Cardiff boss Erol Bulut savoured a Severnside derby victory as Rubin Colwill replied to recent criticism from his manager with a first league goal for 19 months.

Colwill sealed Cardiff’s 2-0 win over Bristol City in stoppage time with a superb strike as the Bluebirds climbed to fifth in the Sky Bet Championship.

The Wales international’s first league goal since March 2022 – cutting between two defenders before rifling a ferocious angled drive in to the roof of the net – came after Bulut said he had a problem with him and team-mate Callum Robinson over their work-rate.

Bulut said: “I was clear what I wanted from those two players. Offensively they are good.

“We saw again from Colwill a great goal, last game Robinson scored and also worked a lot here.

“Defensively they are doing much better than before. I am expecting this because we are 11 on the field and I need 11 players, not 10.

“They understand what I want. I am honest with my players. I don’t tell them anything else. I tell them exactly what I want.

“The good thing is that they try to give me back what I went from them. This makes me happy.”

Colwill has scored twice in the Carabao Cup this season, but the 21-year-old has yet to start a Championship game under Bulut.

He has also lost his place in Rob Page’s Wales squad and dropped down to the under-21 set up after playing in the World Cup last year.

“Rubin is doing well for a long time,” insisted Bulut. “When we put him on, we get this performance that we want to see.

“I hope only for him and I can give him my advice, to not stop, to continue.

“It was not an easy game. After the last game where we won 4-0 against Huddersfield, I said to my team ‘we cannot celebrate, we have to continue to work’.

“We did and this is a good result for my team. I am glad to see this performance from the players.”

Bristol City have lost five of their last seven games and boss Nigel Pearson continues to contend with a lengthy casualty list.

“I can’t get injured players back and unfortunately, we’ve got a small squad anyway,” said Pearson.

“There wasn’t much in the game. We conceded two goals from our own possession but we didn’t create much.

“Cardiff might be doing OK, but I wouldn’t put them up with the best sides at all.

“It was a game with a team in a good seam that capitalised on our mistakes. They didn’t outplay us.”

Interim Bristol Rovers manager Andy Mangan raised the prospect that he could take charge of the Gas following Joey Barton’s sacking after a 2-1 over Northampton at the Memorial Stadium.

Mangan was placed in temporary charge of the first team in the wake of Barton’s exit on Thursday and such was his players’ response that he is already quizzed about the possibility of taking over on a permanent basis.

When asked about being in line to replace Barton, Mangan told reporters in his post-match news conference: “That’s a really difficult question to ask because Joey’s my friend.

“I’ve been asked to take over the team because of what’s happened this week and all I can do is do my best.

“If we keep winning, then who knows what will happen, but all I can do is every single day come and try to make my players better.

“But I have to say the staff have been fantastic and I’ve got nothing but thanks to everyone at the club.

“Joe and me have been together longer than everyone else here so it’s been tough.

“But it’s been wonderful seeing the way people have been coming together and long may that continue.

“I don’t know what happens next – all I can do is keep working diligently every day.”

Mangan saw striker Chris Martin give his side the perfect start, back-heeling Aaron Collins’ cut-back beyond Cobblers goalkeeper Lee Burge after 10 minutes.

Antony Evans doubled the lead on the half-hour, calmly beating Burge from the penalty spot after the former Sunderland goalkeeper felled Collins.

Emmanuel Monthe halved the lead in the 57th minute when he nodded in Mitchell Pinnock’s free-kick to set up a tense finale.

“I’m an optimist and I think we can beat everyone else, but we can be miles better,” Mangan added.

“Victory felt really good because what happened was a complete shock and to be thrust into it and come away with a 2-1 is something we should all be proud of.

“It’s been a tough week for everyone and the players have to take a lot of credit because they performed to their maximum.

“After the first 10 minutes we were magnificent and when the onslaught came the lads should take credit for standing firm.”

Northampton manager Jon Brady, whose side are now only outside the Sky Bet League One relegation zone on goal difference, expressed frustration with the outcome.

He said: “We started well and had two or three chances, and then gave away easy goals that left us having to fight our way back into the game.

“We got a goal back and pushed and pushed, and we were knocking on the door, but we’re giving ourselves a mountain to climb every single time.

“We dominated every facet of the game. We had 60 per cent possession, but the game’s not about possession, it’s about how you use that ball and having purpose.

“We didn’t put the ball in the back of the net and then it’s too easy for the opposition to score.

