Crawley manager Scott Lindsey was at a complete loss to explain how his side came away from Wigan with nothing to show for their efforts after a 1-0 Sky Bet League One defeat.
The visitors dominated in every area except the one that matters most, with Thelo Aasgaard heading home the only goal at the Brick Community Stadium on the half-hour via a deflection off Joy Mukena.
It was a first defeat of the campaign for Crawley – and one the manager did not feel was warranted.
“I was really pleased with the performance, I thought we were outstanding against a really good side,” assessed Lindsey.
“We dominated, we had 72 per cent possession, we had 14 shots to their two, they only had one shot on target. But of our 14 chances, we only had three on target, so we have to improve on that.
“Towards the end, we were hoping and praying we could find an opening, but when you play against good opposition in League One… it’s not like League Two, it’s very different.
“You’re playing against good units, good individuals, and when they go 1-0 up, it’s always going to be hard to break them down.
“I’ve said to the players that if they perform like that every week, 99 times out of 100 we’ll win the game.
“We’re all about the performances, because the results will usually follow… I’m really big on that process, and the players know that.
“Today, we fell short in terms of putting the ball in the net, which is.not so much frustrating as annoying.
“For all the ball we had in their final third, I thought we should have asked more questions of them than we did.”
For Wigan boss Shaun Maloney, it was an important first win of the campaign after losing their opening three games in all competitions.
“It felt like a very big victory for us, very hard fought,” he said. “I maybe didn’t see the last 20 minutes going like that, but sometimes you just need to find a way to win a game.
“I really liked what we did in the first half, we really went after them and caused them problems.
“In the second half you probably saw a group of men who were desperate to win a game.
“We definitely found ourselves dropping deeper and deeper, but we found a way to win.
“We played amazingly well in our first game against Charlton, the performance was so good, and we lost the game to a mistake at the end.
“The thing about football is sometimes you win games you don’t deserve to win, and you lose games you don’t deserve to lose.
“Today was a bit strange, because we didn’t have a great deal of the ball, but I never felt under massive threat in terms of them creating lots and lots of chances.
“They’re a good side, they played very well, they had a lot of possession, especially with their goalkeeper, who starts everything off.
“But for the effort and desire our players put in, I thought we got what we deserved in terms of the result.”
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Ahhh Man City next 5 match !! LOL Big clubs in Europe Is this the start of a NEW RIVALRY? Chelsea fans seeing this.. Rodrygo getting ready to face Manchester City like.. Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: Just toon it, trollfootball, The Football Arena, AZR Organization)...
We've reached the final straight of this year's winter window, with clubs across the Premier League and Europe scrambling to complete deals before Monday's deadline.Manchester United have had a quiet window so far, but with deals lined up - both incomings and outgoings - things could be about to get busy in the final days.Clubs have until 3 February to complete all dealsArsenal are another team pu...
Manchester City will let Kevin De Bruyne decide his future as he enters the final five months of his contract. De Bruyne to make decision on his Man City future as he comes to the end of his contractDe Bruyne, City's most trophy-winning player, had significant interest from Saudi Arabia last season. Having played 23 times this season, the Belgian is open to extending his stay at the Etihad Stadium...
Tottenham Hotspur are exploring the possibility of signing Chelsea defender Axel Disasi on loan, CaughtOffside has been told.The 26-year-old has found his first-team opportunities limited at Stamford Bridge this season, prompting interest from several Premier League clubs, with the latest being the Blues’ rivals Spurs.Since joining Chelsea from AS Monaco in 2023 for approximately £35 mi...
Aston Villa are interested in signing Marcus Rashford before the transfer deadline, sources have told ESPN.Rashford is available after being frozen out by Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim.It is not yet known whether Rashford would be open to a move to Villa Park, although sources have told ESPN that there is little optimism on all sides that a deal could materialise.A source has told ESPN...
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Nuno and his 2nd manager of the month award milk Mbappe We're so back Bookies headquarters after the AC Milan red card Man City fans at HT vs Man City fans at FT "What a week, huh?""Gaffer, it's Wednesday." Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: Justtoonit, FootballLaughss)...
Neymar has confirmed he will return to his boyhood club, Santos, as he looks to recover from an ACL injury that has heavily disrupted his career in recent seasons.In an emotive post on Instagram, Neymar said that re-joining the Sao Paulo-based side that he left for Barcelona in 2013 was "like going back in time," describing it as the perfect place to regain his form and fitness."Only a club like S...
Aston Villa's Jhon Duran is expected to fly to the Gulf state on Friday to complete a £64m move to join Cristiano Ronaldo in Riyadh.Al-Nassr are interested in signing Mateo KovacicJhon Duran is expected to complete a £64m move to the clubBrighton's Kaoru Mitoma is also a target of the Saudi sideThe Saudi Pro League side also lodged a £54m bid for Brighton's Kaoru Mitoma.Brighton rej...
Tottenham Hotspur have had a €60 million ($62.5m) offer accepted by Bayern Munich on Thursday for their French forward Mathys Tel, sources have told ESPN.Tel, 19, has decided to leave the German side and is attracting a lot of interest from English clubs.Bayern wanted €60m for the France under-21 international and Spurs have become the first team to agree a deal with the Bavarian giant...
Ramos in advanced talks over free transfer to Mexican clubFormer Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos is reportedly in discussions with Mexican club Monterrey regarding a possible transfer.Dorgu to complete €35m Man Utd move as medical scheduledLecce star Patrick Dorgu is reportedly set to fly to England ahead of a medical and a €35 million move to Manchester United.Neymar sends emotional ...
- 1 Kerkez and £83m ace join as Salah signs
- 2 Ashley Cole, wife Sharon, Peter Crouch and Abbey Clancy on luxury skiing holiday
- 3 Enzo 'trying to fix romance with childhood sweetheart'
- 4 'exciting' Betis on signing Man Utd flop
- 5 Napoli confirm Garnacho interest
- 6 LaLiga ace Alex Berenguer & model wife ‘have gun pointed at them’
- 7 Kyle Walker’s wife in talks with ITV for HUGE reality show
- 8 Fresh Lauryn Goodman claims rock Kyle Walker’s marriage
- 9 Transfer news LIVE
- 10 Meet Jude Bellingham's new model WAG