Mark Hughes was pleased with Carlisle’s resilience as his side came from behind twice to draw 2-2 against MK Dons at Brunton Park.
Joe Tomlinson opened the scoring for the visitors with just six minutes on the clock, but Matty Dennis netted against his former side to draw the hosts level.
MK Dons took the initiative again through Alex Gilbey, only for Kadeem Harris’ excellent strike to secure United a draw, which moved them six points behind third-bottom Tranmere.
Hughes said: “I felt we showed great character tonight to come from behind twice after conceding two not so great goals for us.
“They didn’t have to work too hard for them, they could have been avoided, but the response was excellent.
“First half I thought we dusted ourselves down and just went for it, the second half was more of the same. We had a spell where we lost a bit of energy so we got some fresh lads on and turned it round a bit and towards the end we could have won it.”
Hughes took on the Carlisle job in February and the team have become harder to beat under his stewardship, with just four of the Blues’ 21 losses coming under his guidance.
He added: “I think the team wouldn’t have had the ability to come back a few months ago, but they’re a different group now with belief, that’s what they were lacking, confidence to do what we talk about and we had a game plan, which for the most part I thought was really solid.”
MK Dons interim boss Ben Gladwin was pleased with the improvements that his side displayed.
Gladwin has been overseeing the side since Scott Lindsey was sacked at the start of the month and the Dons, who are 17th in the table, were in charge for parts of the game.
He said: “It was an eventful one, I thought we were exceptional to be honest for the first 20, 25 minutes. We were in complete control of the game.
“I don’t know what swung the momentum, I’ll have to watch the game back to understand it. I think their first goal was preventable, but listen, the boys were brilliant on the whole, I’m really proud again and I think it’s another step in the right direction.”
Prior to Lindsey’s departure, MK Dons had lost 11 of 16 matches, but now they have suffered defeat in just one of their last four.
Gladwin added: “They’re fighting, this is a really tough place to come and the boys stood up to the test again.
“We knew that if we tried to manage the energy of the place and the state of the game, they would feel that a lot and they would ask for the team to press and we could potentially play through that.
“I think the first goal was an incredible example of that, the courage it takes to do that at a place like this is incredible.”
Jack Grealish dedicated his goal to his late brother after scoring in Manchester City’s 2-0 win over relegation-threatened Leicester on Wednesday.The England international hit his first Premier League goal for 16 months, on his first start in the competition since last December, as City moved back into fourth with a comfortable success at the Etihad Stadium.It came on the 25th anniversary of...
David Moyes bemoaned an “offside” goal that gave Liverpool a 1-0 win over Everton – but admitted James Tarkowski was lucky to avoid an early red card on a controversial night at Anfield.Diogo Jota’s 57th-minute goal gave Liverpool a 100th derby win and moved them a step closer to the Premier League title, but both sides were left unhappy with decisions from referee Sam Barr...
Eddie Howe hailed Sandro Tonali’s shooting power after seeing him cap a fine display with a stunning winner to edge Newcastle into the race for Champions League qualification.The 24-year-old Italy international brought an incident-packed encounter to a fitting conclusion with a 74th-minute piledriver which beat goalkeeper Mark Flekken from an improbable angle to hand the Magpies a precious 2...
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery believes Marcus Rashford is “progressively getting better” in all aspects of his game following his first Premier League goal for the club.The on-loan Manchester United forward set Villa on course for a comprehensive 3-0 win over fellow European hopefuls Brighton with a 51st-minute finish at the Amex Stadium.Rashford’s milestone strike came three days ...
Southampton boss Ivan Juric vowed to keep fighting as relegation moved sharply into focus after Crystal Palace denied them only a third Premier League win of the season.Substitute Matheus Franca’s stoppage-time header, to secure a 1-1 draw for the Eagles, means Saints will be down at the weekend if they lose at Tottenham and Wolves beat Ipswich.If relegation is confirmed on Sunday, Southampt...
Derby boss John Eustace insists his side are reaping the rewards for the hard work they have put in since he was appointed as manager after the Rams earned a 2-0 win over Preston to climb out of the Sky Bet Championship relegation zone.Derby came out firing after a lacklustre opening period and Craig Forsyth coolly slotted the hosts in front with his fourth goal of the season.The Rams doubled thei...
Notts County manager Stuart Maynard hailed a “massive” three points as his side comfortably saw off MK Dons at Meadow Lane to maintain their promotion challenge.Two stunning strikes from David McGoldrick and Will Jarvis from the edge of the box, either side of Nick Tsaroulla’s close-range effort, earned County a convincing 3-0 win.“I think every three points is massive now,...
Kieran McKenna was not getting too giddy dreaming of a miracle escape from relegation after Ipswich beat Bournemouth 2-1 to pick up their first Premier League win of 2025.Goals from Nathan Broadhead and top-scorer Liam Delap did the damage as Ipswich put a further dent in Bournemouth’s hopes of qualifying for Europe.McKenna, whose side are still nine points adrift of 17th-placed Wolves who t...
Liverpool re-established their 12-point lead at the top of the Premier League with Diogo Jota’s strike against Everton settling a second controversial Merseyside derby of the season.Jota’s first league goal since mid-January was potentially one of his most important of the campaign as the 1-0 victory kept second-placed Arsenal at more than arm’s length.It also ended Everton manag...
Ewan Otoo poured cold water on Livingston’s title ambitions in the Scottish Championship by netting the winner in struggling Dunfermline’s 1-0 win.Three points for the visitors would have been enough to lift them above Ayr United and within five of pace-setters Falkirk, but they were unable to take the chance.After back-to-back wins they were brought back to earth at East End Park, whe...
- 1 Hot WAG flaunts 'astonishing' washboard abs in bikini
- 2 Danny Rohl hails Sheffield Wednesday resilience in draw at Cardiff
- 3 Alfie May double sends Birmingham step closer to Championship
- 4 Marcus Rashford scores first Premier League goal for Villa in win at Brighton
- 5 Ryan Lowe and Conor Hourihane felt team deserved more as Wigan and Barnsley draw
- 6 Mat Sadler hails Taylor Allen set-piece skills after Walsall snatch draw
- 7 Chris Davies says Alfie May’s goal drought never concerned him
- 8 Football fan 'eats' raw pig's head in ultimate insult
- 9 Marcus Rashford still looking to improve after firing Villa into FA Cup semis
- 10 Chelsea prepare €70m for Barcelona defender