South Africa claimed third place in the Africa Cup of Nations, beating DR Congo 6-5 in a tense penalty shoot-out after surviving a second-half onslaught during the 90 minutes.

Bafana Bafana appeared second favourites in the shoot-out after Teboho Mokoena hit the post with the first spot-kick to hand DR Congo an immediate advantage and the stage was set for captain Chancel Mbemba to hit the winner, only to see his effort saved by Ronwen Williams.

And Williams – who saved four penalties in the quarter-final shoot-out win over Cape Verde – was the hero again after he kept out Mischack Elia’s penalty to seal the win.

It came after a 90 minutes in which DR Congo threatened again and again, but could not find a way to beat Williams.

The goalkeeper was quickly off his line to deny Silas Wamangituka, clean through on goal after eight minutes.

Simon Banza appeared to be through in the 27th minute but he could not get the proper contact on his shot and it dribbled back to Williams.

As half-time loomed, Elia tried to find Banza in front of goal but Siyanda Xulu made a crucial intervention to stop the danger.

DR Congo remained the more dangerous of the two teams at the start of the second half. When Grady Diangana lifted a ball through for Banza he got enormous power on his hooked shot, but could not keep it down as it whistled over the crossbar.

Elia tried his luck with a free-kick just before the hour, but his curling shot was straight at the goalkeeper.

The pressure kept coming, and should have resulted in a goal in the 65th minute. Williams completely fluffed gathering a high ball, gifting possession to Elia. His cross was deflected but it fell to Silas, who had a glorious chance in front of goal only to drag it wide.

Substitute Ricardo Goss then wasted an equally glorious chance in the 75th minute, hooking over from point-blank range as he back-pedalled, making contact off-balance.

Having been under pressure for so long, South Africa had a great chance to win it with five minutes left when Mihlali Mayambela broke through the offside trap, but with team-mates better placed he tried to beat Dimitry Bertaud from a tight angle and failed.

DR Congo went to the other end where substitute Fiston Mayele got away from Xulu with great control, only to drag his shot across goal from a tight angle and ensure the contest would be decided from the spot.

Mauricio Pochettino expressed frustration that Chelsea’s injury problems are being unfairly ignored in assessments of his team’s poor performances this season.

The Argentinian has rarely had fewer than seven players unavailable to him during what has been at best a patchy campaign.

Results have fluctuated drastically and the last week has been a stark example, with Wednesday’s 3-1 win at Aston Villa in the FA Cup coming directly off the back of a 4-2 loss to Wolves at Stamford Bridge.

That defeat, the 10th of Pochettino’s 23 Premier League games in charge, left the team 11th in the table.

The manager is unhappy that the impact of absences on his team’s form is not being acknowledged by critics.

Chelsea could have as many as nine players out for Monday’s game away at Crystal Palace, with defender Benoit Badiashile the latest name added to the list after he was forced off with a groin problem against Villa.

Both he and Levi Colwill will be assessed ahead of the meeting at Selhurst Park, though Trevoh Chalobah could be in consideration after missing the entirety of the season so far.

Other players to have missed significant periods include summer signings Christopher Nkunku, who required surgery on a knee injury sustained in pre-season and was made to wait until December to make his debut, and Romeo Lavia, who has played just once since joining from Southampton.

Marc Cucurella, Robert Sanchez, Lesley Ugochukwu and captain Reece James are also out whilst Wesley Fofana, who the club paid £70million to sign from Leicester in 2022, has not played this season.

Ben Chilwell, Carney Chukwuemeka and Malo Gusto have also spent time out injured.

“The perception is one thing, but if you don’t have your best players, it’s difficult,” said Pochettino. “You’re judged on results, (but) circumstances are there. Always we play with different circumstances.

“When you only see the result, people criticise because you lose the game. But never you go into the analysis of why.

“Before, I was focusing on giving good information to (the media) to put it all in context, to provide the argument what is going on. But now, after seven months, I don’t say ‘I give up (with the media)’ but if people want to understand OK, if not (then) focus, move on and try to win games.

“After seven months, I need to still explain and explain and explain. Unless people want to listen, that’s it. I’m not going to spend too much energy in keeping going, explaining and explaining.

“If you want to understand, perfect. If you want to help Chelsea, perfect. I’m not saying you are helping me. It’s helping Chelsea.”

