Ian Dawes was left lamenting his Tranmere side’s second-half performance after visitors Salford came from 2-1 down at the break to win 4-3.
Connor Jennings and Kristian Dennis had given Rovers the advantage in this Sky Bet League Two contest, with Matt Smith netting for the visitors in between.
However, after Callum Hendry made it 2-2 a minute into the second half, he hit two more to give the Ammies a remarkable victory, with Charlie Jolley’s goal for the hosts making the 12 minutes of stoppage time a little more frantic for Salford.
Dawes was despondent after his side’s defensive lapses proved costly in the end.
“In the first half we did really well and we deserved to be 2-1 up at half-time,” he said.
“Unfortunately injuries forced two changes upon us so we made those changes, and then to go out and concede a minute after half-time, that’s not acceptable, it’s not good enough.
“The flow of the game changed and we didn’t defend well enough, which is very unlike us, we don’t normally give many chances away.
“We look like we were going to score every time we went forward but were vulnerable at the back.
“It’s a tough result to take, we had to commit players forward. We got it back to 4-3 and still had chances but it’s a disappointing result.
“We talked at half-time about making the game secure and the game management in the first minute of the second half wasn’t good enough.”
He added: “We’re gutted that we’ve lost the game but we’ve got to pick ourselves up and move forward.
“We can’t give Hendry that much space because he’s a top player, and we can’t defend like we did against him.
“The fans know we threw everything we could at them and we all felt we were going to get an equaliser. We’ve tried everything and left gaps but it wasn’t meant to be today.”
Salford boss Neil Wood revealed that his players had come in at the break furious to be a goal in arrears, and was delighted that they drew level almost instantly once the second half got going.
Although he was unhappy with his side’s own defensive shortcomings, he felt they deserved to take home the three points.
“I’m not quite sure where to start today,” he said. “I thought we played really well after a poor start and conceding after six minutes. All three of the goals we conceded were really soft so we have to be much better at that side of it.
“But I do think we played some really good stuff in the first half, we put a lot of pressure on and scored an equaliser, got some good momentum behind us then we were sucker-punched with the second goal.
“I’m glad the lads were angry about it at half-time. I’m really pleased that they showed they weren’t going to accept it.
“We had to keep doing what we’d done well in the first half and we got the best possible start to the second half we could have and we needed to stick to our identity. I thought we dominated them but we had to manage the game better.
“You can get a bit sucked in by the 12 minutes of injury-time when we should have kept the ball better but I don’t think they caused us that many problems.
On Hendry, Wood added: “Callum showed the workrate and quality we want out of him every week.
“We’ve got quality in the side and we know if we play in the right way we’ll create chances and score goals.”
Ferguson still better than Guardiola, says James
Former Manchester City goalkeeper David James hails Pep Guardiola for "doing remarkable things" but believes he is still not at Alex Ferguson’s level.
City became the first team in Premier League history to win four consecutive titles with their 3-1 win over West Ham on Sunday, pipping Arsenal to the crown by two points.
Manchester United had previously won three consecutive Premier League seasons, achieving the feat twice under Ferguson (1998-2001 and 2006-2009).
Guardiola’s side can create more history on Saturday as they aim to clinch unprecedented back-to-back league and FA Cup doubles against the Red Devils.
Asked if this achievement put Guardiola’s name alongside Ferguson’s as the best Premier League manager, James, who spent two years with City, disagreed.
"No, Fergie's still the best. Look at statistics and longevity," James told Stats Perform. "And even more so, since Fergie left, what's happened to Manchester United.
"You can't even blame or use the excuse he had a good team and did well with it, Fergie rode the waves, he was up and down and even these downs weren't particularly bad.
"I think third or fourth was probably the worst they ever did; Fergie was the best and Pep will have to hang around for another decade, I think, before he can actually challenge that position.
"But what we're seeing at the moment, you've got a different style of football, a different type of game in so many different ways. The way the league is constructed at the moment with other competitions around it, Pep is having to do different things to what Fergie may have had to do.
