Peterborough boss Darren Ferguson blamed “schoolboy” defending for his side’s 3-0 defeat at Wigan.
On-loan Nottingham Forest striker Dale Taylor opened the scoring inside 11 minutes and, after England Under-21 goalkeeper Sam Tickle somehow denied Posh an instant leveller with a point-blank save from Kwame Poku, Taylor added his second goal four minutes after the restart.
Callum McManaman put the icing on the cake with a glorious strike into the top corner with nine minutes to go.
“I’m disappointed, as you would expect,” said Ferguson. “Losing 3-0 suggests you’ve been battered, but really in that first half we battered them.
“We’re just not giving ourselves a chance, we’re not giving ourselves a platform. The first two goals are really, really awful goals to concede…schoolboy stuff.
“If teams are playing through us, or coming up with brilliance like the third goal – and Callum McManaman has always had that – then you hold your hands up and admire the quality.
“But when teams are scoring from four yards, with no contact against them, like their first goal, then fundamentally you have a problem.”
On Poku’s miss shortly after Wigan had taken the lead, Ferguson added: “Kwame, I can’t believe he’s missed, he’s got an open goal.
“We then said at half-time that we needed to keep hurting them, keep our discipline, move the ball quickly, which we did, but then we concede again at the start of the second half. It’s the easiest goal that Taylor will score this season.
“I know we have a young back four but that’s not an excuse, I’m not one for making excuses. We’re better than that, we can’t keep conceding goals like that.
“We’ve had 11 games now and we haven’t kept one clean sheet, so it’s staring you in the face really.”
Shaun Maloney hailed a “complete performance” as Wigan ended a run of three goalless draws in a row.
“It was a really important win for us, and a really good performance,” acknowledged Maloney. “I really like Peterborough, they’re a very good side, very difficult to play against, and we kind of needed a bit of everything.
“We had to play with the ball under a lot of pressure, we needed a lot of hard work without the ball, and we needed a massive save from our goalkeeper at 1-0.
“But it was a complete performance, with some brilliant moments.
“I knew this game wasn’t going to be like Exeter, Stevenage or Lincoln, who made it very difficult for us to break them down – which is something we have to get better at.
“Against Peterborough, I knew there would be chances, there would be goals, and it would probably be decided by moments of brilliance.
“We got that at both ends from Sam Tickle and then Callum McManaman, fortunately for us.
“It was never going to be a 0-0, it was always going to be open and it could have been 3-2, 4-2, it was one of those games.”
[(Shimizu S-Pulse) Weakness]: 1. Shimizu S-Pulse are 13th in the J1 League table. Facing 2nd-placed Kashima Antlers, they will find it hard to win this match due to their declining form, indicating doubtful motivation.2. Shimizu S-Pulse defender Yuji Takahashi and forward Sena Saito will miss this league game due to injuries.3. Shimizu S-Pulse were winless with 2 draws and 3 losses in the last 5 g...
Liverpool table fresh Guehi bidAccording to The Athletic, Liverpool have submitted a fresh bid worth £35 million ($47m) to sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace. The Reds had earlier seen two bids rejected by the Eagles, but they remain hopeful that this time the offer will be accepted.Fenerbahce eyeing move for EdersonTurkish Super Lig giants Fenerbahce are eyeing a move for out-of-favour Manc...
Roma medical for Liverpool fullback TsimikasAS Roma are holding a medical for Kostas Tsimikas today.The Liverpool fullback is leaving Anfield after finding himself third-choice this season behind fellow left-backs Andrew Robertson and Milos Kerkez.La Gazzetta dello Sport says the Greece international is expected in Italy today to finalise his move.Tsimikas will undergo a medical ahead of signing a...
FBL-ENG-PR-CHELSEA-FULHAMMarco Silva has demanded an explanation from the Premier League after lambasting three "shocking" refereeing decisions in Fulham's 2-0 Premier League loss at Chelsea.WHAT HAPPENED?The Whites thought they had taken the lead against their west London rivals Chelsea when 18-year-old Josh King coolly slotted past Robert Sanchez. However, the goal was chalked off by referee Rob...
[(Shonan Bellmare) Strength]: 1. Shonan Bellmare are one of the bottom teams in the table, taking 25 points and being in the relegation zone. They are strongly motivated to grab points.[(Shonan Bellmare) Neutral]: 1. Shonan Bellmare drew the last 4 home games, revealing mediocre home performances.[(Shonan Bellmare) Weakness]: 1. Shonan Bellmare lost 1-0 to Fagiano Okayama on the road in the last g...
Manchester United Training Session And Press Conference - UEFA Europa League Final 2025Chelsea have completed the signing of Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United.WHAT HAPPENED?Garnacho has signed a seven-year contract with the Blues after the two Premier League clubs agreed a deal worth a fixed £40 million fee ($54m) with a 10 per cent sell-on clause, Goal understands. The 21-year-old ha...
Marc Guehi Crystal Palace 2025-26Liverpool have launched a fresh bid for Marc Guehi as they hope that Crystal Palace will finally accept their proposal and agree to sell their star defender before the summer transfer window closes on Monday. The Reds have been linked with a move for the England international throughout the summer and the champions are determined to secure his signature.WHAT HAPPEN...
West Ham United v Lille OSC - Pre-Season FriendlyAston Villa are close to signing West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta on an initial loan with an obligation to buy next summer.WHAT HAPPENED?Villa are on the brink of agreeing a £47 million (€54m/$63m) package for Paqueta which includes a loan fee and add-ons, according to Fabrizio Romano. The report also states the 28-year-old has ac...
[(Nagoya Grampus) Strength]: 1. Nagoya Grampus currently have only 28 points and are near the bottom of the league table. To avoid relegation, they need to earn points.[(Nagoya Grampus) Neutral]: 1. Nagoya Grampus' 7 successive games ended with OVER.[(Nagoya Grampus) Weakness]: 1. Nagoya Grampus lost 2-4 to Sanfrecce Hiroshima in their last Emperor's Cup game, with poor performance.2. In the lates...
Cody Gakpo Liverpool 2025Premier League champions Liverpool have confirmed that star attacker Cody Gakpo has put pen to paper on a new long-term contract, which has extended his stay at Anfield beyond 2028. The Dutchman who joined the club in January 2023, during the Jurgen Klopp era, has established himself as a regular starter under new boss Arne Slot and has now committed his future to the Reds...
