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.”
[(Racing Club de Avellaneda) Strength]: 1. Racing Club de Avellaneda lost their first encounter 0-1, so they cannot afford any loss this time and must go all out to win, fully motivated.2. In the last domestic league game, Adrian Balboa performed well and scored the first goal to put the team ahead.3. Racing Club de Avellaneda scored 5 goals and conceded 5 in the last 5 games with good performance...
[(Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors) Strength]: 1. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors performed stably across all competitions this season. Since April, the team have remained unbeaten in the last 20 matches.2. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors scored at halftime in 4 consecutive games, getting into form quickly on offense.3. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors scored at least 2 goals per game in 5 consecutive matches, showing strong attack.4....
[(Velez Sarsfield) Strength]: 1. During their first encounter, Velez Sarsfield played a goalless draw. In this home game, they vow to grab a win and advance, with full motivation.2. Braian Romero withstood the pressure in the last game and scored a penalty in the final moment, helping the team seal a last-gasp victory.3. Velez Sarsfield defeated Club Atletico Independiente 2-1 in the last game, wh...
[(Ferencvaros) Strength]: 1. Ferencvaros are motivated to win this home game and take the lead in advancing.2. Cadu scored a goal in the last game, once helping the team tie the game.3. Ferencvaros received 3 wins and 1 loss in the last 4 home games, revealing outstanding home performances.4. Ferencvaros scored 11 goals and conceded 3 in the last 5 games, boasting excellent attack and solid defens...
[(Gwangju FC) Strength]: 1. The first leg of the Semi-finals will see Gwangju FC play at home first. They hope to grab the advantage, with full motivation.2. Gwangju FC forward Reis scored twice in the last game, being in good form.3. Gwangju FC performed well and scored a 2-0 win over Daejeon Hana Citizen in hte last game, thus getting back on the winning ways.4. AH market provided home team a -1...
[(FC Machida Zelvia) Strength]: 1. In the last league game, Korean internationals Oh Se Hun and Na Sang Ho both scored in open play, showing decent performances.2. This game is FC Machida Zelvia's fourth consecutive home game, which is in favor of them.3. FC Machida Zelvia won 3-0 over Cerezo Osaka in the last league game, securing a 10-game winning streak across all competitions.4. FC Machida Zel...
[(Crvena Zvezda) Strength]: 1. Crvena Zvezda vow to win this home game in order to grab the advancing advantage, with full motivation.2. Aleksandar Katai performed very well in the last domestic league game. He scored a hat-trick in a win for the team.3. Crvena Zvezda defeated Mladost Lucani 4-1 in the last domestic league game. They achieved 7 wins and 1 draw in the last 8 games, being in red-hot...
[(Sao Paulo FC) Strength]: 1. Sao Paulo FC drew with Atletico Nacional in the first leg on the road. They will advance to the next round if they win this round at home, indicating full motivation to win.2. Sao Paulo FC signed Serie A team Atalanta BC captain Rafael Toloi recently. He is expected to make his debut in this match.3. Sao Paulo FC drew 2-2 with Sport Club do Recife in the last league g...
[(Chengdu Rongcheng FC) Strength]: 1. Chengdu Rongcheng FC drew 0-0 with Qingdao Hainiu F.C. in the last Chinese Super League, ending their winning streak. However, the team were unbeaten with 5 wins and 1 draw in the last 6 games, showing commendable performances.2. Chengdu Rongcheng FC scored 12 goals in the last 5 home games, revealing outstanding attack at home.3. Chengdu Rongcheng FC are now ...
[(Sanfrecce Hiroshima) Strength]: 1. Sanfrecce Hiroshima have achieved 14 wins, 4 draws and 8 losses in the league so far this season. They have scored 30 goals and conceded 18 goals in 26 league matches, and currently rank 5th in the league standings. The team will play at home in this game and have a strong desire to win.2. Naoto Arai, the main defender of Sanfrecce Hiroshima, has performed stea...
- 1 Brentford Agree Deal to Sign Dango Ouattara From Bournemouth
- 2 TIPS - Villarreal VS Real Oviedo
- 3 ngland cricket legend’s granddaughter stuns in bikini
- 4 Lamela explains retirement decision: It started 11 years ago...
- 5 Estevao Willian set for 'key' Chelsea role after debut vs Palace
- 6 TIPS - Club Necaxa VS Club Leon
- 7 TIPS - Gwangju FC VS Daejeon Hana Citizen
- 8 Emotional Arne Slot admits he had wanted to bring late Diogo Jota on as a substitute in Liverpool's dramatic victory over Bournemouth
- 9 Benjamin Sesko vs Viktor Gyokeres: Man Utd-Arsenal showdown sets early stage for big-money No.9s to show the Premier League what they can offer
- 10 TIPS - Cambuur Leeuwarden VS FC Oss