"I know Fergie was a great manager, but not necessarily the greatest coach. Pep is a great manager and a great coach. He's also got an extra string to his bow in that sense.
"To be the winner of that league four years in a row, you need to be a superb manager. And I think Pep, in this short time frame, is doing some remarkable things, but he's going to have to hang around for a lot longer to take Ferguson's crown."
Following their victory over West Ham, Guardiola stated that he was "closer to leaving than staying", raising speculation that next season could be his last.
"I think the big question for Pep, and it is logical that he will now become the focus given that Jurgen Klopp announced his departure a few months ago, and all of a sudden it was nothing, but Jurgen and he will be the next focus," James added.
"I think the thing for Pep is, what does he want to do as a person? And it's not that he's completed the treble and that's enough because I think that he would want to do a treble treble, you want to do a quadruple.
"I can see that competitive side in him, he doesn't seem to change on the sidelines. Even yesterday, when they conceded the goal, and it was a fantastic goal from Kudus, he wasn't happy.
"I think you can still see that he's still animated, still engaged with the game. There's no question that he's feeling tired in that sense.
"I would like him to stay. I would like him to stay because I think when you've got someone so good, you need someone to beat them legitimately rather than them just step away and allow everyone else to play.
"I think he should stay. And I'm sure City will do everything they can to keep him in charge for the foreseeable future."
Putellas signs two-year deal with Barcelona
Barcelona midfielder Alexia Putellas has signed a two-year deal until 2026, the club announced on Thursday.
Putellas was due to be out of contract next month, but extends her 12-year relationship with Barcelona, with the new deal also including an option for an additional season.
The 30-year-old is a two-time Ballon d’Or winner in 2021 and 2022, though she has struggled with injuries that have kept her sidelined since winning the second.
Overall, she has made 424 appearances, scoring a record 189 goals for the club, playing a pivotal role in Barcelona’s recent domination in women’s football.
Putellas has won 29 major trophies with Barcelona and is looking for another on Saturday when they face Lyon in the Champions League final.
Having already clinched Liga F, the Copa de la Reina and the Spanish Supercopa this season, Putellas can help Barcelona to complete an unprecedented quadruple with a win over the French champions.
Sargent earns recall as Pulisic, Balogun and Adams headline USA's preliminary Copa America squad
United States coach Gregg Berhalter has named a 27-man preliminary squad ahead of the Copa America.
Josh Sargent, the Norwich City forward, has earned a recall to the USA squad for the upcoming friendlies against Brazil and Colombia, and is set to feature for his country for the first time since 2022.
With first-choice right-back Sergino Dest injured, meanwhile, Berhalter has turned to Nashville SC's Shaq Moore in defence.
Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, Matt Turner, Weston McKennie and Brendan Aaronson are among the established names to feature.
Former Arsenal forward Folarin Balogun, who opted to represent the USA rather than England, has also made the cut, as has Coventry City's Haji Wright, who has had a strong season in England's second tier.
Berhalter explained Sargent had been called up to give him another option in attack, with Wright seen primarily as a wide option.
"Between their club form and what they've done for the national team in the past, we think it's a talented group of strikers," he said.
Giovanni Reyna, the 21-year-old Borussia Dortmund attacker who has been on loan at Nottingham Forest since January, has also been included, despite a feud between Berhalter and the playmaker's family in the wake of the World Cup.
Antonee Robinson has had another impressive season with Fulham, and has been called up alongside club-mate Tim Ream.
Former Manchester City goalkeeper Zack Steffen was a notable omission, as were MLS stars Jesus Ferreira and Jordan Morris.
"This summer presents an opportunity for us to progress and grow as a team as we continue to build towards the 2026 FIFA World Cup," Berhalter said.
"We have a talented group of players and are excited about the opportunity to compete against some of the best teams in the world."
Berhalter will cut down his squad after the friendlies, with Copa hosts USA taking on Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia in Group C.
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