“I’m really disappointed but we played quite well, but didn’t come away with anything which is frustrating.”

Shaun Maloney hailed a “very professional performance” after Wigan secured a third 2-0 victory on the spin in Sky Bet League One against a Shrewsbury side who played for all but four minutes with 10 men.

Former Wigan defender Chey Dunkley was shown a straight red card for hauling down Thelo Aasgaard on the edge of the box.

And goals in either half from Stephen Humphrys and substitute Callum Lang secured a comfortable win for Latics, who also hit the woodwork twice.

“I thought it was a very professional performance,” said Maloney.

“Obviously it was very hard for Shrewsbury when you go down to 10 men that early.

“I thought we started the game very well, and then the game completely changes.

“I was just really happy with how professional we were, because the sending-off changed our outlook dramatically.

“Give Shrewsbury credit, actually, even with 10 men.

“It changes how we play, the spaces become bigger and we have to make them even bigger for them, which is probably the reason why we created so many chances.

“We had to change how we played in the second half, we had to become more aggressive.

“I was really pleased with the guys who came on in the second half, especially Callum McManaman who brought that mentality back just at a time when I thought the game was starting to drift.

“This kind of game can drift and become a lot harder, even when you have the man advantage.”

Shrewsbury boss Matt Taylor had no complaints over either the red card or the result.

“It was a very difficult afternoon for us,” he said. “But you’ve got to put it into context, when you have your captain sent off inside five minutes away from home – and quite rightly sent off.

“It’s a bad decision from Chey, he gets himself into a position where he can’t affect the run of the player going through.

“Going down to 10 men inside five minutes, you know there’s going to be some suffering, and there was.

“Having said that, for large parts of the game I thought we were excellent, considering we had 10 men.

“The players trusted each other, they moved the ball very well and we got into some excellent positions.

“You have to understand that when you play with 10 men, you will have to give space away because you can’t cover the whole pitch.

“Therefore they had plenty of opportunities from crosses and we haven’t stopped crosses well enough today in one-v-one situations.

“With the ball I was pleased, we varied the ball well and overall I’m disappointed because I felt this was a good opportunity to pick up some points.

“But we weren’t able to do that because we went down to 10 men so early.”

Paul Warne understands why Derby supporters voiced their frustrations towards the end of his side’s 3-1 defeat at Stevenage.

Boro fully deserved to record a first win in four league games which lifted them up to sixth in the Sky Bet League table.

Derby, though, are so far not living up to their pre-season expectations, with a second straight away defeat hard to take for many of the travelling fans who made their feelings towards Warne clear.

“The fans who came aren’t happy; they’re not happy with me, they’re not happy with the football, they’re not happy with everything, and I understand that,” Warne said.

“We are not in this league to come to Stevenage and lose or underperform, and it is a disappointing day for everyone involved at the football club.

“We just weren’t good enough to beat Stevenage, who I didn’t underestimate, but just in moments we weren’t strong enough.

“If I am truly honest, I have never had to manage a group where your own fans give it to you and I appreciate their frustrations.

“We’ve been honest with the lads there, saying what we think, and we will have to try and bounce back Tuesday (against Northampton) and put a performance on.

“What is obvious for anyone who knows anything about football is we have got a soft underbelly.”

Jordan Roberts gave Stevenage the lead with a thumping strike after a free-kick was teed up for him in the 32nd minute, but that was soon cancelled out by Nathaniel Mendez-Laing’s neat finish.

Alex MacDonald then put the Boro ahead from a free-kick right at the end of the first half, which beat Derby goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith for pace.

Boro then secured victory with six minutes left when Kane Hemmings opened his account from Luther James-Wildin’s ball across goal.

Stevenage boss Steve Evans said: “We fully respected and acknowledged how good the opposition were.

“They are, in my opinion, the biggest team in League One and arguably if they’re in the Championship you could be saying the same.

“We knew we had to match them in every area and I think we’ve done that and more today.

“We should have won by more, but we don’t fail to recognise that for Stevenage to beat Derby County in a league fixture is for the whole town really.

“It is tremendous for us and I don’t really have a thought towards Derby other than that they are a terrific side.

“It is more hand-to-mouth here and we have to find a way to compete at the level we have come up into.”

Norwich boss David Wagner insists he can get the struggling Canaries back on track but admits he is unable to say whether he will be given time to turn his side’s fortunes around.

