In our weekly round-up of the action involving Chelsea players out on loan, a quartet were on the scoresheet at home and abroad, with one in particular enjoying a birthday to remember…
While hopes for Besiktas of retaining the Super Lig title in Turkey have faded fast, there is still plenty for the Black Eagles to play for in the final months of the campaign, with European qualification now a clear objective.
Michy Batshuayi helped the Istanbul-based side to an important win to aid that target this weekend, firing in two goals in a 3-2 victory away at Sivasspor. The Belgian produced a smart finish to open the scoring from close range early on before converting a penalty in the second half following a VAR decision to penalise a handball from the hosts.
The brace takes the 28-year-old’s goals tally this term into double figures with 11, while Besiktas now move to within a point and a place of the top four. They may even retain hopes of Champions League qualification, which would require finishing in second place, which they currently trail by five points.
Elsewhere in Europe, there were defeats for Emerson Palmieri (pictured above) and Ethan Ampadu in Ligue 1 and Serie A respectively. Both played 90 minutes, the Italian in a 1-0 home defeat to Chelsea’s Champions League last-16 opponents Lille, and the Welshman in a 3-1 reverse away at Verona.
Ampadu has been utilised in a variety of positions for The Lagunari this season and operated on the right of a back three in this latest outing, which sees Venezia drop into the bottom three in Italy. Emerson’s Lyon are currently 10th in France.
Gallagher's goal settles Eagles
Conor Gallagher made it eight Premier League goals for the season as Crystal Palace recorded a first league win of 2022 away at Watford in midweek. The midfielder demonstrated wonderful composure and a sublime first touch in the box to trap Tyrick Mitchell’s left-sided cross before firing a precise finish high into the net.
It restored the lead for Patrick Vieira’s side at Vicarage Road, with the Eagles going on to claim a 4-1 win, which they followed up with a 1-1 draw against Burnley this weekend. Gallagher, an integral part of the side, played the duration of both matches as Palace steadied their position in mid-table.
Two places above the south Londoners are Southampton, who made it six games unbeaten in all competitions this week with a 2-0 victory over struggling Norwich City. Armando Broja and Billy Gilmour started on opposite sides in this Friday night clash at St Mary’s, with the Saints coming out on top courtesy of goals in each half from Che Adams and Oriol Romeu.
Gilmour had one of Norwich’s best chances of the evening, firing just wide after Josh Sargent’s effort had been blocked. Broja was also denied by Angus Gunn, the Canaries keeper, in the first half. The result leaves Norwich adrift at the bottom of the table, five points from safety having played a couple of games more than some sides above them.
Birthday blast
Levi Colwill enjoyed a 19th birthday to remember in the Midlands on Saturday afternoon, helping Huddersfield Town to a clean sheet and another important win in their quest for promotion, while also scoring on his comeback from two months out injured.
The young defender had not played since the start of the year, missing 10 matches in total as the Terriers mounted a charge up the table, though he was back in the starting team for their trip to Birmingham City and made the most of the opportunity, bundling in a deep corner at the back post to open the scoring inside half an hour.
A successful shutout down the other end helped Huddersfield extend their unbeaten league run to 15 matches and takes them third, albeit having played more games than teams around them. Earlier in the week, Colwill had returned to the bench for a 2-1 win against Cardiff City, in which former Chelsea youngster Jon Russell netted a stoppage-time winner.
Meanwhile, Tino Anjorin has started training with the Yorkshiremen as he continues his recovery from an injury that has left him sidelined since Halloween.
Dutch delight
Coventry City also retain hopes of making the play-offs and the Sky Blues picked up four points this week to aid that push. Ian Maatsen was among the goals in a 2-1 win at Bristol City, his third of the campaign. Operating in an advanced left-sided role at Ashton Gate, the Dutchman’s clever run was picked out by Gustavo Hamer and he took two touches to control and fire the ball low across goal into the bottom corner. The visitors were eventually pegged back but struck a late winner through Viktor Gyokeres to steal all three points.
Coventry then exchanged two goals and two red cards apiece with Preston North End, with a 98th-minute goal from Fabio Tavares aiding Mark Robins’s men. Maatsen played 90 minutes at left wing-back in that one, while Jake Clarke-Salter was also an ever-present in both matches on the left of a back three.
Danny Drinkwater and Dujon Sterling went head-to-head this weekend at Bloomfield Road, with the Tangerines running out 4-1 winners to bounce back from their 2-1 defeat at Queens Park Rangers. Sterling played at left-back against the Royals, having been deployed on the right of a back three at Loftus Road for a Blackpool side now nine points off the play-offs.
Reading, who recently changed manager and now have former England captain Paul Ince in charge, had beaten Birmingham City 2-1 earlier in the week, with Drinkwater present in central midfield throughout. However, they are still looking nervously over their shoulders at the bottom three in the Championship, with six points the gap between themselves and Barnsley.
Denying for the Dons
It was another good week for Jamie Cumming and MK Dons in League One, with back-to-back 2-0 victories secured against Charlton Athletic and Bolton Wanderers. The 22-year-old was largely untroubled in both games for long periods but did make one sensational point-blank save in the latter game, pushing a header from six yards onto the crossbar with a fingertip stop.
He now has five clean sheets in 10 matches for the Dons, who are within goal difference of the automatic promotion spots. Mason Burstow and Juan Castillo were starters for the Addicks in the first of those clashes, while the former also played during a 2-0 loss at Sheffield Wednesday.
In the Southern Football League’s Premier South division, Ethan Wady was in the Hendon goal for a 3-2 defeat against Salisbury. Earlier in the week, the Californian keeper produced some impressive saves in a penalty shoot-out win for his side against Dulwich Hamlet in the London Senior Cup quarter-final.
Sami Tlemcani also kept goal for Merstham in a 1-0 Isthmian League Premier League loss at the hands of Haringey Borough.