Italian defender Emanuele Terranova put the home side in front after thirteen minutes and Carl Valeri headed home 10 minutes later to double Sassuolo’s advantage.

Despite keeping Sassuolo scoreless in the second half, it was one to forget for the visitors with Paraguayan Victor Mareco and Italian Niccolo Galli given their marching orders. Both Mareco and Galli received two yellow cards in the space of ten minutes to rule them out of Wednesday’s clash against Grosseto.

The victory sends Sassuolo one point clear at the top of Italy’s Serie B.

In Germany, Matthew Leckie replaced goal scorer Marco Reus with only minutes remaining as Borussia Monchengladbach defeated Stuttgart 3-0 at the Mercedes-Benz-Arena. The Die Fohlen remain fourth, one point behind league leaders Bayern Munchen.

Elsewhere in the Bundlesliga, Mitchell Langerak made way for the fit-again Roman Weidenfeller in Borussia Dortmund’s 3-1 win at home to Hoffenheim while Nikita Rukavytsya was again absent as Hertha Berlin suffered a 2-1 loss at the hands of Hamburg.

Across to the Netherlands and Michael Zullo was the only Aussie to make the trip with Utrecht to Heerenveen, however he did not feature off the bench. Two goals in the opening fourteen minutes condemned Utrecht to their ninth defeat of the season.

At the Parkstad Limburg Stadion, Brett Holman’s AZ Alkmaar missed the opportunity to return to the Eredivisie summit after losing 2-0 away to Roda JC.

In the FA Cup Richard Garcia returned to the Hull City starting lineup but they were beaten 1-0 by League Two side Crawley Town. The former Colchester United winger played 65 minutes in the defeat.

Tim Cahill’s Everton booked their spot in the last 16 of the FA Cup at the expense of Mark Schwarzer’s Fulham. Cahill picked up a yellow card in the Toffees 2-1 win over the London club. Everton will face either Blackpool or Sheffield Wednesday in the fifth round.

Scott McDonald and Rhys Williams’ Middlesbrough earned a fourth-round replay following a 1-1 draw away to Sunderland. Barry Robson gave Boro a 16th minute lead but half-time substitute Frazier Campbell returned after eighteen months out injured to equalise for the Premier League club. McDonald had tested Sunderland earlier in the game but his shot was well held by Simon Mignolet in goal while Williams managed to get himself in the book for a mistimed challenge.

Still unavailable following his dismissal against Birmingham, Shane Lowry’s Millwall played out a 1-1 draw with Southampton at The Den. Rickie Lambert headed home to give the Saints a 31st minute lead but Darius Henderson was the hero yet again for Millwall, leveling four minutes from time to rescue a replay for the home side.

In the NPower Championship, Adam Federici’s Reading prevailed 1-0 over Bristol City despite David James saving two penalties for the visiting side. Neil Kilkenny watched most of the match from the bench before replacing Kalifa Cisse on 88 minutes.

In what’s becoming an all too familiar tale in Glasgow, Matt McKay wasn’t apart of the Rangers match-day squad. The defending champions showed their superiority, handing Hiberbian a 4-0 drubbing.

Aaron Mooy was an unused substitute in St.Mirren’s goalless draw away to Terry Butcher’s Inverness CT.

Meanwhile in Spain’s Segunda Division, David Carney failed to make the Alcorcon squad that beat Las Palmas 3-1 at the Estadio Santo Domingo.

In England’s League Two, Shane Cansdell-Sherriff’s Shrewsbury Town enjoyed a 2-0 victory away to Hereford while Aaron Downes's Bristol Rovers secured their first home victory for three months, a 2-1 win against ten-man Bradford.

Follow me on Twitter @Sachk0