Nigel Clough felt Mansfield were mentally sloppy during their hard-fought 3-2 win over Swindon and warned his players they cannot afford to let errors creep in at this stage of the season.
Looking to bounce back from their 2-1 midweek defeat to MK Dons, Mansfield were quickly out of the blocks and took a fourth-minute lead through Lucas Akins as well as going close through Hiram Boateng, Davis Keillor-Dunn and Akins, who clipped the post.
But the League Two leaders could not add to their lead and were pegged back to 2-2 by the hour mark so Swindon duo Paul Glatzel and Aaron Drinan struck either side of a Keillor-Dunn goal.
Mansfield were not level for long though, Will Swan netting soon after coming on as a 65th minute substitute to make it 3-2, and the home side held on to remain three points clear at the top of the table.
However, Clough knows his side should have made things much more comfortable for themselves at One Call Stadium.
He said: “We made hard work of it.
“We should have got more goals in the opening 10-15 minutes. That was a good opportunity for us, they have some very dangerous players as we saw who can hurt you.
“We were sloppy today, mentally more than anything, after three games in a week.
“We got the early goal and should have gone again. The chances were there in that first period. We could have put the game to bed, there are no mistakes at this stage of the season.
“Davis (Keillor-Dunn) should be doing more with the situations he got into today to get the second goal.
“I know he has got 18 goals but he is getting the ball in the right areas and he is choosing the wrong option.
“He is not doing what he did for the second goal. He dropped his shoulder and it was a wonderful finish. He has been in that position six or seven times today and that is the only time he tried it, I don’t understand why he is laying it off.”
Swindon’s interim head coach Gavin Gunning was frustrated by his side’s slow start as the Robins slumped to a 15th defeat of the season.
“It is a frustrating result,” he said. “There are so many positives, but a defeat is a defeat.
“When you concede goals that are a horror show like that it is a frustrating afternoon.
“We were chasing things after the opening five minutes. Once we grew into the game it was much of a muchness.
“Swan was unmarked for their winner, that is just having the desire to get close and have contact with him in the box. We work on that all week and getting tight to players.
“The first five/10 minutes we were all over the place and then we grew into it and had our moments.
“It is frustrating. It is tough to get the words out, we went toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the league, but we conceded some horror show goals.
“We score and then switch off. We didn’t mark in the box and we conceded, it’s simple.”
Slovan Bratislava 2-3 Milan: Rossoneri earn third straight Champions League win
AC Milan earned their third successive Champions League win with a 3-2 victory at Slovan Bratislava on Tuesday, hanging on despite coming under fierce pressure late on.
The first half ended level with Milan's Christian Pulisic opening the scoring in the 21st minute before a quick counterattack led to Slovan's Tigran Barseghyan equalising three minutes later.
Milan struggled to put Slovan away before substitute Rafael Leao put them back in front in the 68th minute, staying onside from Youssouf Fofana's pass to tuck home.
Tammy Abraham then extended their lead by capitalising on a horror back-pass from David Strelec just three minutes later.
Slovan pulled a goal back through Nino Marcelli in the 88th minute and also had Marko Tolic sent off late on, as he picked up two yellow cards for dissent in a matter of moments.
However, Milan came through the late drama to move onto nine points while Slovan, with no points, remain rooted at the bottom of the standings.
Data Debrief: Pulisic flying the flag
Pulisic's opener made him just the second American player to score three goals in a single Champions League campaign, after DeMarcus Beasley for PSV in 2004-05.
Milan, meanwhile, have won three straight group-stage matches in the Champions League for the first time since 2004-05 under Carlo Ancelotti, when they reached the final but were memorably beaten by Liverpool after surrendering a 3-0 lead.
NYCFC part ways with Arsenal managerial candidate Cushing
New York City FC have confirmed the departure of head coach Nick Cushing.
Cushing joined New York City in 2020 as an assistant coach before taking the mantle of head coach in 2022.
He made the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs in two of the three seasons as head coach, guiding NYCFC to the Eastern Conference Final in 2022.
NYCFC fell short of winning the playoffs once more this year as they lost 2-0 to rivals New York Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference semifinals on Saturday.
They had finished sixth in the Eastern Conference.
"While we are incredibly appreciative for all [Cushing] has done for the club, at this current time, we believe it’s best to move the team in a new direction as we plan for the 2025 season and beyond," said sporting director David Lee.
"We would like to sincerely thank Nick for his contributions and wish him and his family all the very best in their future endeavours."
Cushing has been with the City Football Group for far longer, too, having taken the role of Manchester City Women's manager in 2013.
He guided them through a pivotal time as they turned professional and won their first WSL, FA Cup and League Cup titles under his stewardship.
It has been reported that Cushing is the primary managerial target for Arsenal Women following the departure of Jonas Eidevall, though he has previously quashed these rumours.
Cushing dismissed those rumours previously, though he had also assured the media and NYCFC fans that he would be at the club next season.
Sahin warns Dortmund must be ready for 'impressive' Dinamo threat
Borussia Dortmund coach Nuri Sahin believes Dinamo Zagreb pose a serious threat in Wednesday's Champions League clash.
He noted their impressive turnaround, going undefeated in their last three matches (W2 D1) after starting with a heavy loss to Bayern Munich.
Dortmund are seventh and in the top section of the Champions League table after three wins, while the Croatian capital club are currently eighteenth and in the play-off section, with seven points from four matches.
Dinamo's most memorable outing came in the form of a 9-2 thrashing by Bayern on the opening matchday. However, Sahin acknowledged the quality in Nenad Bjelica's side.
"We’ve watched a lot of Dinamo’s matches. They’ve impressively earned seven points. You can see the coach’s influence — it’s a team that reflects his ideas. They have some strong players and big names," Sahin told a press conference on Tuesday.
"We don't want to stray from our idea. We want to control the ball and play football. But we’re ready."
Despite Niklas Sule and Karim Adeyemi staying in Dortmund to recover from injuries, Sahin confirmed that Emre Can and Serhou Guirassy had travelled with the team ahead of the clash.
"Emre wasn’t able to fully participate in today’s session. But Serhou trained well," Sahin said, adding that both were options for the match.
Dortmund have never previously faced a Croatian side in any European competition. It’s the first time they will face a new nation in Europe since facing Cypriot side APOEL Nicosia in October 2017 and drawing 1-1.
Dinamo, on the other hand, have lost their last seven games against German opposition, scoring six goals while conceding 25 in all European competitions.
The game will be held at Stadion Maksimir, famed for its intense atmosphere. Sahin, however, insisted his team are unfazed.
"I don’t think it will shock the players. Our squad operates at the highest level. They’ve seen and experienced a lot," he said, adding that Dortmund also boast a unique atmosphere, including the "Yellow Wall" of fans in the southern stand.
"What happens in the stands doesn’t matter much. The players enjoy it."
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