UK
Mile Jedinak was unable to prevent his Crystal Palace team from losing 3-0 at Manchester City in the Premier League.
Chris Herd was an unused substitute for Aston Villa as they held Manchester United to a 1-1 draw at home.
In the Championship, Scott McDonald was withdrawn in the 55th minute of Millwall's 1-0 loss at home to Bolton Wanderers.
Adam Federici played a full game but couldn't keep out Watford, who defeated Reading 1-0 away from home.
Massimo Luongo of Swindon Town played the full game in a 1-0 loss at home to Doncaster Rovers in League One.
Neil Kilkenny fared better, helping Preston North End to beat Peterborough United away from home by the same scoreline.
Good away win again today at Peterborough.Glad we can send the fans home happy again.Brilliant support again today.Have a safe journey home
— Neil Kilkenny (@killa_kilkenny) December 20, 2014
Shane Lowry played 90 minutes for struggling Leyton Orient in a 2-0 loss at Barnsley, while James Meredith also played a full game for Bradford City, who conceded in the 94th minute to draw 1-1 at Scunthorpe United.
In the Scottish Premiership, Jackson Irvine, on loan from Celtic, played until the 79th minute of Ross County's 1-0 loss at home to Hamilton Academical.
Europe
Mitch Langerak played as Borussia Dortmund lost 2-1 at Werder Bremen in their final Bundesliga game before the winter break.
In the 2. Bundesliga, Ben Halloran was withdrawn in the 85th minute of Fortuna Dusseldorf's 1-0 victory at home to 10-man Union Berlin.
Asia
Mark Bresciano played until the 76th minute of Al Gharafa's 2-1 loss at Al Arabi in the Qatar Stars League.
Brett Holman played a full game but couldn't prevent Al Nasr from losing 2-0 at home to Al Wahda in the United Arab Emirates.