The home side had trailed at half-time having conceded after just two minutes - but a spirited second-half fightback, inspired by the Portuguese midfielder, earned all three points.
On a memorable day for the youngster, Lopes set up the equaliser before bursting forward with pace and curling into the bottom corner to net his stunning winner, marking a superb display.
Conducting the Orchestra... š¶āļø Thank you all who took the time to send me such nice messages! ššš pic.twitter.com/UJCdhVg1po
— Rony Lopes (@Rony10Lopes) March 1, 2015
Another City loanee on the scoresheet this weekend was Jason Denayer - and what a crucial goal it turned out to be.
With Celtic hosting second-placed Aberdeen, the Hoops had the perfect opportunity to open up a six-point gap over the Dons - and they took it, in some style.
The Scottish champions cruised to a 4-0 triumph but it was Denayerās header that broke the deadlock to give the home side a half-time lead and open the proverbial floodgates.
The defender completed 90 minutes for the hosts, while John Guidetti was brought on from the bench on 64 minutes. Both players also featured in the midweek Europa League tie at Inter Milan but couldnāt rescue their side from exiting the competition.
Elsewhere, Jordy Hiwulaās impressive spell at Walsall has been rewarded with an extension to his contract.
Having netted three goals in six games since joining the Saddlers, the winger will stay at the club for a further month.
Manager Dean Smith was delighted with the news, telling the clubās official website: āJordy has fitted in really well here.
āHeās bright, has great movement and is a nice kid. He’s been given a good grounding at Manchester City and that has enabled him to hit the ground running here.
I am pleased to be able to extend his stay with us.
Despite that pre-match boost, Hiwulaās side fell to a 2-0 home defeat to struggling Leyton Orient.
Also in League One, Greg Leigh completed 83 minutes for Crewe in their 0-0 draw with Swindon, while Devante Cole lasted 63 minutes of MK Donsā 2-1 defeat at Coventry.
George Evans was also in action and impressed in Scunthorpeās 1-1 draw with Yeovil, picking up the Man of the Match award and receiving deserved plaudits for his display.
@GeorgeEvans70 receiving his man of the match award after @SUFCOfficial 's game yesterday. Thanks for the loan @MCFC pic.twitter.com/CAjrp1QuES
— Karen Lee (@ScunnyBusLady) March 1, 2015
@GeorgeEvans70 best performance for @SUFCOfficial yesterday. Kids got talent and a big future ā½ļøš pic.twitter.com/PsxoCcDmy1
— Rob (@rbarraclough23) March 1, 2015
A division above, Seko Fofana was an unused substitute in Fulhamās 2-0 victory at home to high-flying Derby, while Scott Sinclair completed 66 minutes of Aston Villaās 1-0 defeat at Newcastle in the Premier League.
In La Liga, Alvaro Negredo helped Valencia to a 2-0 win over Real Sociedad. Meanwhile, Cordobaās Bruno Zuculini was brought on as a 62nd-minute substitute but couldnāt prevent his side from falling to a sixth consecutive defeat at the hands of Espanyol.
Over in Germany, Matija Nastasic played the full 90 minutes for Schalke in Saturdayās Ruhr derby, as Borussia Dortmund ran out 3-0 winners in the Bundesliga, and also in the midweek Champions League defeat to Real Madrid.
On Sunday, Micah Richards was an unused substitute for Fiorentina in their 1-0 win at Inter Milan, although he did feature as the only Englishman to start in the midweek Europa League win over Tottenham.
In Holland, Sinan Bytyqi was named in the starting line-up for Cambuur but only managed 23 minutes of the Dutch sideās 1-0 win over Heracles due to injury. Divine Naah also made his debut for NAC Breda, coming on as a 63rd-minute substitute in their 1-1 draw with Twente.
Finally, Karim Rekik is still recovering from a hamstring problem so played no part in PSVās home defeat to Ajax or Thursday nightās loss to Zenit St Petersburg - also in the Europa League.
Book now for City v Leicester
Midweek football is back at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday as City face Leicester in the Barclays Premier League.
With City aiming for a third Premier League title in four years and Leicester looking to climb off the bottom of the table, this is sure to be an unmissable clash.
Thereās also a chance youāll see our new signing Wilfried Bony in action - will this be the night he scores his first City goal? The game isnāt being televised in the UK, so thereās only one way to find out!
There are only six home Premier League games to go and we need your support every step of the way... see you at the match!