Pochettino offered his backing to under-fire Palace boss Roy Hodgson, with whom he has maintained a friendship during his years in the Premier League.

Hodgson was the England manager whilst Chelsea’s coach was at Southampton between 2013-14, with a number of Saints players called up to the national team in that period.

“Roy is my friend, I admire him,” said Pochettino. “He’s an unbelievable coach. When you lose one or two in a row, always arrives the pressure. No doubt he’s going to be successful with Palace.”

Erik Ten Hag believes playing with Casemiro will help Kobbie Mainoo reach his potential more quickly.

Eighteen-year-old Mainoo has been the brightest part of a difficult season so far for Manchester United, with the midfielder establishing himself as an important member of the side.

The teenager was given his chance following the hamstring injury suffered by Casemiro at the beginning of November.

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But the Brazil international, who is 13 years Mainoo’s senior, is now fit again and they have played together in the last three games, all of which United have won.

Boss Ten Hag said: “We missed over a long period very important players like Casemiro, (Lisandro) Martinez, Luke Shaw, also others. We discussed that often. But you see the impact from a player when he is there, like Casemiro.

“He gives you calmness and composure on the ball. He gives you options, he does see the vertical pass.

“He is always a step ahead of his opponent and can break lines. Casemiro is a very important player for our game. We are happy he is back.

“For Kobbie Mainoo, he can learn a lot from it. That togetherness, that bond, also Kobbie is very coachable and Casemiro has so much experience.

“Kobbie will learn a lot from it, and that can even accelerate his development. We are happy to have him and, when they play together, they can benefit from each other.

“Casa takes that responsibility. He has taken to him and he is talking to him.

“I see it in the dressing room and on the pitch, also in training and in games. He is looking at his own game, but he is trying to help and support Kobbie Mainoo.”

Green shoots have emerged among a troubled time at Old Trafford in the form of Mainoo and his fellow young guns Rasmus Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho.

All have been to the fore in United’s improved form, which sees them head into Sunday’s clash with Aston Villa chasing a fourth successive win.

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Ten Hag is mindful, though, of not overplaying his rising stars, saying: “I brought them out on Sunday because it was the second game in nearly three days.

“I brought them out against Nottingham Forest, the third game in a week, and I have to protect the player.

“They have to get used to the Premier League’s intensity. You can only train this in the Premier League or Champions League where you have to perform every third day.

“Then you have to make considerations about the team and result, but also about protecting players so they don’t get injured.

“Kobbie was twice injured and we don’t want to come into that situation again because it halts his progress.”

Kylian Mbappe was kept in reserve as Paris St Germain went 11 points clear at the top of Ligue 1 with 3-1 victory over Lille.

Defender Alexsandro had a night to forget at the Parc des Princes when, after Yusuf Yazici had given the visitors an early lead, he was robbed to allow Goncalo Ramos to level and then sliced the ball into his own net before Randal Kolo Muani cemented the win.

Mbappe was named only among the substitutes ahead of Wednesday night’s Champions League last 16 clash with Real Sociedad, as were Gianluigi Donnarumma, Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos and Warren Zaire-Emery.

And Mbappe was not needed as Luis Enrique’s side eased to victory, with fourth-placed Lille indebted to goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier for keeping the margin of defeat respectable.

Mbappe’s presence on the bench as he nursed ankle injury did not come as a huge surprise despite Enrique’s insistence in the run-up to the game that he would be involved, but 37-year-old Keylor Navas’ inclusion in place of Donnarumma, his first appearance for the club since May 2022, did prompt raised eyebrows.

Navas’ evening got off to a bad start as Tiago Santos tricked his way past Lucas Beraldo and after Fabian Ruiz failed to deal with his cross, Yazici smashed the ball past the PSG keeper in the sixth minute.

The lead last barely four minutes as Alexsandro was caught in possession and Ousmane Dembele squared for Ramos to equalise.

Alexsandro’s evening was to take a further turn for the worse with just 17 minutes played as the home side started to find their feet.

Ramos sent the ball across the face of goal and when the visitors failed to deal with it, Fabian unleashed a speculative shot and the defender sliced an attempted clearance into his own net.

Lille might have fallen further behind in first-half stoppage time but for Chevalier’s instinctive save with his foot after Marco Asensio had run on to Dembele’s pull-back.

Asensio was guilty of a poor 51st-minute miss after robbing Nabil Bentaleb on the edge of the penalty area, and Chevalier came to Alexsandro’s rescue with a block from Nordi Mukiele after he had forced his way past the defender.

