Stockport boss Dave Challinor admitted his league leaders deserved no more than a point in their goalless draw at Bradford.
It was a competitive contest on a difficult Valley Parade pitch that had only passed referee Lewis Smith’s inspection 90 minutes before kick-off following the recent wet weather.
Challinor said: “You always want to win a game but I can’t stand here and say we deserved to.
“Three weeks ago, we went to Newport and I said to the players then, ‘if you’re not very good and going to stink the place out then go away with a 0-0’.
“I suppose to a certain degree we’ve done that tonight.
“It was tough with the weather conditions and the pitch was very tricky.
“Normally it’s going to be an unbelievable moment or mistake that decides the game. You always felt that was going to be the case.
“Sometimes you’ve just got to accept a point on the road is not the worst, especially at a difficult place to come.
“This isn’t a League Two place. That’s the biggest disappointment – that the game wasn’t on a Saturday afternoon when the weather’s all right and you maybe get 25,000 in here and a real good game where it’s more open.
“You were pretty limited in terms of what you could do tonight.”
Stockport’s best chance fell to Ryan Croasdale but he completely missed his kick when set up by fellow substitute Kyle Wootton.
Bradford, who stretched their own unbeaten run to eight games in all competitions, went closest through Andy Cook in the second half with a well-struck half-volley that Stockport keeper Ben Hinchliffe superbly turned away.
Wootton sent a late cross-shot wide but Stockport failed to score for only the third league game this season.
Bradford manager Graham Alexander said: “It was always going to be a battle. It was difficult for both sets of players with the quality moments when the mud was splashing up around your feet and trying to keep your balance.
“Both teams gave it a right good go and it was a game on tenterhooks all the way through.
“We had possibly the best chance of the game with Cooky’s strike and the keeper made a fantastic save.
“But it keeps the run going. It’s a clean sheet against a team who are top and we’ve had opportunities to potentially win it.
“We’ve shown it’s not just a one-off. We can go up against anybody and compete and look to win the game.
“We had to make a couple of changes with the injuries that we’ve got. But the players who have come in have given a great account of themselves.
“It was a great shift from the team in a difficult game, not just against the opposition but also the conditions.”
Simeone praises Atleti defence but wants more firepower
Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone was pleased with his team's defensive performance as they beat Celta Vigo in LaLiga on Thursday, but he knows they must create more chances.
Atletico managed to keep another clean sheet to consolidate their status as the best defensive side in the competition, conceding only three goals in seven games this season.
At the other end, Simeone's men only managed two shots on target and generated just 0.62 expected goals (xG) to the hosts' 1.53 xG, but Julian Alvarez's late goal inflicted Celta's first home defeat in seven months.
"Today we took the three points with great defensive patience against opponents who haven't lost since February," Simeone told reporters.
"We've been working well, but we need to improve our attacking. In the first half we performed well in defence but we didn't create opportunities to put our players in front of goal.
"There's a defensive performance that is much better, we still haven't found that area where we can play better offensively."
The Argentine was, however, delighted with the performances of Alvarez, Angel Correa and midfielder Rodrigo Riquelme, all of whom made an impact off the bench.
"In the second half the substitutions made us better, Rodrigo Riquelme, Julian, Correa... they were feeding us more in a game where both sides looked like they were going to have chances," Simeone said.
"Luckily, in the end [Antoine] Griezmann and Julian found each other."
Atletico host city rivals Real Madrid in LaLiga on Sunday, having taken 15 points from seven matches to trail Los Blancos by two points and leaders Barcelona by six.
No Neymar return until 2025, says Al-Hilal boss Jesus
Neymar will not return from his anterior cruciate ligament injury until January 2025 at the earliest, Al-Hilal boss Jorge Jesus has warned.
Neymar left Paris Saint-Germain for Al-Hilal in a €90million deal in August 2023, becoming one of the faces of the Saudi Pro League's major recruitment drive.
However, he only played five matches for the club before rupturing his ACL while on international duty with Brazil last October.
The 32-year-old subsequently missed the remainder of the season as well as the Selecao's ill-fated Copa America campaign, and he remains some way away from a return.
Neymar was removed from Al-Hilal's Saudi Pro League squad in September, with the 19-time champions only able to register a maximum of eight foreign players for the first half of the season.
Reports had suggested Neymar was close to a return after Al-Hilal posted footage of him training on social media, but Jesus says Brazil's all-time leading scorer must wait until the halfway point of the campaign before being considered.
"Neymar is an important player for Al Hilal and the league in general," Jesus told reporters on Tuesday.
"I can't, however, specify a date as to when he will return, but we will look at the situation in January."
With no restrictions on foreign players featuring in the AFC Champions League, Neymar could, in theory, play in that competition if he returns to fitness before January.
Al-Bukayriyah 0-1 Al-Hilal: Leonardo sends defending King's Cup champions through
Marcos Leonardo's first-half penalty was enough to book Al-Hilal a spot in the King's Cup round of 16 with a 1-0 win over Al-Bukayriyah.
The defending champions dominated from the start, with Abdullah Al Hamddan and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic both seeing early efforts saved by Dziugas Bartkus.
Al Hamddan then won the game-winning spot-kick in the 40th minute, being brought down in the box by Ibrahim Al Sunaytan, and Leonardo made no mistake from 12 yards.
Al-Hilal kept pushing for another goal, with substitutes Renan Lodi and Aleksandar Mitrovic both testing Bartkus in the second half, but they could not add to the scoreline.
Neymar, who is gearing up for his return to action after a year on the sidelines, was not involved for Al-Hilal, who lead the way in the Saudi Pro League.
Data Debrief: Leonardo proves the difference
Al-Hilal were dominant in the first half, completely overwhelming their opponents as they had 12 of their 17 shots before the break, getting five of those on target.
But across the 90 minutes, it was Leonardo who was the standout, having the second-most shots (three) and accumulating 0.82 expected goals (xG).
His only shot on target may have been the winning penalty, but he proved a handful as he also had the most touches in the opposition box (10).
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