Wigan manager Shaun Maloney was thrilled with every aspect of his side’s 3-0 victory over 10-man Fleetwood at the DW Stadium.
The home side led 2-0 thanks to goals from Jordan Jones and Sean Clare when Joshua Earl was sent off for the Cod Army in first-half stoppage time for simulation in the penalty area.
The second period was only damage limitation, with Tom Pearce firing home a cracking free-kick just past the hour mark to put the icing on the cake.
“I thought the first half was very good and the contest changed in the second half after the sending off,” said Maloney.
“We had some brilliant individual performances, which always helps.
“I know we have some really talented players – (Martial) Godo, (Stephen) Humphrys and (Jordan) Jones were brilliant – and when we got them into good positions their talent took over.
“But I still loved the fact they gave me just as much out of possession as in it.
“In the second half, the game became reasonably controlled, the game was very, very different.
“Some games when we play the way we did tonight, I really enjoy watching it.
“But in other games, you can also enjoy the fight equally as much.
“And you have to show both sides if you want to get anywhere in this league.”
For Fleetwood manager Lee Johnson, it was a night that started badly – as Wigan led inside four minutes – and got progressively worse.
“It was a tough watch for sure,” he said. “This team has a lot to do, we knew that when we came in, the position we picked the club up in.
“But we’ve got a responsibility to the town, in my view, to the staff, to the people who work at the club, to give more than we gave in the first half.
“And that is what really, really hurts me.
“The game-changing moment, even though we were already 2-0 down, was obviously the penalty…or the sending off.
“It’s definitely not simulation, there’s no doubt about that, there is definitely contact.
“So the referee, in my view, has to either give a penalty or a goal kick, it’s as simple as that.
“We’ve been let down by the system in that sense and that’s where it becomes really frustrating for me as a manager because you can’t even appeal two yellows.
“The system seems pretty broken in that sense because we’re going to lose a player for a game that we don’t deserve to.
“In the second half, we salvaged a little bit of pride, in terms of the effort and the energy and the work rate.
“But there’s a lot to do, the confidence wasn’t there in the first half to play the way we wanted to play and it got progressively worse.
“Good players were making bad decisions too often and we might have to adjust how we look to start games.”
Al-Ahli 1-2 Al-Hilal: Mitrovic double keeps Saudi champions perfect
Aleksandar Mitrovic proved to be the difference once again for Al-Hilal as the reigning Saudi Pro League champions beat Al-Ahli 2-1 on Saturday.
Al-Ahil went in front with 12 minutes played when Gabri Veiga was sent through on goal by Franck Kessie, with the Spaniard rounding Yassine Bounou to open the scoring at King Abdullah Sports City.
The hosts went close to doubling their advantage soon after, with Riyad Mahrez and Ivan Toney going close, before Sergej Milinkovic-Savic saw his effort cleared off the line at the other end.
But parity was restored early in the second half through Al-Hilal's master marksman, as Mitrovic nodded home a trademark header from Renan Lodi's delivery.
Al-Ahil were then awarded a penalty when Rayan Hamed fouled Malcom inside the box, only for Mitrovic to see his effort saved by Abdulrahman Al Sanbi.
However, the Serbian was given the chance to redeem himself after the VAR deemed encroachment had taken place, and he made no mistake at the second time of asking to net his 14th goal of the season in all competitions.
Data Debrief: Mitrovic the main man
Mitrovic has been in fine form since his move to Saudi Arabia, with his latest double taking his tally to 54 goals in as many appearances for Al-Hilal.
This time out, he contributed 1.16 expected goals (xG) tally to the visitors' 2.24 total, while also recording the most touches in the opposition box (six).
Malcom also impressed for Al-Hilal, creating more chances (three) than anyone on the pitch, with his 14 passes into the final third a total only bettered by Ruben Neves (18) and Salem Al Dawsari (15) among his team-mates.
Al-Nassr 3-0 Al-Orubah: Mane double helps hosts close in on leaders
Sadio Mane scored a goal in either half, helping Al-Nassr cruise to a 3-0 win over Al-Orubah and close in on the top two in the Saudi Pro League.
Cristiano Ronaldo had given the hosts the lead from the spot, setting them on their way to a dominant victory.
After a slow start, Jean Seri was penalised for a handball, and Ronaldo made no mistake from the spot. After a stuttering run-up, he coolly slotted his strike into the bottom-left corner.
Mane got his first on the stroke of half-time, latching onto Ronaldo's pull-back before firing his low shot into the far side of the net.
He could have had a hat-trick, having also hit the woodwork and squandered a first-time shot by slicing it wide, but he did get his second in the 71st minute, guiding Nawaf Bu Washi's cross past Gaetan Coucke.
Cristian Tello came closest to a consolation for the visitors, smashing a long-range effort off the crossbar.
Data Debrief: Mane's time to shine
Mane, so far this season, has been providing the spark as a playmaker after registering five assists in Al-Nassr's first five games in the Saudi Pro League.
Today, however, he regained his scoring touch, getting his first two goals of the campaign.
He had the most shots (five), and shots on target (three), as he accumulated 0.97 expected goals (xG), while his seven touches in the box was the most of any player on the field.
Napoli 3-1 Como: Lukaku and McTominay on target to extend hosts' Serie A lead
Romelu Lukaku continued his fine start to life at Napoli as the Belgian notched a goal and two assists in his side's 3-1 win over Como on Friday.
The hosts found themselves ahead with just 26 seconds on the clock when Scott McTominay was picked out by Lukaku, with the Scotland international firing home his first goal for Gli Azzurri off the post.
But Como would draw themselves level two minutes before the break when Gabriel Strefezza's strike from distance rifled into the bottom corner.
However, Antonio Conte's side needed just eight minutes after the interval to restore their advantage when Sergi Roberto brought down Mathias Olivera in the box, with Lukaku stepping up from 12 yards to net his fourth Serie A goal of the season.
Napoli continued to push for a third goal to secure the victory, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia going closest but saw his effort saved by Emil Audero.
But the points were sealed in the 86th minute when Lukaku turned provider once again, holding off his marker before slipping through substitute David Neres who slotted home with a fine finish to extend Napoli's lead at the top of the standings to four points.
Data Debrief: Lukaku continues Conte love story
Lukaku has been a player reborn under Conte's stewardship. The Belgian is the player who has been involved in the most goals in his first five appearances for Napoli in Serie A since the Italian top-flight returned to 20 teams (since 2004/05) with three goals and four assists.
He has also managed to better his assist tally for the whole of last season, managing just three in 32 appearances for Roma last term.
McTominay's goal after 26 seconds is the third-fastest scored by Napoli since the start of a Serie A match in the three points for a win era, after Hirving Lozano's goal against Hellas Verona in 2021 (nine seconds) and Ezequiel Lavezzi's goal against Genoa in 2008 (25 seconds).
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