Norwich’s miserable Championship run continued with a 3-1 defeat at Sunderland, meaning Wagner’s side have now won just two of their last 10 games and tumbled to 17th in the table.

The Canaries took the lead at the Stadium of Light through Hwang Ui-jo but Trai Hume and Dan Neil put the home side ahead before the break, before Jack Clarke wrapped up the win for Sunderland in the second half from the spot with his ninth goal of the season.

The defeat means Norwich are now winless in five, and Wagner accepts such form will lead to questions about his future.

“I take responsibility and I have to find solutions to change it,” he said.

“The recent form is not where we want it to be and far away from where we can be and what we’ve shown. This is a big problem for us.”

Asked whether he thinks he will be given time to turn it around, he said: “I understand the question but it is not a question I can answer.”

He did, however, insist he has full belief that he remains the man for the job.

He said: “Yeah, obviously. These are situations you face as a manager which you don’t like but these are challenges that are part of a manager’s life.

“It’s up to me to get this sorted, but how much time or if I get the time, as I said it’s not a question (I can answer).”

To get back to winning ways, Wagner says his side – particularly his senior pros – need to cut out the individual mistakes.

He said: “I think we should not shy away from this. Everyone sees who does the mistakes and at the minute they are my senior pros.

“This hurts double and it costs because these are usually the players you can lean on and give the ball in certain situations, but at the minute it’s where the problem is as well. It’s a good dressing room, they stick together.”

Home boss Tony Mowbray was delighted to end a run of three straight defeats, with Sunderland climbing to seventh in the table.

He said: “I think it was the right result for the way the game went.

“It felt a little bit ‘here we go again’ when they scored, I don’t think they’d been in our half up until that point and yet we’re a goal behind.

“We showed great character to get in front before half-time, with some really good, positive front-foot play. It was important for us, I thought it was harsh on us to have lost three games – there were some okay performances in there.

“You have to take it on the chin when you lose and what was important for us was to keep the confidence up. We showed them a lot of clips of the Leicester game and the rewards of playing on the front foot.

“We did that well today, suffocated them for long spells and it wasn’t really until the last 15 that they asked questions of us, and then in that period we could have scored more goals on the break.”

Carlisle boss Paul Simpson rued that there was “nobody else to blame but ourselves” following his side’s 1-0 defeat at the Abbey Stadium.

The Cumbrians produced a disappointing performance to lose to a Cambridge side that were on an eight-game winless run in League One.

Sub George Thomas headed the winning goal for the Us, before Simpson’s side ended the match with nine men following the late dismissals of Jack Armer and Alfie McCalmont.

“Let’s not look at blaming anybody else, it’s our own fault,” he continued. “If you don’t do the basics well then you don’t get anything out of the game, and unfortunately we didn’t.

“The biggest disappointment is, after a really good week of two really good performances against Portsmouth and on Tuesday night, today we’ve been way off it. We’ve turned over possession so many times, we haven’t won our duels enough.

“Jack Armer’s sending-off,  it’s a lazy challenge to get that second yellow card. Alfie, I feel for him a little bit. I have to say it probably is a red card because of the way his foot has come up, but he has no idea the lad is there. He didn’t do it intentionally.

“I accept that we can’t play brilliantly every game but you have to get a consistent level of doing the basics right, and that’s where we’ve let ourselves down. I do think we have let ourselves down today because I felt this was a missed opportunity.”

Mark Bonner felt Cambridge deserved the three points as they recorded their first victory since September 4.

It came after Tuesday’s draw with leaders Portsmouth, following defeat at previously winless Cheltenham last weekend.

“We needed a week like we’ve had this week, we needed a result like that today,” said Bonner.

“Their best chance was probably in the first minute. We got countered too easily and too often in the first half – they caught us out a few times.

“The wide play was miles better in the second half, and we threatened the back of them much better.

“In the second half I thought we had complete control of the game, were really dominant in their half and deserved the goal when it came.

“The end of the game was a bit weird, really, because it felt like it went on forever and we sort of forgot we were playing against nine players. There was more space than there needed to be.

“We looked edgy towards the end but in the end I thought it was really controlled and fairly dominant. Other than the first minute we weren’t under huge threat.

“We’ve built two good performances this week and four good points.”

Exeter manager Gary Caldwell was pleased to end a run of six straight defeats in League One but said there was plenty of room for improvement after a 1-1 draw with Lincoln.