Edon Zhegrova saw a 58th-minute attempt deflected wide at the other end after Gabriel Gudmundsson and Angel Gomes had combined to set him up, but it took another superb save from Chevalier to keep out Kolo Muani’s 73rd-minute strike.

The striker did get his name on the scoresheet with 10 minutes remaining when substitute Bradley Barcola broke down the left and crossed for him to cement victory.

And Alexsandro’s misery was complete when he headed wastefully over when presented with a late chance to reduce the deficit.

Nottingham Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo cannot understand why VAR did not intervene and award his side a penalty in their 3-2 defeat to Newcastle.

Taiwo Awoniyi appeared to be tripped by goalkeeper Martin Dubravka with the score at 2-2 but referee Anthony Taylor waved away protests and VAR did not overrule, despite replays showing contact was made.

Three minutes later Bruno Guimaraes scored his second of the game to inflict another defeat for Forest which sees them teetering just two points above the relegation zone.

Nuno was in no doubt the penalty incident was the decisive moment in the game.

“Yes, it was a clear penalty, I saw it over and over again, for me it is a clear penalty,” he said. “Have you seen the image? I saw the replay over and over again.

“I think Anthony Taylor maybe doesn’t have a clear view of the incident because it is from behind but when you have the chance for VAR to check it, I think it is so obvious, that is why I don’t understand the decision. It is clear, the ball is still in play.

“We came from behind twice, it is very hard against a good team and you have a clear chance to go in front. We don’t know what will happen but it clearly changed the history of the game. That was a decisive moment for sure.

“I am frustrated, sad, disappointed because we played well and we created a lot of situations with the pace and speed. I am disappointed because we did so many things right and so few things that really cost us.”

Guimaraes’ first goal since September put Newcastle into an early lead but Forest levelled through Anthony Elanga and then Fabian Schar’s goal from a set-piece was cancelled out on the stroke of half-time by Callum Hudson-Odoi’s deflected effort.

Awoniyi appeared to have been felled just after the hour and three minutes later Guimaraes fired into the bottom corner from the edge of the area to boost Newcastle’s European hopes.

“It was a tough game, we knew it was going to be,” Magpies manager Eddie Howe said.

“I am really pleased with the first half, to come in at 2-2 was difficult, we were really good and switched off a couple of times and got punished.

“The second half was tough, Forest were up and we had to show a different side to our game and the second half was about spirit.

“We are still getting challenges left, right and centre but we are managing to come through those and today was a massive result for us, it gives us a real big high off the back off last week where there were positives but the result was not good.

“The players just keep giving more and I couldn’t be prouder of the lads tonight.”

Jude Bellingham made it 20 goals for the season as he and Vinicius Junior teamed up to put Girona to the sword and send Real Madrid five points clear at the top of the LaLiga table.

The England midfielder scored twice with both set up by Vinicius, who had opened the scoring before Rodrygo wrapped up a 4-0 win with a fine run and finish. Substitute Joselu also missed a late penalty.

It was just surprise package Girona’s second defeat of the league campaign, with the first also coming at the hands of Carlo Ancelotti’s men, and it was every bit as comprehensive as the scoreline suggests.

With visiting head coach Michel banned from the touchline following his dismissal for leaving his technical area during last weekend’s draw with Real Sociedad, and opposite number Ancelotti forced to field a makeshift back four with injuries biting hard into his resources, there was an air of uncertainty around the Bernabeu Stadium as the game kicked off.

However, the fears of the locals were settled within six minutes when Vinicius picked up possession wide on the left, cut inside Ivan Martin and curled an unstoppable right-foot shot across keeper Paulo Gazzaniga and inside the far post.

With Toni Kroos dictating play, Madrid continued to look the more threatening and Girona skipper Juanpe was mightily relieved to concede a free-kick on the edge of the box rather than a penalty after he had rudely interrupted Eduardo Camavinga’s blistering 21st-minute run towards goal.

Federico Valverde curled the resulting set-piece straight into Gazzaniga’s arms, but there was little let-up in the home side’s efforts to build upon their encouraging start.

Bellingham dragged a 32nd-minute shot wide, but made amends within three minutes when he ran on to Vinicius’ superb ball behind Eric Garcia and rounded Gazzaniga to make it 2-0.

