Fuming manager Luke Williams questioned whether his players are too scared to play for “a big club like Notts County” following a 3-1 loss at Harrogate.
Goals from George Thomson, Abraham Odoh and Matty Daly saw Harrogate deservedly end their seven-game run without a home win, despite Jodi Jones replying with a spectacular free-kick for the visitors.
That proved the only highlight, though, for an off-form County team, who have now lost six of their last eight fixtures.
Such was Williams’ frustration that he could barely be heard during his post-match interview having shouted himself hoarse just quarter-of-an-hour into the contest.
“The performance was terrible to be quite honest,” he seethed. “If you want to play for a big club like Notts County, you can’t be scared to play football.
“Nor can you play with such a lack of energy and be so soft defensively. For their first goal, we allowed them to run into space and have a shot no problem and I lost my voice after 15 minutes because I was screaming at the players to react to the turnovers. So, it was very hard for me to communicate after that, not that anyone was listening to me.
“We didn’t make enough forward passes and ended up with our goalkeeper having the ball too many times and Harrogate were very well-organised. But, then, when he had to play it long, nobody wanted to fight for it.
“I feel really hurt and so disappointed because, even when we got back in the game, we then immediately capitulated for their third goal.”
Harrogate boss Simon Weaver hailed his side’s on-field intelligence as they outwitted the one-time Sky Bet League Two leaders.
“It was a good day,” Weaver declared. “We started fast and tried to break and close them down, because we knew we had to stop their flow, as they are a talented team who can cause all sides at this level lots of problems.
“We then produced some good finishes from flowing counter-attacks. We rode the storm after they scored a fantastic free-kick, but it was a perfect response to score shortly afterwards.
“We have got some bright and intelligent footballers who pick up on things quickly during games and you need that when you’re up against a talented coach like Luke Williams who sees things on the pitch and makes changes.”
Daly, who had a hand in all three goals, earned particular praise from Weaver.
“He is growing in stature all the time, which is very pleasing,” the Harrogate chief enthused.
Weaver also hailed the performance of returning promotion-winning hero James Belshaw, who made his second debut for the club in goal after being recruited on an emergency loan from Bristol Rovers.
“He has added to the changing room with his enthusiasm, energy and passion for the club, which has been nice to see,” Weaver said.
“He also made a fantastic stop in the first half that helped change the course of the game.”
Inzaghi expecting Arsenal reaction after Newcastle defeat
Inter boss Simone Inzaghi is expecting a difficult test against "one of the best teams in Europe" when Arsenal visit the San Siro in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Arsenal come into the encounter against the reigning Serie A champions on the back of a defeat to Newcastle United in the Premier League last weekend.
Mikel Arteta's side have now lost two of their last three league games, having tasted defeat just once in their 25 games in the top-flight (W21 D3) in 2024.
But Inzaghi, who helped Inter keep pace at the Serie A summit with a controversial 1-0 win over Venezia, is expecting a reaction from the Gunners.
"We are facing one of the best teams in Europe, very recognisable with a great coach," Inzaghi said.
"We all know how the big teams react after a defeat. Look at us after the derby... You find teams out for redress.
"I saw the match between Arsenal and Newcastle. Playing at Newcastle's home is not easy, but it was an open and fascinating match.
"We will find a team that lost two-and-a-half days ago, they will want to play a great game at San Siro."
Inter lost the Derby della Madonnina 2-1 to Milan in September, but have since gone on to win seven of their eight games in all competitions.
Inzaghi's side are just ahead of Arsenal in the Champions League table, with both teams picking up seven points from their opening three games.
The two sides have only met previously in the 2003-04 Champions League – both games were away wins (Arsenal 0-3 Inter, Inter 1-5 Arsenal).
While history favours the visiting side, Inzaghi has said his side will try to dominate possession against Arsenal in order to remain unbeaten in the competition.
"If you see Arsenal among 100 teams, without knowing the name, you recognise them. They played for the last two English titles, point for point with Manchester City," he said.
"We will have to try to keep the ball as much as possible, we know that we are facing a team that put on a lot of offensive pressure.
"We know that it will be a problem for us when they have the ball but the opposite is also true."
Arsenal have also struggled in recent games in the Champions League in Italy, failing to find the back of the net in their last four away games in the country.
Emmanuel Adebayor was the last Gunners player to score there in a 2-0 win over Milan in March 2008, and Inter will be confident of keeping it that way.
Although only five teams have faced more shots in the Champions League this season than Inter (53), they have kept three clean sheets so far.
Neymar suffers fresh injury blow
Neymar sustained a new injury as he was forced off during Al-Hilal's AFC Champions League Elite win over Esteghlal.
Aleksandar Mitrovic plundered a hat-trick on Monday to seal a 3-0 win.
But Al-Hilal's victory was soured by an injury to Neymar, who had to make way just 29 minutes after he came on as a second-half substitute.
The Brazilian, who has just returned from over a year out of action following a serious knee injury, was forced off with what appeared to be a thigh issue.
Indeed, Monday's appearance was only the 32-year-old's second for Al-Hilal since his comeback.
He has featured just seven times for the Saudi Pro League champions in all competitions since his big-money move from Paris Saint-Germain in 2023.
Rodgers delighted as Celtic rout Aberdeen in semi-final
Celtic booked their place in the Scottish League Cup final after hammering Aberdeen 6-0 at Hampden Park on Saturday.
The 21-time winners of the tournament were inspired by a Daizen Maeda hat-trick in a near-perfect performance against the Scottish Premiership's second-placed side.
Manager Brendan Rodgers was delighted with the result and performance from his side.
"It was a testament to our players and the demands they have. They play every week in big games. We have to manage this group through every game," he told Premier Sports.
"It was up to us to decide the game and the players did that. They were brilliant today. We were more aggressive in the second half.
"Aberdeen have had an excellent season, they will continue to work well I'm sure."
The result was Aberdeen's first defeat in 17 matches in all competitions this season, with a 2-2 draw at Celtic Park last month the only time they had previously failed to win.
Cameron Carter-Vickers got the scoring under way with a header 29 minutes in, before the brilliant Maeda sat down goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov to set up Kyogo Furuhashi for a second three minutes later.
Maeda then got in on the act himself on 40 minutes before the game briefly descended into farce on the stroke of half-time, with Rodgers shown a yellow card for kicking away a ball that had gone out before slipping over.
"To be fair, I was raging because we had given the ball away," he said.
"I have my moments, like every manager. It was just the game, even though we were comfortable at 3-0.
"It was a deserved yellow card. The speed of the ball [was the issue]. I just wanted to keep the tempo of the game."
Celtic and Maeda picked up where they left off in the second half to make it 4-0 in the 50th minute before Nicolas Kuhn hammered in a fifth on the hour.
The rout was complete when Maeda wrapped up his hat-trick as he finished off a flowing attacking move with five minutes to go.
After the match, Rodgers continued to be effusive about his team, who will face either Rangers or Motherwell in the final.
"An outstanding team performance. You come up against a team that has been so, so good. We knew it would be a challenge," he told BBC Scotland.
"We had to bring our A-game and the players did that, in particular during the second half.
"We were ruthless. We worked the ball really well to create the space and made good runs.
"It's a beautiful pitch here at Hampden. It's perfect for the football we want to play."
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