th.
Vladimir Weiss was also in La Liga action as his Espanyol side held European Champions Barcelona to a 1-1 draw.
The Slovakian winger played 45 minutes in a game that may ultimately prove decisive in the Primera Liga title race, while Espanyol now sit eighth, just two points off the top five.