Vinicius scuffed wide after being played through as the whistle approached, but the sides headed for the dressing rooms with the hosts very much in the driving seat.

The visitors, who had offered little before the break, returned in determined mood and it took a last-ditch clearance by Ferland Mendy to cut out Miguel Gutierrez’s inviting cross as they finally started to make an impression going forward.

However, their hopes suffered a further blow within nine minutes when Vinicius cut in from the left and saw Gazzaniga parry his shot straight to Bellingham, who tapped into the empty net.

The Englishman’s evening ended prematurely with 57 minutes gone when, having earlier turned an ankle, he was replaced by Brahim Diaz.

His team did not feel his loss, however, and Rodrigo extended their lead within four minutes, accepting Vinicius’ pass before racing away to fire emphatically past Gazzaniga.

It should have been 5-0 at the death, but Joselu struck the post with a penalty awarded for Yan Couto’s foul on Arda Guler.

Jeremie Frimpong fired into an empty net in stoppage time to cap Bayer Leverkusen’s outstanding 3-0 win over Bayern Munich as they celebrated carnival weekend in the Rhineland by moving five points clear at the top of the Bundesliga.

Josip Stanisic, the man on loan from Bayern, opened the scoring in the 18th minute before Alex Grimaldo doubled the advantage five minutes into the second half, but Frimpong added an exclamation mark after Manuel Neuer came up for a corner and Leverkusen broke to punish him.

Bayern had more of the ball but throughout the night it always felt as though Xabi Alonso’s side were the more dangerous, and this was a huge statement in their bid to win a first Bundesliga title and banish the nickname Vizekuzen – a mark of the five times they have finished runners-up.

The match at the BayArena kicked off eight minutes late after fans threw toy balls and other items onto the pitch as part of ongoing protests against the prospect of outside investment into the Bundesliga, and once play began it was Bayern who appeared to be on the front foot.

But while Leverkusen were happy to invite the visitors on to them, they were simply waiting for the moment to counter.

Their first shot at goal came in the 11th minute but Amine Adli’s effort lacked the power to trouble Neuer. Adli threatened again seven minutes later before Kim Min-jae got a foot in just in time, but Bayern were asleep from the resulting throw-in and were made to pay.

Robert Andrich drilled in a low ball across the face of goal and the Bayern defence stood still as Stanisic arrived to fire home, left all alone by Sacho Boey, usually a right-back but deployed on the left here in his second appearance since joining from Galatasaray last month.

Adli had a superb chance to get a second just before half-time as Granit Xhaka’s pin-point pass put him clean through on goal, but Dayot Upamecano recovered to get a toe on the ball, poking it back to Neuer.

It took only five minutes of the second half for the second to arrive. Grimaldo played a neat one-two with Nathan Tella to carve open the Bayern defence before beating Neuer at his near post with a rising shot.

Bayern were rocking, and there was chaos in their penalty area soon after, with Eric Dier’s cross hitting the arm of Leon Goretzka before bobbling back to Neuer, with a VAR check for handball coming to nothing.

Grimaldo hit the crossbar direct from a corner just after the hour as the ball dramatically dipped, but it bounced to safety.

Bayern tried to up the ante as Thomas Tuchel turned to his bench but struggled to create any real opportunities for a frustrated Harry Kane.

Instead, Leverkusen looked more likely to score again. Frimpong had already hit a post at the end of one late counter-attack, but had the final say after Neuer failed to get on the end of the corner and he raced down the pitch to fire into the unguarded net.

Bruno Guimaraes scored his first goals since September as Newcastle gave their hopes of qualifying for Europe a shot in the arm with an entertaining 3-2 win at Nottingham Forest.

The Brazilian had not scored since the 8-0 rout at Sheffield United in September but opened the scoring at the City Ground and then netted the winner in the second half.

Fabian Schar also scored as the Magpies moved seventh, two points behind sixth-placed Manchester United, and after an inconsistent season they will now be eyeing a run of form which sees them book European football for a second successive season.

Forest twice drew level through Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi and thought they should have had a penalty at 2-2, but they are still searching for a first Premier League win of 2024 and are just two points above the relegation zone.

And with a possible points deduction from the Premier League hanging over their heads, there will be real concerns going into the final third of the season.

Their cause is not helped by continually losing games they are competing in as this was the sixth time they have lost 3-2 this season.

