Andre Breitenreiter was pleased with Huddersfield’s performance even as they let another lead slip in a 1-1 draw at Stoke to remain in the relegation zone.
The Terriers’ winless run stretched to six games, with Breitenreiter without a victory since his opening game in charge.
Bojan Radulovic broke the deadlock on the cusp of half-time with his first goal following a January switch from HJK Helsinki.
But Huddersfield’s lead proved to be short-lived as a beautiful Ki-Jana Hoever strike levelled the scores shortly after the restart.
The visitors rallied in search of a late winner but could not hand their survival bid a boost.
“We are happy with the performance of the team today,” said Breitenreiter.
“We had a lot of injuries and it was a young team, but we controlled the first half and we knew that there’d be opportunities to create chances.
“Second half, we conceded another goal of the month (contender), it’s unbelievable, but again we must defend better and tighter.
“At the end of the game, if it’s fair or not fair, we should take the lead again and we had some big chances. But we didn’t score and this has been a problem for many weeks.
“It was sometimes too easy to concede the goals and we don’t capitalise from our opportunities.
“We have players with potential and in my opinion, they showed that today – but to win the close games we need the goal.
“We have to do the best with the situation and every player has to give his best for 30, 45 or 90 minutes.
“The boys want to play this style and I’m sure that this is the style to lead us to success.
“For every team at the bottom, it’s important to win because of confidence – the performance was good so we have to believe and do it every matchday.”
Huddersfield had an earlier Matty Pearson goal disallowed but Stoke spurned a host of chances to complete their comeback, with Luke McNally’s header cleared off the line.
The Potters remain precariously above the relegation zone, five points above the dotted line with six games remaining.
“We could have won it, especially in the second half, but four points over the Easter weekend is okay,” said boss Steven Schumacher after his side beat Hull on Friday.
“That was a bit of a battle; we started the game well but lost our way, they got on top and deserved to take the lead.
“We played with a bit more tempo and urgency in the second half, so it’s pleasing to come from behind and get something from the game.
“It’s important that everyone contributes goals so hopefully Hoever keeps that habit up and it was a brilliant finish.
“After that, we grew in confidence and got into some good areas but just didn’t manage to make one of them count.
“It was a good reaction from the lads in the second half; we were excellent and could have won it and then defended our box well.
“It’s a real positive that we’ve done that in the second half because it’s not easy here and the disappointment affects everybody too much.
“Nobody likes to concede a goal but they are going to happen at home; we can’t overreact to it and have to stay positive and keep believing.
“We take the point and move on. It was important not to lose and let Huddersfield get any closer to us.”
Serie A side Genoa confirm sacking of head coach Gilardino
Serie A side Genoa have confirmed the departure of their head coach Alberto Gilardino, with Patrick Vieira reportedly on his way in.
Gilardino, a World Cup winner with Italy in 2006, leaves the club with them sitting just one point above the relegation size with 10 points from 12 matches this season.
A former striker who played for clubs including Genoa, Parma, AC Milan and Fiorentina, Gilardino took charge of Genoa in 2022 and helped them earn promotion to the top division before a 11th-place finish during the 2023-24 season.
"The club thanks Gilardino for the goals achieved together over the years and wishes him the best for his career," Genoa said in a statement.
The 42-year-old saw his side salvage a late 1-1 draw against Cesc Fabregas' Como in their last match before the international break.
Genoa were also knocked out of the Coppa Italia in the second round following a defeat to Sampdoria on penalties in September.
Arsenal legend Vieira is set to replace him, according to multiple reports.
The former France midfielder has been out of work since leaving Strasbourg by mutual consent in July.
Doncic backs Mbappe to turn fortunes around at Real Madrid
NBA superstar Luka Doncic has backed Kylian Mbappe to "figure it out" after his underwhelming start to life at Real Madrid.
Mbappe has scored eight goals in 16 games for Madrid in all competitions since joining as a free agent following the expiration of his Paris Saint-Germain contract.
He has gone four matches without a goal – a run that includes losses to Barcelona and Milan – and has been left out of France's latest squad.
However, Dallas Mavericks guard Doncic – a Real Madrid supporter due to his previous ties with the sports club – can see Mbappe turning things around.
"Obviously [their season] could be better," Doncic told Managing Madrid after the Mavericks' win over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday.
"But when you get a guy like Mbappe, it takes some time to get used to it. We'll figure it out."
Mbappe has scored six goals in 11 LaLiga appearances for Madrid but has underperformed his season's expected goals (xG) total by 2.04.
The forward is averaging a goal every 166 minutes in all competitions this term, compared to one every 88 minutes for PSG in his last of seven seasons in Paris.
Madrid thrashed Osasuna 4-0 last time out in the league to return to winning ways but still trail leaders Barcelona by six points.
Asked about his connections with Madrid, former Los Blancos basketball player Doncic said: "I follow Real Madrid every time.
"I grew up there. They taught me everything, so it's a part of my life. You can call it a secondary home.
"I learned a lot of stuff there and, especially, they gave me a way to be here right now [in Dallas]. I always appreciate that 100%."
Madrid return to action after the international break with a trip to Leganes on Sunday.
Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona: Guijarro brace sets visitors up for Clasico glory
Patri Guijarro's first-half brace set Barcelona on their way to a thumping 4-0 win over rivals Real Madrid in Liga F on Saturday.
Claudia Pina and Alexia Putellas were also on target as Barcelona continued their perfect start to the season, extending their lead at the top of the table.
The visitors dominated from the off, as Guijarro broke the deadlock inside the fourth minute, tapping in from Putellas' flick-on from a corner.
Cata Coll was forced into a big save to deny Alba Redondo an equaliser shortly after, but Madrid's hope was soon dented as Guijarro picked out the bottom corner with a superb long-range strike for her second.
Pina strengthened their lead six minutes before the break, clinically slotting past Misa with her low strike.
Putellas added some more gloss to the scoreline with four minutes remaining of normal time, beating the Madrid keeper with a lovely dink to bring up her 199th goal for the club.
Barcelona have won all 10 of their games, and now sit eight points clear of Madrid, who suffered their first league defeat of the campaign.
Data Debrief: Total dominance
Madrid will have felt fairly confident coming into this game after a strong start to their season, but they once again failed to find a way past their Clasico rival.
Los Blancos have lost every single game they have played against Barcelona in all competitions, with this their 15th such meeting.
Barcelona smothered their attack early on, restricting their hosts to just one shot in the first half, while they had 10.
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