Tranmere assistant manager Neil Danns believes his players got what they deserved after Rovers made it four League wins on the bounce with a thrilling 4-2 victory over Notts County at Prenton Park.
The home side took the lead after just five minutes through Kieron Morris, only to be pegged back 20 minutes later when Aaron Nemane steered the ball home from a Jodi Jones cross.
Four minutes later the Magpies were ahead when the division’s top scorer Macauley Langstaff slid home his 19th league goal of the season, but Tranmere then hit back on the stroke of half-time to make it 2-2 through Connor Jennings.
Rovers were in front once more 10 minutes after the break when Harvey Saunders followed up Rob Apter’s shot which had squeezed under County ‘Keeper Aidan Stone.
Jennings could have extended the lead four minutes later but his penalty was well saved by Stone, but the Tranmere forward made the game safe in stoppage time when he successfully converted another spot-kick.
The only blemish on Tranmere’s day was manager Nigel Adkins being shown a red card for venting his frustration at the referee with 10 minutes left.
Danns said: “I’m so proud of the lads, it was absolutely unbelievable out there today.
“The lads have been fantastic over this Christmas period and we knew this was going to be a tough one and to end this run against one of the best sides in the division was very pleasing.
“We’ve seen over this festive period the best and sometimes the worst of us, but we are a team that’s constantly improving and everyone is working so hard for each other and they got what they deserved out there.
“We’re disappointed to let in the goals we did today, but today was all about celebrating the victory and that sort of performance typified how hard the lads have been working.
“We just want to keep this momentum going that we’ve got now and we’ll enjoy tonight and tomorrow, then it’s back to work and we go again.”
Notts County manager Luke Williams rued his side’s “horrible” start to the match and admits they struggled to contain Tranmere midfielder Apter.
He said: “It wasn’t the start to the game I was hoping for today, let alone the new year, it was very disappointing.
“It was a horrible way to begin, being undone like that so early on, but we battled back and going into the break we looked comfortable but we fell into traits that we’ve seen too often.
“We stopped playing with the same intensity and concentration and the opposition didn’t, they stayed focused and I thought Rob Apter was incredible, he destroyed us and caused us endless problems and we couldn’t cope with that.
“We had a number of opportunities but just lost a grip on the game because we didn’t have the same focus and concentration.
“Then we became a bit emotional and out of control and we’re just not the same threat when we’re like that.
“I think it would have been different if we’d gone in at half-time ahead, but Tranmere were so well organised and so together and they won the battle of wills in the end.”
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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