The tone for a breathless match was set in the fifth minute as Forest could have led from an excellent chance for Morgan Gibbs-White.

Taiwo Awoniyi surged forward and played in Nuno Tavares to cut back for Gibbs-White, who whistled a left-footed effort just past the post.

Five minutes later the hosts were behind as Guimaraes ghosted in at the far post to produce a fine first-time finish from Kieran Trippier’s deep cross.

Newcastle defender Dan Burn was given a chastening afternoon by Luton speedster Chiedozie Ogbene last week so will have not have been thrilled at the prospect of coming up against Elanga.

And the long-legged defender was left in the dust by the Sweden international as Nicolas Dominguez’s through-ball sent him clear, but Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka stayed big and made a good stop.

Elanga was not so wasteful with his next chance 10 minutes later as he again put on the afterburners to leave Burn and Sven Botman in his wake, coolly slotting through Dubravka’s legs from Gibbs-White’s excellent through-ball.

Forest were pushing for a second but Newcastle regained the lead in the 43rd minute.

Botman headed down Trippier’s free-kick into the path of Schar, who guided the ball cleanly into the bottom corner from 12 yards.

It was 2-2 in the sixth minute of first-half added time as Hudson-Odoi cut inside from the left and let fly with an effort that clipped Lewis Miley and soared into the corner.

Forest continued to have joy against Newcastle’s high line and thought they should have had a penalty just after the hour.

Awoniyi raced through on goal from Matz Sels’ long kick and looked to be tripped by Dubravka’s outstretched arm, but referee Anthony Taylor did not give a penalty and VAR did not overrule despite a check.

Typically, three minutes later Newcastle went ahead for the third time as Elanga’s loose pass went straight to Guimaraes, who found the bottom corner for his second of the night.

This time Newcastle did not relinquish their advantage and saw it out for a valuable three points.

Barnsley boss Neill Collins hopes Adam Phillips’ dramatic late double can be a pivotal moment in their season.

The Tykes were heading for defeat against Leyton Orient until Phillips equalised in the 88th minute.

And, despite Barnsley going down to 10 men when Luca Connell saw red, Phillips struck again in stoppage time to secure a 2-1 win that moved them within four points of the automatic promotion places in League One.

“It’s not the way we planned it,” said a relieved Collins.

“I thought losing an early goal is always an issue. But the players responded very well, as did the crowd.

“And together we just kept going right to the very end. And you could see at the end, even with 10 men, when everyone’s up it’s very difficult and I’m so pleased for everyone that we got what I think was a deserved winning goal.

“At the end there, it could be a really pivotal moment of the season. It was great to see the second goal go in.”

Orient took the lead through Ruel Sotiriou in the 10th minute.

But their eight match unbeaten run came to an end as Phillips bagged a brace either side of Connell being shown a second yellow card.

Orient boss Richie Wellens was not happy with how his side attempted to hold on to their lead.

“It’s not cruel when you sit deep and invite teams on,” he said.

“I think first 20 minutes, half an hour we were very good. We went 1-0 up and every time we attacked we looked a real threat.

“Then we didn’t play with enough bravery to pass the ball, we didn’t play with enough bravery to switch the ball and everything we wanted to do.

“And the accumulation of not being brave enough and fatigue, especially in the last 10-15 minutes, has cost us the game.

“I don’t think we can begrudge them. I think they deserved to win the game cos the pressure was building.

“Our game management was really, really poor. And if you allow teams like this to build momentum and you never break it, then unfortunately you’re going to pay the price.”

Peterborough manager Darren Ferguson backed goalkeeper Nicholas Bilokapic to learn from an error-strewn display in his side’s damaging 5-2 defeat at Wycombe.

Bilokapic, 21, was directly at fault for two of Wycombe’s goals, with Kieran Sadlier and David Wheeler both capitalising.

Ferguson mounted a passionate defence of his young goalkeeper and refused to criticise the Australian.

He said: “It was a tough day for the boy, he knows he’s made mistakes but I have to stick by him.

“I’m not coming here to criticise him, he needs my help. A big part of my job, especially with a squad with young players, is to stick by them.

“A lot of the criticism he’s got has been unjust, but that’s happened before at this club. There’s something about young goalkeepers fans don’t like but I have to stick by him.”

Posh fell behind through an own goal from Archie Collins and the hosts doubled their lead on the cusp of half-time through captain Jack Grimmer’s low finish.

