MK Dons assistant head coach Ian Watson was delighted with the ruthless start his team made in their 3-1 victory over rivals AFC Wimbledon.
The Dons were made to rue missed chances in the first half of their defeat at home to Morecambe last Saturday, but there was no repeat as they surged into a 3-0 lead after 22 minutes.
They were then helped along by red cards to Wimbledon defenders Huseyin Biler and Paul Kalambayi in the second half as they moved up to sixth in League Two.
Watson, who took charge with head coach Mike Williamson absent due to a family bereavement, said: “It’s really nice when the goals go in.
“We said when we spoke previously about the performance being the most important thing but obviously everybody wants to win football matches, that’s why we do it.
“When we take the opportunities and the ball hits the back of the net, it’s such a good feeling and it really gave us that momentum from the first half.
“Then it was just about managing the game as best we possibly could and I thought the boys did that extremely well.
“We could have been a little bit cleaner with the ball at times but on a tough night with tough weather in a derby, I’m not going to complain.
“There were chances that we could have taken but the performance was really, really good and we’ll just keep focusing on the performance.”
Joe Tomlinson’s ball across goal allowed Dan Kemp to open the scoring for MK Dons, who were gifted a second by Ryan Johnson’s bizarre own goal before Warren O’Hora headed in their third.
Armani Little made the most of some careless play to pull one back for Wimbledon, but they finished with nine men following Biler and Kalambayi’s red cards.
Wimbledon boss Johnnie Jackson said: “Their first attack, they score, and we don’t defend it well enough at all and it gives them an impetus in the game.
“After that I thought we were way off it in that first half, unacceptable. We conceded another goal, we conceded from a set-play and it was just not recognisable from the team we’ve been so far this season.
“That bit’s hard to take because in the second half we did look like us, but we were way off it in that first period.
“I thought the first one is probably a red card but it’s no different to O’Hora at the end of the first half on [Josh] Davison, it was exactly the same.
“The second one, I don’t think there’s much contact from PK [on Max Dean], I thought that was harsh – if anything I think he’s tangled his own legs.”
Jadon Sancho's transfer at Manchester United may go down as one of the most underwhelming ever.He arrived in 2021 for £73 million, making him Manchester United's fifth-most expensive signing ever, fresh off the back of a brace in the DFB-Pokal final, and was widely regarded as one of the best wingers in the world.But we have never seen the best of Sancho in England as struggles with disciplin...
Manchester United have reportedly submitted a third transfer bid for Bryan Mbeumo which meets Brentford's valuation. The move looked to be under threat when Newcastle United turned their attention to Mbeumo's Brentford team-mate, Yoane Wissa, on Thursday.The Bees are only willing to lose one of their formidable attacking duo this summer, so if Newcastle tied up a quick deal for Wissa, Mbeumo would...
Liverpool target Hugo Ekitike has reportedly submitted a transfer request at Eintracht Frankfurt in a bid to seal his move to Anfield.The Frenchman has become Liverpool's prime target this summer, with the Premier League champions seemingly moving on from Newcastle's star Alexander Isak, who could have set them back by more than £125million had the Magpies been willing to part with their Swed...
Modric explains AC Milan choice: This club cannot accept mediocrityLuka Modric has explained his decision to sign with AC Milan.The Real Madrid great spoke to Milan's media channels this morning for the first time since completing his transfer.Modric said: 0"I wanted to stay in Europe to continue playing competitive football. I had other offers, but when AC Milan called me, it was clear to me. I w...
Man Utd make late attempt to trump Roma for Palmeiras starManchester United are threatening AS Roma plans for Palmeiras midfielder Richard Rios.The Brazil international is subject of major interest from the Giallorossi - and is said to be keen on moving to Rome.TMW says last night, Roma chief Ricky Massara informed Palmeiras they plan to meet their €30m demands.Roma are ready to make an easi...
Napoli Set to Beat Man United to Potential €21m Andre Onana replacementNapoli are on the verge of signing Vanja Milinkovic-Savic for €21 million with the Torino 'keeper touted as a potential replacement for Andre Onana at Man United.Man United are understood to be weighing up whether they should sign a replacement for Onana, 29, following a string of high-profile mistakes between the s...
Former Man United Boss Erik ten Hag Addresses Potential Antony Reunion at Bayer LeverkusenFormer Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has broken his silence on the possibility of reuniting with Antony at Bayer Leverkusen.The 25-year-old is widely expected to leave Man United this summer despite an impressive second half of the season on loan with Real Betis.United are in desperate need of raisin...
Premier League Glory? Chelsea Backed for Title by Italian Legend Vieri, Who Praises Maresca’s ImpactChristian Vieri backs Chelsea to win the title next season, praising new boss Enzo Maresca for his impressive start at the club.Chelsea ended the 2024-25 season with two trophies and a place in next season’s Champions League despite a rocky patch over the festive period.Maresca’s s...
Viktor Gyokeres Targeted by Sporting Fans in Celtic Defeat Amid Arsenal Transfer LinksSporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres faces backlash from fans during a pre-season loss to Celtic, with a transfer to Arsenal reportedly close.The 27-year-old finally looks set to seal a move to North London after one of the more drawn-out transfer sagas so far this summer.Arsenal have agreed fixed upfront fee of &...
West Ham Join Jack Grealish Transfer Race Amid Key Challenge as Man City Winger Seeks ExitWest Ham have reportedly joined the race to sign Manchester City winger Jack Grealish, but a key issue remains as the player tries to force a summer move.The 29-year-old doesn’t seem to have a future at Man City after being left out of their squad for this summer’s FIFA Club World Cup.Pep Guardiol...
- 1 FIFA Club World Cup 2025: Fixture schedule, group standings, knockout round, tickets, format & everything you need to know
- 2 Brooklyn Beckham's ex inspires Palmer as Chelsea crush PSG
- 3 Spurs get huge lift in Morgan Gibbs-White row
- 4 Model skips Lamine Yamal's party over 'weird demands'
- 5 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 6 Rashford becomes new club's 'priority target'
- 7 Meet Christian Norgaard's gorgeous wife
- 8 Jude Bellingham finally undergoes surgery on recurrent dislocated shoulder injury as Real Madrid confirm successful procedure for England star ahead of long layoff
- 9 Noni Madueke parties at Wireless with Jadon Sancho
- 10 Chelsea's wage offer to Jadon Sancho revealed