Loan round-up: Tavares plays in Le Classique

In a top-of-the-table clash in Ligue 1, Nuno Tavares couldn’t prevent PSG from going three points clear as Marseille were beaten 1-0 in Le Classique. 

Neymar’s goal just before half-time separated the two bitter rivals at the Parc des Princes, in a game that saw our defender replaced on 70 minutes before Samuel Gigot was dismissed for the visitors two minutes later. That loss leaves l’OM fourth ahead of Tavares’ team hosting third-placed Lens next.

After holding PSG to a goalless draw last week, Folarin Balogun’s Reims repeated the trick this weekend at Lorient, despite having two players dismissed, which sees them in 15th in the table, two places below Nice for whom Nicolas Pepe appeared in the 40th minute during a 1-1 draw with Auxerre.

Over in Italy, Pablo Mari played 80 minutes of Monza’s 1-0 defeat at Empoli, while in Turkey Alex Runarsson’s Alanyaspor edged out a 3-2 win over Antalyaspor to claim their first three-point haul in four matches.

Marcelo Flores appeared just after the hour mark but couldn’t prevent Real Oviedo from losing 1-0 at home to Huesca, while also in the Spanish Segunda Miguel Azeez’s Ibiza lost to Cartagena.

In the Netherlands, Mika Biereth played 20 minutes of RKC Waalwijk’s goalless draw with Sittard, while elsewhere in the Eredivisie Omar Rekik was a late substitute as Sparta Rotterdam beat NEC Nijmegen as they moved into the top six.

In Premier League action, Ainsley Maitland-Niles played the first 75 minutes of Southampton’s 1-1 draw with West Ham United; a result that leaves the Saints in the bottom three. However, climbing up the Championship table are Birmingham City, for whom Auston Trusty kept a clean sheet in their 2-0 win over Hull City, who are still unable to call upon Salah-Eddine Oulad M'hand due to injury.

Charlie Patino played the whole 90 minutes in a chaotic encounter as nine-man Blackpool conceded a late equaliser to draw 3-3 at Sheffield United, having initially been 2-0 down, with another red card apiece brandished after a post-match melee between both teams. 

Harry Clarke appeared for the final four minutes of Stoke City’s 2-0 win at Preston North End, but Brooke Norton-Cuffy missed Rotherham United’s Yorkshire derby win against Huddersfield Town with a muscle issue.

There was a shock in League One as Ipswich Town fell to a 1-0 home defeat to Lincoln City, with Tyreece John-Jules coming on as a 66th-minute sub, and in League Two, Arthur Okonkwo was beaten three times as his Crewe Alexandra side lost 3-0 at Tranmere Rovers and leave them winless in four games.

However, there was joy for another shot-stopper in Ovie Ejeheri, after he helped Chelmsford City into the FA Cup first round for the first time in five years as they beat Aldershot Town 2-0 to extend their unbeaten run to eight games.

North of the border, Ryan Alebiousu started Kilmarnock’s 0-0 draw at St Mirren that sees them remain 10th in the table, while Alex Kirk played every minute of Ayr United’s 2-1 defeat at Dundee.