Sadlier added a third before David Ajiboye and an own goal from Ryan Tafazolli threatened to turn the game on its head.

But the hosts held firm to score two more through substitutes Sam Vokes and Wheeler late on.

Ferguson added: “Sometimes it’s easy to play at 3-0 down, the pressure was off. But what I will say is that at least we had a bit of a goal for that short period.

“We had the momentum in the game and then we concede one more right after.

“It would knock any team and we kept huffing and puffing, we had one or two other opportunities to make it 4-3.

“You have to give credit to Wycombe, they were ruthless with the way they took their chances.”

Ferguson’s promotion-chasers have now lost three in a row, while his opposite number Matt Bloomfield was delighted after securing back-to-back wins which have taken his side six points clear of the bottom four.

Bloomfield said: “I told the boys before the game today that I have huge belief in them.

“I see what they do, I’ve seen the pain that they’ve been through at times this season.

“I’ve seen the moments that have gone against them, but that hasn’t altered my belief in the group and what we’re trying to achieve here.

“It means a great deal because we’ve had a tough time over the winter. It has been really important as leader of the group that I remain positive because I have massive faith in the group.

“I’ve been convinced there are good times around the corner, but obviously in testing moments it really stretches you.

“To enjoy a day at home in front of our supporters against an incredible team and celebrate five goals is lovely.”

Marcus Thuram inspired a strong second-half fightback as Inter Milan extended their lead at the top of Serie A to seven points with a 4-2 win over Roma at the Stadio Olimpico.

Thuram flicked home from a Matteo Darmian cross four minutes after the break then pressured Roma defender Angelino into turning a ball from the left into his own net six minutes later.

Roma pressed desperately for an equaliser, but Inter made sure of the points deep into stoppage time when defender Alessandro Bastoni finished off a swift counter-attack.

Victory allowed Inter to build on their crucial win over title rivals Juventus last week, while it spelled a first defeat for new Roma head coach Daniele De Rossi after three straight wins.

Seeking another win that would send them up to fourth, Roma started with confidence, and Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer had to tip over a shot from Stephan El Shaarawy inside the opening minute.

Matias Pellegrini also came close from distance, but Inter grew into the game and grabbed the lead in the 18th minute when Federico Dimarco’s corner was headed home by Francesco Acerbi.

But Roma were level within 10 minutes when Gianluca Mancini nodded home from a free-kick, with set-plays proving dangerous for both sides in the slippery conditions.

An end-to-end clash saw chances for Dimarco and Paulo Dybala at both ends before the hosts stunned Inter by grabbing the lead moments before the half-time break.

Pellegrini led a sweeping counter-attack that sent the ball out to El Shaarawy on the left flank and his rising shot clattered against both posts before nestling in the net to put Roma 2-1 up.

Inter responded strongly at the start of the second half and it took them only four minutes to level when Thuram met Darmian’s cross with the neatest of finishes.

Angelino was unfortunate to divert the next past his own keeper after 56 minutes and Inter were intent on pressing home their advantage with Benjamin Pavard striking the post with a fine shot moments later.

Roma’s best chance to give an engrossing game one final twist came in the 71st minute when former Inter man Romelu Lukaku was played clean through, but had the ball picked off his feet by the alert Sommer.

It sparked a grandstand finish from the home side with Sommer having to be on his toes again to tip away an effort from Leonardo Spinazzola with six minutes left on the clock.

But Roma’s increasing desperation left holes at the back and the visitors confirmed victory after a thrilling game through the unlikely figure of Bastoni.

Southampton boss Russell Martin joked about hating the basketball nature of his side’s breathless 5-3 Sky Bet Championship victory over Huddersfield at St Mary’s.

Saints trailed 2-0 and 3-2 and were looking at their 24-game unbeaten run ending before a manic second half ended up with the high-flying hosts claiming victory thanks to Joe Rothwell’s double, a Tom Lees own goal and late strikes from Sekou Mara and Samuel Edozie.

They might have kept their club-record run, and maintained second spot in the table, but master of perfection Martin was less enthralled by the “carnage” on view.

“I enjoyed the feeling at the end. That isn’t my kind of game. It was like basketball at one point, it was carnage,” he said.

“I love basketball but not on a big pitch.

“My immediate feeling is immense pride and gratitude towards the players and the supporters for the energy they showed.

“The conversation we had at half-time was about how it is never easy to play the way we want to play.