Conceding soft goals has been a common theme in that run of poor form and Exeter did so again on 20 minutes when Will Aimson’s poor header fell for Paudie O’Connor and he crossed for Alistair Smith to score from 10 yards.

The Grecians were much improved after the break and deservedly drew level in the 81st minute when Ryan Trevitt headed in from Demetri Mitchell’s cross but despite plenty of possession, Exeter could not find a winning goal.

“I thought in the first half, we were a little bit edgy again, but we created a great chance for Ads (Admiral Muskwe) and a brilliant chance for James (Scott) just before half-time,” Caldwell said.

“I think we took that momentum at the end of the first half into the second half and in the second half, I have seen the team that I saw earlier in the season playing on the front foot, aggressive, creating opportunities for our wide players one-v-one and thankfully, from that, we created an opportunity for Ryan and he scored a brilliant goal.

“We could have scored more but I think, under the circumstances, it’s a really good point and something for us to build on.

“We can’t keep conceding bad goals. It is something we have tried to address and I don’t think we started the game with the right intensity.

“I felt they scored and just tried to slow the game down, sit in and play on the counter-attack, which most teams do here. But we have to stop conceding those early goals and giving ourselves a mountain (to climb) to get back into the game.”

It was a third game unbeaten for Lincoln’s interim head coach Tom Shaw, who said: “It has been a long week, we have had two very long trips.

“It was a bit of a disaster getting down here with the traffic but the physical effort of this group of players has been phenomenal.

“Perhaps we were just feeling it in the last 10 minutes but the character, grit and determination we have got us over the line and we managed to get a positive result.

“Everybody who watched this game will see Exeter are a very good football team. They passed the ball well, they have got nice rotations, they are obviously well drilled and well coached. And the run of the games they have had, some of their results have not been just so we knew it was a tough one.

“There is some real technical ability and I am not sure whether we have unlocked it to its maximum to this point.”

Michael Duff hailed Swansea’s “well earned” 1-0 win at Blackburn that gave them a first victory at Ewood Park in 52 years.

The Swans, who came into the game having suffered back-to-back defeats, ended their hoodoo through Liam Cullen’s fine 28th-minute curling strike, capping an outstanding month for the forward who won his first Welsh cap earlier in October.

Swansea had to show all sides of their character, creating chances when in the ascendency and digging in defensively at the start and end of the encounter when they were under severe pressure.

The win was particularly satisfying for former Burnley defender Duff, whose Swansea team have won five of their last seven games, and he was pleased with how his side responded to Blackburn’s start.

He said: “I think they started the game well. No getting away from that. The first five to 10 minutes they started really well, so we tweaked a couple of things in the press and I think for the next 50-55 minutes, we dominated the game.

“Thought we played out, played through them. Probably should have been 2-0 or 3-0 up at that point.

“We’ve had a goal disallowed which is offside, we’ve had another goal disallowed which is onside.

“Then, it’s human element. The lads are probably thinking the game should be out of sight now and it’s not, and they’re a good team.

“It was a case of trying to do the other side of the game well, whilst trying to pick them off on the counter attack.

“People put their bodies on their line, defended, made blocks when they had to. For all their opportunities, Carl (Rushworth) has not really made a brilliant save.

“It definitely wasn’t comfortable but it was a well-earned win in the end.”

Blackburn, who have lost three of their last four home league games, saw Callum Brittain and Harry Leonard miss glorious opportunities.

Rovers boss Jon Dahl Tomasson said: “One of those days. We are of course extremely disappointed.

“We actually began the game really well and why we were not in front in first minute, we still don’t know it.

“I think we started really well, the first 20-25 minutes. After that, defensively there was a bit of distance in the team which was not good enough. We were sloppy sometimes on the ball.

“In the second half, I think we were the better team, creating plenty of chances and good moments to win the game.

“But (it was) one of those days when we are not scoring.

“We shouldn’t forget this young team have won three games on the bounce. There will be those days as well, we all know that. But of course, disappointed with the result.

“I think Swansea are really good at killing the game, killing the time as well. Every free-kick, every time the ball went out, it took ages. They did it really well and it’s difficult to get momentum.”

Plymouth manager Steven Schumacher felt there was a clear turning point in his side’s 3-2 loss to Ipswich.

Schumacher felt referee Gavin Ward should have awarded Argyle a free-kick on the edge of the penalty area following a last-ditch tackle by George Edmundson on Mustapha Bundu.

Ipswich equalised moments later with an own goal from Bali Mumba.

