Crawley manager Scott Lindsey credited his side’s “character” after they claimed a 2-0 League Two victory over his former side Gillingham – but admitted they were still far from their best.
Will Wright and Jack Roles sealed victory for the visitors with goals either side of the break.
Lindsey revealed that he was disappointed in his side’s lack-lustre performance, despite a return to their fighting spirit following a 2-1 loss to AFC Wimbledon last time out.
“I thought we were absolutely rubbish today, if I’m honest,” said Lindsey, who played for Gills in 1994/95. “But we found a way to win the game when we didn’t play well.
“The players showed real character but the performance wasn’t reflective of how we normally play.
“I questioned their character after our last game and they showed a different side to themselves today.
“They really dug in, so I’m really pleased with that. They’re a massive three points against a good side.”
Former Gillingham man Wright fired home Town’s opener with a free-kick from the edge of the box after 24 minutes before Roles doubled the lead just two minutes after coming on in the 71st minute.
His deflected long-range effort handed Town a pivotal win and lesson for the young side according to Lindsey.
“It was a really dogged performance,” he added. “We’re quite young and inexperienced, so we’re learning as we go. That means the players can only get better, especially playing away on Boxing Day and in front of a big crowd.
“I’m really pleased to have kept a clean sheet, especially for the fans, who sang throughout the game.”
On the other side of the score, Gillingham manager Stephen Clemence expressed his concerns over his team’s lack of goalscoring abilities – with several chances not going their way at Priestfield.
With Tim Dieng and Tom Nichols both shooting wide in the opening half and Town goalkeeper Corey Addai on top form, Clemence believes that finding the back of the net has become an “Achilles heel” in recent weeks.
“I understand everybody’s frustrations and I’m just as frustrated as they are,” he said.
“We tried to change the shape today to give us more of an attacking threat and we had a number of attacking players on the pitch in the second half, but scoring goals is still our Achilles heel.
“We’ve got to stick together and work harder, because we know there’s got to be improvement.
“I felt we didn’t start the game well enough. But in the last 15 minutes of the first half we got on top of them, then we were the better team in the second half.
“We had four very good chances, but we didn’t take any of them.”
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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