“To do what they are doing is incredible. Nobody should ever take that for granted. It takes immense work, courage and intensity. We lacked all of that in the first half.

“Then, to bring it back to 2-2, what a response. Then we got caught up in that emotion. To go 3-2 down and deal with that setback was incredible.

“I’m frustrated at the first half. I’m frustrated that we have conceded as many goals today as we have in our last 10 home games.

“But big credit to Huddersfield, I thought they were great. They came here with complete freedom. They deserved to be leading at half time, but we deserved to win it by the end of the game.

“We will take a lot from that second half, but we will also learn a lot from the first half. The gaps were too big and we lacked courage because what Huddersfield were doing to us.

“We got spooked for the first time in a long time. To overcome that in the way that we did was immense. I am so proud of them.”

Sorba Thomas’ 36th-minute opener saw Southampton trailing at home for the first time in almost 22 hours before David Kasumu gave the struggling visitors a 2-0 half-time lead.

However, Saints were level inside five minutes of the second half with Rothwell firing home a superb first-time volley before netting his second after being set up by fellow Bournemouth loanee David Brooks.

But the Terriers found a second wind to lead again through a heavily-deflected Alex Matos shot in the 65th minute, before Saints rallied once more to net three times in the last 10 minutes and claim a dramatic win.

Rothwell’s low centre saw Lees put through his own goal before Mara and Edozie completed the turnaround.

Interim Huddersfield boss Jon Worthington, who saw his side beat relegation rivals Sheffield Wednesday 4-0 in his first game in charge, said “I enjoyed the game. The lads gave everything I asked of them and followed the plan to a tee.

“There are loads of positives especially as a coach and from the way we played.

“I’m really proud. I believe in this group of players and they have trust in me and the staff to follow the game plan.

“We are disappointed with the result. I want to win games, and hate losing and so do the players.

“Loved the performance and the front four and that is how I think it should be played.

“At 2-0 up we didn’t want to sit back because that would be what Southampton wanted.”

QPR boss Marti Cifuentes is hopeful his side’s new signings can keep the club in the Championship after they combined to rescue a point in a 2-2 draw at home to Norwich.

Swiss striker Michael Frey headed in a cross from fellow pre-deadline signing Lucas Andersen to earn the west London side a draw.

Meanwhile, loan signings Isaac Hayden and Joe Hodge impressed in midfield, giving head coach Cifuentes plenty of encouragement in the battle to avoid relegation.

The Spaniard said: “I’m very happy for the new players. I think that all of them are showing they are great professionals.

“These four players are coming from situations where we will need to take into account that they will perhaps need a couple of weeks to be at their best version, but I’m happy with them.

“The assist from Lucas to Frey was brilliant. All of them are giving good performances for us.

“They need match fitness but they’ve shown fantastic performances and I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do together with the rest of the guys.

“We definitely feel like we’re stronger now than we were before.”

QPR took the lead through Jack Colback’s opener but Norwich hit back with second-half goals from Kenny McLean and Josh Sargent.

Frey’s leveller meant third-bottom Rangers closed the gap on Huddersfield, the team immediately above them, to two points.

“I can never be happy with just a point, but we played against a strong team that scored two quality goals,” said Cifuentes.

“We managed to have good moments, both in the first half and the second, and I want to praise the attitude and the mentality of the guys.

“It’s not easy to be behind at home in the situation that we are in. But we had the mental strength and capacity to keep on pushing – and after the equaliser from Frey we still tried to go for the victory.”

Norwich boss David Wagner was left to rue a miss by Ashley Barnes shortly before QPR’s equaliser.

“Performance-wise, OK. Intensity and energy, top. Result, a little bit frustrating,” said Wagner.

“But I think it’s a positive if we are frustrated at getting a point away from home against QPR in a game where we have come back from one down.

“Unfortunately we didn’t score the third one where Barnsey had a great opportunity. Then we conceded a sloppy goal, which cost us.

“Our biggest challenge today was not to get too emotional and to stay calm. I think when we did that we looked very good in possession and were able to break them down and create opportunities.

“So I’m a little bit frustrated that we haven’t won this game, because it was possible. We should be fair also and say that performance-wise this was OK.

“Unfortunately it’s only a point. I think it’s OK if there’s a little bit of frustration about only getting the point after being 1-0 down at half-time away from home.

“We should look at the performance as well. You only have positive results if you perform consistently and this is what the players have done in recent weeks.”