He said it was “a refereeing decision I can’t get my head around” which he thought was worthy of a red card.

“I thought the lads played unbelievably well and I just said to them I’m proud of them, the effort they put in, the way that we stuck to the plan today,” Schumacher said.

“We knew coming to Ipswich Town they have been the best team in the league with Leicester and we knew we were going to have spells where we had to stick together and defend.

“But we did that. In the first half we defended really well and counter-attacked with purpose…our goal was outstanding.

“Morgan (Whittaker) scores a brilliant goal but I’m fuming over how we didn’t get a free-kick right on the edge of their box at a really pivotal moment in the game, because what happened next Ipswich went down the other end and scored from it.

“It was a refereeing decision I can’t get my head around.

“We watched it back at half-time and Mustapha said he (Edmundson) clipped his ankle. I spoke to Gavin (Ward) and the linesman and they said they couldn’t see it. I think they were the only two people in the ground that couldn’t see it.”

Meanwhile, Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna said there was “lots to be positive about” in what he described as a “tough game”.

McKenna added: “Both teams showed why they had such good seasons last season. Two fully committed teams, lots of good players on the pitch and a really tough game.

“The tone was set when they score, we have a good chance after a few minutes, don’t take it and then they score an absolute worldie really, it’s a wonderful goal.

“Full credit to the boys for coming back and getting the three goals.

“We were good value for the goals and had enough chances in the game, but having said that we know defensively we weren’t happy with the performance and things we know we need to do better, but we are early in the season.

“A good game, a good win, hard-fought and one that we’ll learn from.

“We knew it was going to be a tough second half…we got two goals and that’s a big positive.

“Good quality for the goals, we created plenty of chances, so there’s lots to be positive about.”

Whittaker struck for the visitors after seven minutes but Town equalised with time running out in the first half following Mumba’s own goal and George Hirst gave Town the lead just after the break.

Ipswich goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky came to the Tractor Boys’ rescue as Argyle pressed during the closing stages but Marcus Harness struck in the 86th minute to put the game beyond Argyle, despite a late reply from Joe Edwards.

Edinburgh City claimed their first win of the Scottish League One season as they edged to a 3-2 victory over fellow strugglers Annan Athletic.

Robert Mahon put the capital club ahead in the seventh minute with a left-foot finish but Tommy Goss levelled from the spot after being upended in the area by Scott Mercer on the half hour.

Robbie Leitch restored Edinburgh’s lead on the stroke of half-time and, 10 minutes after the interval, Matty Douglas’ foul in the box allowed Danny Handling to convert the resultant penalty.

Edinburgh held on for their first league win at the 11th time of asking – despite Dominic Docherty’s last-minute penalty – although they remain at the foot of the table, two points behind Annan.

League leaders Falkirk swept aside Alloa 3-0 to maintain their unbeaten start to the campaign.

Alfie Agyeman struck in the third and 23rd minutes, while Coll Donaldson also scored before half-time as Falkirk claimed a ninth win from 11 matches.

Lewis Moore’s 89th-minute strike lifted Kelty Hearts to a 1-0 win over Stirling, whose attempts to hang on for a point despite Josh Cooper’s dismissal early in the second half were thwarted at the death.

Cove Rangers also left it late, with Rumarn Burrell’s effort seven minutes from time sealing a 1-0 victory at Queen of the South.

Burton boss Dino Maamria was the happier of the two managers at the end of a goalless draw against Leyton Orient.

“I thought we played some of the best football we have played this season”, said Maamria. “All it needed was a goal. We weren’t as clinical as we have been lately, and we missed some big, big chances.”

Both sides had opportunities late on, with the best probably falling to Burton skipper Deji Oshilaja who could only fire over when unmarked inside the box.

Maamria added: “If Deji scores that chance with five minutes to go everybody would have been, hey, what a performance that was.”

The Burton boss was forced into changes owing to injury and admitted he tweaked his formation to cope with a strong Orient side.

He said: “We changed shape to fit the personnel we had available and to nullify their threats. They have been in really good form and they are hard to beat. They normally dominate possession and today we dominated that.

“I felt our game plan was perfect and all we needed was a goal. Max [Crocombe] had a big save at the end of the game, but their keeper made some unbelievable stops; Josh Walker early on with a point-blank save and then Tom Hamer’s chance. I don’t know who made the save, the keeper or a block on the line. We had clear-cut chances which came from our good football.”

