Crawley boss Scott Lindsey rued missed opportunities and also branded his team’s defending a “calamity” after they were held to a 2-2 draw at relegation-threatened Sutton.
Liam Kelly fired the play-off chasing visitors ahead three minutes before the break, but the hosts hit back with second-half goals from top scorer Charlie Lakin and Olly Sanderson as they chased a vital win in their bid to avoid the drop.
However, Klaidi Lolos rescued a dramatic late point with a stoppage-time equaliser to leave Crawley still holding on to seventh spot, although now only ahead of in-form Doncaster on goal difference having played a game more.
“We missed loads of opportunities to score in the first half,” said Lindsey.
“We created loads, certainly in the first 20 minutes. We could have been three or four [goals] up.
“But we didn’t take those opportunities and chances.”
He added: “I felt in the first half we were OK, but I thought in the second half we wasn’t.
“I think we probably played too direct, it became an end-to-end game. It was probably like that all game, which helped them [Sutton]. They want it to be like that.”
Lindsey was also far from pleased with the two goals his side conceded as they threw away their lead.
“Their first goal, for a start, was never a foul in the build-up,” he said. “The referee [Lewis Smith] got drawn into it, it’s so naive it’s a joke.
“He gives a free-kick and they score. I was disappointed with that goal from an official’s point of view.
“And their second goal is just a calamity again, I don’t know what we’re doing.
“We don’t need to roll the ball out, we just need to take our time at that moment.
“But I felt like we were anxious today with our play, certainly in the second half.
“We came in in front at half-time and we were happy, but we feel as if we can play more.
“But in the second half we didn’t, so I’m disappointed.”
Sutton manager Steve Morison knows his side are all but down despite their battling display.
The club remain second-bottom, three points behind Colchester and with an inferior goal difference of seven goals.
Colchester also have a game in hand and require just one point from their final two fixtures to avoid relegation.
“We’re still in the fight, but it’s out of our hands completely,” said Morison.
“We had to better Colchester’s result, which we did, but we had the life sucked out of us when they scored the second goal.
“They scored a very good goal to go 1-0 up at half-time, so then it was the opportunity to speak to the players at half-time and tell them to give everything they’ve got in the second half, perform better and have no regrets.
“I think they did that in the second half, but I’m so gutted to have conceded [that second goal] in the way we did.
“The players were on their knees at the end, they gave it their all. It just wasn’t quite enough.
“Their goal was frustrating, but I’m really proud of the players’ efforts today.”
Al Hilal crowned Saudi Pro League champions after Al Hazm hammering
Al Hilal secured their fourth straight Saudi Pro League title after Aleksandar Mitrovic starred in Saturday's 4-1 thrashing of bottom side Al Hazm.
Faiz Selemani restored parity after Mitrovic's 15th-minute opener at Prince Faisal bin Fahd Stadium, only for Jorge Jesus' hosts to roar back and be crowned champions with three games remaining.
Ahmed Al Juwaid's own goal handed the initiative back to the dominant Al Hilal, who led 4-1 at the break after Mitrovic added another to his tally and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic was on target.
The second of Mitrovic's strikes took him to a team-leading 26 league goals this term as Al Hilal breezed to another title, moving an unassailable 12 points clear of Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr.
Jesus' side are unbeaten through all 31 games this season after securing their record-extending 19th top-flight crown in history, while Al Hazm need to win their last three matches to have any chance of staying up.
Al Hazm's relegation rivals Al Tai boosted their chances of survival in Saturday's earlier clash after a 1-1 draw away against Al Raed.
Al Tai are just a point away from 15th-placed Abha Club in their bid for top-flight safety after Ibrahim Al Nakhli's strike was cancelled out by Al Raed's Mohammed Fouzair in the second half.
Al-Ittihad 0-5 Al-Ettifaq: Ekambi scores hat-trick in five-star display
Karl Toko Ekambi netted a hat-trick as Al-Ettifaq got back to winning ways in style with a 5-0 thrashing of Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League on Friday.
He scored twice in four minutes at the end of the first half to send the visitors into the break 4-0 up before getting his third just 10 minutes after the break.
Seko Fofana had already given Steven Gerrard’s side the lead five minutes into the contest, while Moussa Dembele doubled their advantage from the penalty spot.
Al-Ittihad had the chances, but they could not find the back of the net, as they stayed fifth, but are now just six points above Al-Ettifaq.
Data Debrief: Clinical finishers
Al-Ettifaq had five shots on target against Al-Ittihad, scoring with all of them while creating an xG of 3.62.
With his hat-trick against Al-Ittihad, Ekambi has now scored 11 goals for the season, netting more than once for the first time since joining the club.
Al-Akhdoud 2-3 Al-Nassr: Brozovic stunner delays Al-Hilal coronation
Marcelo Brozovic scored twice – including a fine half-volley in second-half stoppage time – as Al-Nassr beat Al-Akhdoud 3-2 to delay Al-Hilal's Saudi Pro League title coronation on Thursday.
Former Inter midfielder Brozovic fired in a seventh-minute opener from outside the area before Cristiano Ronaldo tapped into an empty net to double the visitors' lead.
Sadio Mane struck the woodwork early in the second half and Al-Nassr relinquished control of the game from there, with goals from Hassan Al Habib and Saviour Godwin making it 2-2.
However, Brozovic blasted a bouncing ball home following a goalmouth scramble in the first of seven minutes of stoppage time to hand Al-Nassr a fifth straight win and keep them within nine points of Al-Hilal, with three games still to play.
They have only delayed the inevitable though as the leaders – who have only dropped four points all season – need just one more point to secure their crown ahead of facing Al-Hazm on Saturday.
Data Debrief: Brozovic upstages Ronaldo
While it's usually Ronaldo writing the headlines for Al-Nassr, he was upstaged by Brozovic on Thursday as the Croatian found the net with both of his shots, also leading all players on the pitch for final-third passes (19) and completing 90.1 per cent of his passes overall (81/95).
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