Morecambe boss Ged Brannan hailed a “fantastic weekend” after his side sealed a second successive win to keep their play-off hopes very much alive.
The Shrimps followed up a 2-1 win over Accrington on Good Friday with a similar success against Barrow, with early goals from David Tutonda and Gwion Edwards giving them the advantage before Ben Whitfield’s 89th-minute strike ensured a frantic finale.
Brannan said: “It was a fantastic win for us and a fantastic weekend with two derby wins that keeps us right in there.
“I can’t praise the lads enough today because they showed what massive hearts they have. We started the game superbly and got two goals but they had us pinned in our half after the break and we had to show great character to seal the win.
“We said we would press them right from the start and it worked well for us and we got the two early goals. Our set-pieces were excellent today and put us in a good place but we had to show the other side of our game at the end to keep them at arm’s length and keep hold of the three points.”
Tutonda gave Morecambe the lead in the fourth minute when he got the final touch to a Charlie Brown corner.
And the home side doubled their lead seven minutes later when Barrow gave the ball away just outside their own area and Edwards was given a free run on goal to round Paul Farman and slot the ball home.
Barrow looked to hit back, with Archie Mair saving well from Cole Stockton in the first half and getting down to block a late Emile Acquah header.
The Bluebirds set up a frantic final when Whitfield scored from close range after Mair had saved from Sam Foley but the Shrimps held on to clinch the victory.
Barrow boss Pete Wild felt his side dominated possession but were undone by the two early goals.
He said: “It was a frustrating afternoon because we completely dominated but we conceded a poor set-piece early on and then gifted them a chance for a second.
“That was so unlike us and when you give away a two-goal lead you find it hard to get back in the game.
“We tried something different in the second half and it worked a dream and had them pinned in their own penalty box for most of the half but we just couldn’t get the ball over the line.
“I’ve had to tell the players that it was just one of those days and to put the result to the back of their minds and get back to it on Saturday.”
Brentford 3-1 Southampton: Bees begin life after Toney with comfortable win
Brentford began life without Ivan Toney with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Southampton.
Bryan Mbeumo’s brace and a Yoane Wissa goal proved to be the difference between the two sides and condemned the Saints to their third straight loss since promotion back to the Premier League.
With departed striker Toney watching in the stands after his move to Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, the hosts proved too strong for Russell Martin’s men. They created the superior chances and capitalised on an error-strewn performance from Southampton’s backline.
Mbeumo opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time before doubling the lead halfway through the second period and Wissa then got on the scoresheet moments later to continue Brentford’s strong start to the campaign. Yukinari Sugawara bagged a consolation in injury time for the Saints.
Brentford sit in fifth place ahead of the first international break, while Southampton are second-bottom of the league table with zero points.
Data debrief: Wissa continues to prove effective at home
Wissa now has five goals and two assists in his last seven matches at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Brentford have recorded consecutive home league wins for the first time since last November, and the first time in their opening home games since August 2018.
Brentford 3-1 Southampton: Bees begin life without Toney with comfortable win
Brentford began life without Ivan Toney with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Southampton.
Bryan Mbeumo’s brace and a Yoane Wissa goal proved to be the difference between the two sides and condemned the Saints to their third straight loss since promotion back to the Premier League.
With departed striker Toney watching in the stands after his move to Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, the hosts proved too strong for Russell Martin’s men. They created the superior chances and capitalised on an error-strewn performance from Southampton’s backline.
Mbeumo opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time before doubling the lead halfway through the second period and Wissa then got on the scoresheet moments later to continue Brentford’s strong start to the campaign. Yukinari Sugawara bagged a consolation in injury time for the Saints.
Brentford sit in fifth place ahead of the first international break, while Southampton are second-bottom of the league table with zero points.
Data debrief: Wissa continues to prove effective at home
Wissa now has five goals and two assists in his last seven matches at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Brentford have recorded consecutive home league wins for the first time since last November, and the first time in their opening home games since August 2018.
Pirlo sacked as Sampdoria head coach after dismal Serie B start
Andrea Pirlo has been sacked as Sampdoria's head coach after just over a season at the helm.
Pirlo, who managed Juventus for the 2020-21 campaign, has been relieved of his duties after an underwhelming start to their Serie B season.
After finishing seventh in Italy's second tier last term, the 45-year-old was given the green light to try and return to Serie A at the second time of asking.
However, an opening day draw with Frosinone was followed up with back-to-back defeats to Reggiana and Salernitana, leaving them second-bottom in the division.
During his time in charge, Pirlo won 18 of his 45 matches in charge (D10 L17), averaging 1.42 points per game, a total only bettered by his time with Juventus (2.15).
Sampdoria return to the Stadio Luigi Ferraris this weekend in search of their first three points of the season, welcoming Bari to Genoa on Saturday.
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