Richie Wellens felt that the hectic schedule was a factor in a below-par performance from Orient.

“The second half stank of a third game in a week and a second away game in four days. We were really poor in the second half,” he admitted.

Striker Ruel Sotiriou failed to capitalise on a first-half chance when through on goal which frustrated the Orient manager.

“We were good at times in the first half, playing through them and Ruel has the best chance going straight through one on one and just has to tidy his touch up. We are disappointed in there.

“Burton had won four on the bounce at home before today, so we knew it was a tough place to come,  but the first half was more how we want to play the game and in the second half there were too many long throws and free-kicks,  and we just have to grow up and change with it.”

All things considered Wellens felt the result was fair as both sides hit the 20-point mark sitting safely in mid table.

He said: “All in all, did we deserve to win? Probably not. They could have nicked it in the end but with a lack of goalkeepers making big saves, apart from at the end, a draw was probably a fair result.”

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers admitted his side lacked tempo in their play until he made some substitutions in a goalless draw with Hibernian.

Rodgers picked the same team that played the majority of Wednesday’s 2-2 draw with Atletico Madrid but Celtic struggled to create clear-cut chances in the first half, although David Marshall saved brilliantly from Daizen Maeda.

Martin Boyle missed an excellent chance for Hibs just after the break when he volleyed over from Jordan Obita’s cross and Rodgers brought on four attacking substitutes either side of the hour mark.

Of those, James Forrest hit the bar, Oh Hyeon-gyu had a header saved and Mikey Johnston was denied by Marshall with an impressive save from a long-range strike, while David Turnbull was also heavily involved in the play.

Rodgers said: “I didn’t think we played with the tempo and speed that we wanted to until the last 20 minutes.

“We dominated the game for long spells but the first 60 minutes was too slow from our perspective, we didn’t get them running quick enough.

“We played too many longer passes, we wanted to really be playing shorter, quicker passes which are a bit more difficult to defend.

“We made the changes and the last 25 minutes the tempo increased which pushed them back and we connected the game a lot better.

“We had about 20 attempts at goal. Jamesy hit the crossbar and they had some really good blocks but we weren’t able to make the breakthrough.”

When asked if Wednesday’s exertions had an impact, the manager said: “It could well be but I never want to use that as an excuse. The players had a massive effort in midweek but we have to be able to go again.”

When quizzed over whether some changes to his team might have helped, Rodgers added: “Listen, we are all captains of hindsight afterwards, aren’t we?

“It would have been ideal if we had an extra day maybe to recover and play later. But I think the boys are fit and strong. We had the ball, it was just the speed of it, we didn’t move it quick enough.”

On winger Johnston’s first appearance for Celtic since March 2022, Rodgers said: “A wee bit hit and miss, a bit loose and sloppy and then did some good things. But he has been out for a while.

“Jamesy came in and has that quality to look after the ball. He probably will feel he can score.

“But the guys coming in, it’s what we asked from them. I asked them to bring an energy to the game and I think they did that.”

Hibs head coach Nick Montgomery was delighted to see his side keep a clean sheet following a 4-0 defeat at Ibrox the previous weekend.

“I’m extremely proud of the effort the boys put in,” he said.

“You are talking about a team that went toe to toe with Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night. I watched that game and I thought they were excellent. I thought we contained a lot of their threats, and they have a lot of them.

“We defended really well, resolute when we neeed to be, and I thought we had the best chance of the game other than the crossbar incident at the end.

“At times we played some good stuff, the boys were brave and courageous at the back. It was a massive team effort.

“What we didn’t get right last week was defending those transition moments. When we lost the ball, we were slow to react, and the difference today was we defended as a team.”

Stephen Robinson praised his St Mirren players for a clinical second-half performance as they eased past St Johnstone 4-0 to move seven points clear in third place.

An even first-half contest was livened up by Keanu Baccus’ stunning strike, before goals from Mikael Mandron, with a double, and Greg Kiltie helped the home side run up their biggest league win of the season.

Robinson was pleased with the way his team kept going in the second half to make sure of the win.

He said: “It’s an emphatic result, a little bit harsh on St Johnstone. But we were very clinical. The first half we looked like a team that hadn’t played for three weeks.

“It looked like a game where everyone was finding their feet a little bit. But in the second half we were much better.

“We came out, pressed better, moved the ball better and some of the goals were excellent. Really top finishes.

