Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson hailed the effort of his players as the Red Dragons recorded their first away win since being promoted to League Two last season as well as their first clean sheet of the campaign.
Aaron Hayden’s 56th-minute header meant Parkinson’s side took all three points in a fiercely contested local derby against Tranmere at Prenton Park
The visitors dominated the early stages of a frantic first half with Ollie Palmer, Elliott Lee and James McClean all coming close to opening the scoring.
Meanwhile, Rovers’ best chance fell to Kristian Dennis who almost latched onto a Regan Hendry cross in a rare sortie into the visitor’s box in the opening period.
It was a similar story after the break and Wrexham’s pressure eventually told when Hayden lost his man from a corner to nod the ball home in front of the 2,000 travelling fans.
Despite their dominance, the visitors were unable to add to their lead, despite coming close through Ollie Palmer while Rovers’ only real effort of note was Sam Taylor’s speculative effort which was tipped over by Wrexham goalkeeper Mark Howard.
It’s now five games unbeaten in the league for Wrexham while Ian Dawes’ Tranmere side have lost three on the bounce.
Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson said: “I’m very pleased, I thought it was a strong performance from us, particularly in the first half.
“We were excellent and passed the ball really well, we didn’t get the goal, but we didn’t feel sorry for ourselves and kept going.
“Obviously the home team is going to come back into it to a certain degree and we had enough good chances to win the game by more.
“1-0 wins are important as they show resilience and I thought we dug deep today when we had to and we pushed ourselves that extra yard to get the result.
“Everyone knows we had that spell early on where we were conceding goals and we had to rectify that and the first clean sheet of the season will do the defenders the world of good today.
“The lads have responded brilliantly today and to win a local derby with the support we’ve had here is an incredible feeling.”
Tranmere manager Ian Dawes said: “We knew going into the game it was two teams with two completely different styles of play.
“Wrexham are a very physical side who were going to go long and we knew they’d be relentless, so we knew we had to manage the game.
“We worked the ball well into the final third at times today but we just lacked that little bit of guile.
“We knew we’d have to be patient with the ball because we’d have been crazy to go direct against the three biggest centre backs in the league.
“I thought we defended set plays really well today and there was just one moment where they got a block on us and they scored the goal – that one moment has been the difference today.
“It hurts us today massively and the fans, staff and players will be hurting because it wasn’t just a game of football today, it was about that rivalry and we walk away gutted.”
Norwich City 0-0 Leeds United: Championship play-off finely poised for second leg
Norwich City and Leeds United could not be separated in a goalless draw in the first leg of their Championship play-off semi-final, leaving it all to play for at Elland Road.
Junior Firpo put the ball into the back of the net in the 30th minute, but it was ruled out for a marginal offside by Georginio Rutter in the build-up at Carrow Road.
Marcelino Nunez failed to take Norwich's best chance in the first half, firing wide of the left post after Leeds had an early penalty shout for a foul on Wilfried Gnonto by Borja Sainz dismissed by the referee.
The sides will meet again on Thursday at Elland Road for a winner-takes-all-decider and a place in the play-off final at Wembley Stadium on May 26.
Data Debrief: Stalemate
Norwich have failed to score in a home game for the first time since December. It is also the first time they have failed to win an EFL play-off at home, winning both of the previous two by a 3-1 scoreline (vs Wolves in 2001-02 and Ipswich Town in 2014-15).
Leeds only attempted six shots in this game (two on target), their lowest total in a single match in the Championship this season.
Messi fury sees Martino call for MLS rules revision on injuries
Lionel Messi was left frustrated by being kept on the sidelines after an injury scare in Saturday's win over CF Montreal, with Inter Miami head coach Gerardo Martino calling for a revision of MLS rulings.
The former Barcelona superstar was visibly furious after being forced off temporarily from a George Campbell foul, with the Miami forward missing a chance to take a presentable free-kick opportunity.
New MLS regulations state players must leave the pitch for two minutes if the referee stops play due to a potential injury that leaves them on the ground for over 15 seconds.
Following the 3-2 triumph over Montreal, Martino questioned the ruling and suggested it punished the wrong party.
"There are situations that must be revised," the Herons boss said.
"In Leo's situation, he was clearly fouled. The player deserved a yellow card, which would mean Messi would've never left the field for two minutes.
"As I understand it, the team that suffered the foul was punished. With these new rule changes, some situations must be revised.
"The infraction was clear and was a yellow card, and ultimately it was us that lost Leo for two minutes."
Miami were left further aggrieved despite making it five straight wins to move three points clear at the Eastern Conference summit.
Luis Suarez failed to leave the pitch in under 10 seconds when replaced by Leo Campana in the 92nd minute, with new MLS regulations meaning the fourth official delayed the substitution for another minute.
"In the case of Suarez, we had a very important difference with the fourth referee in respect to the minute," Martino added.
"We thought Suarez exited the pitch in under a minute, he did not see it that way and so Leo Campana's entry to the game was delayed."
Navas to leave PSG at end of season
Keylor Navas has confirmed that he will leave Paris Saint-Germain when his contract expires at the end of the season.
Navas joined PSG in 2019, making 113 appearances for the club while keeping 51 clean sheets. He won nine major honours with the French club, including three Ligue 1 titles and two Coupe de France medals. He also collected a Champions League runner-up medal in 2019-20.
Navas served as the first-choice goalkeeper for the first two seasons but has struggled for playing time since Gianluigi Donnarumma joined the club in 2021.
Since returning to PSG after a loan spell at Nottingham Forest, Navas has made just three Ligue 1 appearances this campaign.
In a statement on social media, Navas confirmed that he would be leaving the French capital and will use their home game against Toulouse on Sunday to say goodbye to the fans.
He said: “Every second spent at the Parc des Princes was wonderful.
“Thank God, I have always felt love and encouragement.
“It was an honour to defend this badge in this incredible stadium.
“I still have some goals to accomplish, but I didn't want to miss the opportunity to say goodbye to what used to be my home.”
His departure follows the news that Kylian Mbappe will also be leaving the Ligue 1 champions, with the forward making his announcement on Friday.
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