John Mousinho’s half-time verbal volley hit the target as Paddy Lane earned victory for League One leaders Portsmouth against bottom side Carlisle.

Boss Mousinho did not like what he saw during the first half but his strong words provoked the desired response after the break as Lane netted his 10th goal of the campaign – his third in two games – after 62 minutes to stretch Pompey’s lead at the summit.

“We had a pop at half-time,” confirmed Mousinho. “We knew if we had more quality and take care of the things we needed to take care of we would go on and win the game.

“The performance for large parts was really positive apart from the start. We started like a side weary from the travel but I am not giving the lads that excuse because we do things well enough for them to be at it from the first whistle.

“We dominated possession without creating a huge amount. Carlisle were decent in the first half and had a go.”

Tom Lowery drove a shot against the woodwork in the opening half, in which all United’s best efforts came from Jordan Gibson.

Stung by their manager’s interval dressing-down, Pompey improved to the delight of their 1,848 fans who made their longest trip of the season.

But it still needed Abu Kamara’s introduction to unlock a defence that has now failed to keep a clean sheet for a club-record 25 league games.

Kamara’s run and defence-splitting pass allowed Lane to drill beyond Harry Lewis.

“Paddy’s goals have been important for us all season,” said Mousinho. “When we have relied on Colby (Bishop) to score we’ve probably not been as good a side as we could be.”

Despite their plight, Carlisle fans still managed a good ovation for former favourite Owen Moxon when he came off the bench after 74 minutes.

Moxon was outstanding for the Cumbrians in their promotion season but swapped bottom for top on deadline day.

Despite the club’s position manager Paul Simpson is not throwing in the towel.

“There is a definite disappointment we didn’t get anything out of the game,” he said.

“They know they did a lot of good things but unfortunately the good things counted for nothing.

“There are still plenty of games to go and people may think I am clutching at straws saying that but we have to keep believing. We have to make sure we finish this season much stronger than we have been so far.

“But we have got to work goalkeepers, get shots on target and crosses in the right area, and score goals. Unfortunately, we are not.

“The truth is everyone will have looked before the game and thought ‘Carlisle have got no chance, Carlisle are already relegated’. But we have got to surprise people, maybe even surprise ourselves.”

Neil Critchley believes Blackpool did not switch on quickly enough in their 1-1 draw with League One play-off rivals Oxford at Bloomfield Road.

Blackpool led the game after an 18th-minute goal from Matt Pennington but conceded just three minutes later to Oxford’s Mark Harris.

The result did little for either team, with Oxford sitting seventh, a point off the top six after a five-match winless run, and Blackpool – three without a victory themselves – a further five points adrift.

Critchley said: “We’re disappointed we didn’t take the three points if I’m honest, I thought we started the game well and scored from a well-worked set piece.

“The disappointment is the goal we conceded so soon after and the manner in which we conceded it, that knocked us a little bit.

“After our goal, we didn’t switch on quickly enough, we lost ourselves for a minute or two. It’s uncharacteristic of us in set pieces this season.

“It’s hugely frustrating, Oxford are a good team with good players but we dominated the second half and pushed them back. In the last few games, we’ve not got the points that we deserve.

“We can go anywhere and win, home or away doesn’t matter to me, they’re all tough games in this league.

“I thought the game was a good standard for League One, it was two good teams on show.”

Critchley also confirmed that Jordan Rhodes is unlikely to be ready for Tuesday’s game with Cheltenham after sustaining a rib injury against Charlton.

Oxford were bolstered by returnees as Billy Bodin and Josh Murphy came from the bench to combine for a golden chance in the closing stages.

But the U’s were unable to find a winner which would have moved them into the top six.

Manager Des Buckingham said: “We had a chance at the end of the game, it was an excellent cross by Josh Murphy into Billy Bodin but somehow it’s come off the post.

“To come here, it’s a very tough place, there are not many teams that have left here this season with anything.

“The second half was a bit scrappy for both teams, it was a bit of a fight and they worked with determination.

“Overall, we did enough to have taken three but pleased equally that it was one – Jamie Cumming made a world-class save to make sure we leave here with a point.

“We’re not going to hide behind excuses or the reality of what it is, we’ve been stretched extremely thin over the last two months.

“There’s plenty to come, we are sticking in and around where we want to be because, as you’ve seen today, we are stronger.”