It was Copa del Rey action for Kenedy and Granada this week as they welcomed Barcelona to Andalusia for a quarter-final tie. The Brazilian lined up on the left wing for the hosts and it was his goal just after the half-hour mark that handed them the lead as the 24-year-old finished from close range for his fifth goal of the season.

After departing at the break, Granada extended their advantage early after the restart but Barca hit back with two goals in the final minutes from Antoine Griezmann and Jordi Alba, taking the game to extra-time. The Catalans eventually triumphed 5-3 and advance to the last four.

Cup football on the continent

There was also knockout football on the agenda in Italy where Napoli recorded a 0-0 home draw against Atalanta in the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final tie. Tiemoue Bakayoko played the duration in central midfield for Gennaro Gattuso’s side, with the second leg scheduled for next week.

In France, Trevoh Chalobah and Lorient followed up their incredible weekend win against Paris Saint-Germain with a 1-1 draw at Rennes, leaving them inside the relegation zone on goal difference only and with a game in hand on teams around them. The 21-year-old was back in midfield and played the full 90 minutes.

Elsewhere in Europe, Matt Miazga was involved for all but the final few minutes as Anderlecht progressed in their domestic cup competition with a 2-0 win away at RFC Liege. It was the eighth clean sheet the American has contributed towards this campaign.

Wins for Ampadu and Batshuayi

The Premier League schedule continues unrelentingly and all five of our loanees in the division featured this midweek. Ethan Ampadu started his 13th consecutive game for Sheffield United as the sharpened Blades came from behind to beat West Bromwich Albion, for whom Conor Gallagher came off the bench for the final 15 minutes. The two sides are now separated by just a point at the foot off the table.

There was also a victory for Michy Batshuayi and Crystal Palace, with the Belgian leading the line in their 2-1 win at Newcastle United. Former Chelsea defender Gary Cahill notched his first Palace goal to seal the points on Tyneside and take the Eagles 15 points away from danger.

Ross Barkley featured for Aston Villa in their 3-1 loss at home to West Ham while Ruben Loftus-Cheek was also a starter as Fulham were beaten 2-0 by Leicester City.

Clean sheet and assist for Baxter

Further down the pyramid, goalkeeper Nathan Baxter recorded his second assist of the season for League One Accrington Stanley as they beat Bristol Rovers 6-1. His long drop-kick led to the home side’s third on a rain-sodden pitch at the Crown Ground in Lancashire. Tariq Uwakwe also started, while Jon Russell came off the bench late in the first half and Luke McCormick featured throughout for the visitors.

Elsewhere in League One, Ian Maatsen’s Charlton Athletic lost 3-1 at home to Portsmouth. It means the Addicks drop below in-form Stanley just outside the play-off positions in the race for promotion.