Northampton boss Jon Brady hailed a perfect away showing from his side as they ran out deserved 2-0 winners at Exeter.
Sam Hoskins ran through to open the scoring in the 20th minute before Patrick Brough sealed victory in stoppage time, ending a run of three consecutive League One defeats.
The Cobblers could easily have been bigger winners against an Exeter side that were a far cry from the one that beat Premier League Luton 1-0 in the Carabao Cup in midweek.
“It was a good day all round,” Brady said.
“It was a really strong performance from the group. I felt the movement for the first goal was excellent and the way Sam goes in one-on-one and finishes it, brilliant.
“Sam has run in from 35 yards and put it in the corner and he has beaten a very good keeper and he has finished it well.
“In the second half, we were brave to stay in the shape we were for as long as we did. And we kept catching them on the counter-attack and we had a fair few chances to be fair.
“They didn’t have a chance second half and we nullified them. We were aggressive and did the ugly side well, won our battles and played forward really well and it was a good performance.
“We reduced Exeter to one shot on target and it is really pleasing, everyone in the team was great in terms of how they worked. Exeter have got a massive squad and we haven’t, we need those players.
“Our fans were brilliant, they have travelled and we wanted to give them something back.”
Exeter boss Gary Caldwell had few complaints with the outcome.
He said: “It was a really disappointing performance. We didn’t get going at any point or didn’t deserve anything from the game. All credit to Northampton, they were better than us and deserved to win.
“I think we were sluggish and that’s a result of Tuesday night. I think it’s the realisation of playing Saturday-Tuesday but if we want to be a big team and a big player, then you have to stand up to that test.
“We did everything to recover the players on Wednesday and Thursday and prepared yesterday, as we normally do, but when the game comes, you have to be ready emotionally, physically to give everything to win a game of football and we were nowhere near the level we expect.
“Some players are getting opportunities and not taking them. Coming out and showing what you are all about on a Saturday is the true test of a footballer but, too often, people have come out and not delivered and we have to change that very quickly if we want to have a successful season.”
Conte slams transfer market timing after comeback Parma win
Antonio Conte was displeased with the transfer market deadline due to potential injury risks after their 2-1 win over Parma.
Debutant Romelu Lukaku and midfielder Andre Zambo Anguissa scored stoppage-time goals to earn the Italian his second victory as Napoli head coach, and provisionally move fourth in the standings.
However, he was concerned about not having squad depth while dealing with last-minute changes made to his team due to the transfer window closing on Friday, leaving him hoping his players can remain fit.
"We take these three points knowing full well that we have to work after this absurdity of the transfer market," Conte told reporters.
"Coaches have to train players who are going to leave and wait for players we've never worked with and don't know in what condition they'll be when they arrive.
"We had zero midfielders on the bench today, as yesterday [Gennaro] Iaccarino and [Coli] Saco went on loan. We had to pray that nothing happened to [Stanislav] Lobotka and Anguissa.
"I hope that things can change in the future, seeing as everyone is ready to change formats and rules."
Conte added he was pleased with Napoli's transfer window, as they added Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour to their ranks on Friday, despite the failure of Victor Osimhen's move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli.
"We did not just bring in players to build on an existing team but to fill certain empty slots, and I am happy with the work done by the club," he said.
"If we had been able to sell Osimhen, it would've been an even better situation, but what happened cannot be changed, and we move on."
Chicago Fire 1-4 Inter Miami: Suarez on target once more in road win
Luis Suarez scored two and orchestrated another as Inter Miami cruised to a 4-1 win over Chicago Fire at Soldier Field on Saturday.
His shot led to the opening own goal before his second-half double put the game out of reach as Miami stretched their lead at the top of the Eastern Conference to nine points.
Suarez played a neat one-two with Diego Gomez to set up a strike from the edge of the box, and though Chris Brady did well to save it, he pushed it straight against Tobias Salquist, who chested it over the line 25 minutes in.
The Uruguayan thumped a free header against the bar minutes later, but finally got his reward just after the break – he raced in behind before slotting a neat shot in at the near post.
Alba then picked him out for his second in the 65th minute, fizzing a low cross into the six-yard box for him to guide past Brady.
Gomez was unlucky from distance as his drilled shot hit the inside of the post before Georgios Koutsias' instinctive close-range finish beat Drake Callender.
Substitute Robert Taylor then rounded off the scoring with a lovely first-time finish in stoppage time.
Data Debrief: Suarez continues to step up in Messi's absence
Miami have now been without their talisman Lionel Messi for three months due to the Copa America and an ankle injury, but Suarez has proven once again that they still pose a threat without him.
He has scored four times from a total of 12 shots since MLS resumed, with nine of those coming in this game.
The 37-year-old ran the show, leading the team in expected goals (1.4), shots on target (five), touches in the box (eight) and big chances (four).
Fonseca shrugs off talk of rift with Milan duo
Paulo Fonseca was quick to dismiss talk of any tension with Rafael Leao and Theo Hernandez, who both appeared to snub him shortly after coming off the bench.
The pair came off the bench to help earn a 2-2 draw with Lazio on Saturday, being brought on in a quadruple change by Fonseca after being left out of the starting line-up.
Milan were losing 2-1 at the time of their introduction, and they immediately turned things around, with Hernandez and debutant Tammy Abraham, another substitute, involved in Leao's equaliser.
Minutes later, the game stopped for a cooling break, with both managers using the opportunity to instruct their players, but both Leao and Hernandez remained on the far side of the pitch, taking no part in the team talk.
"The situation with Theo and Leao, there is no problem and I think Theo has already explained," Fonseca told DAZN.
"We don't need to create any problems. This week I spoke with the players and they accepted my decision. There is no problem, I was concentrated, and I didn't see that they weren't there."
Hernandez had already given his reasons immediately after the game.
"We had been on for two minutes, we didn't need the cooling break," Hernandez said.
"It was nothing against the team and the coach. Then people talk, say things that aren't true. Rafa and I are always with the team to help, and that is the important thing."
Milan are still without a league win this season after three games, but Fonseca says he saw a decent performance in the opening half, giving him something to work on.
"We had a good first half. We always managed the game well with the ball. When you control the game like this, we have to have more moments to become dangerous, but it's something we have to work on," Fonseca told Milan TV.
"We must always have the courage we had in the first half because we did good things. If we had won the other two games, this could have been a good result, but it is not so. But we have to start from today's first half."
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
