Barnsley head coach Paul Heckingbottom was made to rue a red card as his team slipped to a late 3-1 defeat against Fulham at Oakwell. Liam Lindsay gave Barnsley the lead in the first half but Dimitri Cavare’s red card for a shove on Stefan Johansen on the stroke of half-time changed the game.
Ryan Sessegnon scored just four minutes into the second half before the visitors grabbed all three points in stoppage time to move into the playoff places. Kevin McDonald scored a scrappy goal before Sessegnon got in on the act again by adding his second of the game with almost the last kick of the game.
Heckingbottom said: “They say you get what you deserve. We didn’t deserve to win.” He added: “Sending offs happen. You still have to see the game out. We’ll focus on what went right, and what individuals did right.”
Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic said: “Definitely the second yellow card was important. We try to find a solution and fortunately in injury time we found the goal.”
Norwich end Brentford run
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Frustrated Brentford head coach Dean Smith felt the better team lost after seeing his side’s 14-game unbeaten home run ended by Norwich’s 1-0 victory. His in-form side dominated possession but lacked a cutting edge, with striker Neal Maupay coming in for criticism from sections of the Griffin Park crowd.
Instead, the game was settled by a superb 25-yard strike from James Maddison, who has attracted Premier League interest.
A clearly aggrieved Smith said: “We lacked a bit of quality in the final part of the pitch but my biggest disappointment was the support Neal got. He was on his sick bed on Thursday and only found out he was playing yesterday. He’s a good young player new to this league and he’s got goals this season. He gave it his all, as he always does, so I think some of our fans could be more supportive.
“I’m disappointed because the best team got beat but saying that, the difference between the sides was a 25-yard shot into the top corner.”
Smith’s plans were rocked by leading scorer Lasse Vibe’s absence as he negotiates a rumoured move to China and playmaker Romaine Sawyers falling ill on the morning of the game.
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Norwich head coach Daniel Farke hailed his side’s win against a team who were unbeaten in the league at home since the opening day. “This was their first home defeat since August so this win and clean sheet are simply outstanding especially when you consider it’s been a pretty difficult week for us with people leaving and coming in,” he said.
Farke admitted he was hoping for a quiet four days on the transfer front to quell the interest in Maddison, a target for West Ham United and Tottenham. He said: “It would be nice but I’m not going to lock him away.”
Holloway: worst defeat of my managerial career
Ian Holloway labelled the 2-0 defeat by 10-man Bristol City at Ashton Gate the worst result of his managerial career. The QPR boss was livid after seeing his side well beaten by a team who were a man down from the 32nd minute, when Nathan Baker was sent off for a scything challenge on Josh Scowan.
Holloway said: “It was probably my worst result ever. That was not my team out there today. We will never have a better chance of beating Bristol City considering the effort they put in against Manchester City in midweek.
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“Our performance was unacceptable and we will have a big meeting on Monday because I can’t put up with that. The sending-off should have helped us. Instead, it galvanised them and they were the better side.
“To see them outrunning my players after what they had done against Manchester City was hard to take. When we did get on top we were nothing like clinical enough. I have nothing but praise for Lee Johnson and his team for what they are building, but we are better than that.”
Baker was shown a straight red card by referee Keith Stroud his late challenge on Scowen just inside the City half.
Club record signing Famara Diedhiou put City in front with a glancing header from Ryan Kent’s left-wing corner just before the interval. Joe Bryan wrapped up the points after 66 minutes with a clinical left-footed finish from inside the box after Diedhiou’s shot had been brilliantly saved by Alex Smithies.
Johnson said: “The lads showed fantastic character in what could easily have been a case of ‘after the Lord Mayor’s Show’ for us following the Manchester City game. My gut feeling over the sending-off was that it was a yellow card, but I don’t see it as the type of challenge we could win an appeal over.”