“When you’re not 100 per cent on it for 90 minutes but can keep a clean sheet and score four goals then it certainly means we’re going in the right direction.”

Robinson admitted finishing third, and with it the possibility of group stage European football, would be hugely significant for a club like St Mirren, but warned it was still early days.

He added: “The [UEFA] set-up has changed in terms of the group stages and the rest. But I’ve been in the game long enough to know not to look too far ahead.

“It’s a very good start but that’s all it is. We’ve not achieved anything yet.

“We’ve raised expectations with our performances and results and the hard bit is trying to keep meeting those expectations.

“If we can do that the end product could be very beneficial for the football club but we’re a long way from that.”

St Johnstone manager Steven MacLean was clearly furious with the way his team performed, especially after falling two goals behind. And he warned that some of his players might have played their last game under him.

He said: “The goals we lost are unacceptable. It’s the basics of football. In the second half, we just imploded and it looked like a couple of players chucked it.

“It is my responsibility and some of these players will be lucky if they play for me again. It is not happening under my watch and it might be I need to play young boys. I thought it was really, really poor.

“You need to show a bravery in those situations and you need people to lead. I just thought we lacked that all over.”

Jude Bellingham scored twice – including a dramatic injury-time winner – as Real Madrid came from behind to beat arch-rivals Barcelona 2-1 on Saturday.

The England midfielder struck a stunning equaliser after 68 minutes at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium and then settled his first El Clasico with a close-range volley in the dying moments.

Barcelona had led at the interval through former Manchester City captain Ilkay Gundogan.

Real’s Bellingham-inspired fightback took them back above Girona to the top of LaLiga and left Barca third, four points behind.

Bellingham has now scored 13 goals in as many appearances in what has been a remarkable start to his Real Madrid career.

Barca took the lead on six minutes when Gundogan combined with fellow former City player Ferran Torres and calmly fired past Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Vinicius Junior spurned a chance to level and Barca almost doubled their advantage when Fermin Lopez struck the post.

Real also hit the woodwork when Dani Carvajal drove against the post before the break.

Lopez hit the post again early in the second half and Kepa reacted quickly to deny Ronald Araujo on the rebound.

Real began to rally in the latter stages with Aurelien Tchouameni having a powerful drive touched onto the frame of the goal.

Bellingham then took charge of proceedings when he brilliantly curled home a shot from 25 yards.

The game could still have gone either way and Robert Lewandowski had a chance to put Barca back ahead when he fired over 10 minutes from time.

It was Bellingham who was to have the final say, however. The 20-year-old was once again in the right place at the right time as he pounced to clip home after a Cavajal cross was flicked on by Luka Modric.

Stephan El Shaarawy has urged his Roma team-mates to maintain their superb run of form when they face Serie A high-flyers Inter Milan on Sunday.

Roma failed to win any of their first three games of the season and were thrashed 4-1 by Genoa at the end of September.

However, Jose Mourinho’s side have since won five games in a row in all competitions, scoring 13 goals and conceding just one in the process and are top of Europa League Group G with a 100 per cent record.

Asked if something had clicked following the defeat to Genoa, El Shaarawy told the club’s website: “No, it was something that defined us the past two years.

“We manage to work together in challenging situations. We unite and evaluate our mistakes to avoid repeating them.

“Our group has always been our biggest strength. We have done a good job of preparing for the games and what we needed to do in recent weeks, but there is still work to be done.

“The season is long and there will be a crucial encounter on Sunday. We must continue in this way.”

Roma will have their work cut out on Sunday however, Inter having started the Serie A season with seven wins, one draw and one defeat from their opening nine games.

Simone Inzaghi’s side have scored 24 goals and conceded just five for a goal difference of plus 19, the joint best in Europe’s top leagues along with Bayern Munich.

Roma striker Romelu Lukaku is set for a hostile reception as he faces his former club for the first time, despite Inter fans claiming they have been banned from handing out whistles to create a noisy return for the striker.

“Yet another abuse. Whistles prohibited,” the Curva Nord Milano group said on their Instagram page on Friday.

Mourinho, who won several trophies in his two seasons in charge of Inter, has tried to play down Lukaku’s return.

“I’m shocked by the whole thing because I didn’t think Romelu meant that much to a club with Inter’s history. It’s a surprise for me,” Mourinho said earlier this week.

The Portuguese coach will have to watch from the stands on Sunday as he is suspended following his red card at the end of Roma’s win over Monza.