Peterborough United cheekily mock a frustrated Steve Evans after his Rotherham United side bottle their 3-1 lead to draw 3-3.
On the 10th minute, Mallik Wilks saw an early effort come back off the woodwork. A ball down the side of the Posh defence from a dead ball situation met Wilks, who made his way inside onto his left-foot and clipped the top of the crossbar with a curling effort from range.
Teenager James Dornelly opened the scoring, getting with his first Posh goal when he tapped home in the 17th minute.
Sam Nombe has Rotherham level two minutes later, scoring for the third game running. Bundling the ball in.
Rotherham were ahead on 23 minutes, Wilks down the right, cut inside onto his left-foot and hit one low into the bottom corner past Steer.
Then it was 3-1 to Evans’ side when captain Jonson Clarke-Harris haunted his former club just before the break.
Posh get a goal back after the restart, Sparkes sent in a corner kick, Joe Rafferty diverting Jack Sparkes’ corner into his own net with his head, then three minutes later, they levelled from another corner when the unmarked Emmanuel Fernandez powered in a header.
Rotherham United manager Steve Evans was also booked in the 63rd minute, which was his 6th of the season. Peterborough tweeted this…
63′ – 🟨 Steve Evans booked. In other news, water is wet.
🎩 3-3 🔴 | #pufc
— Peterborough United (@theposh) October 12, 2024
The result leaves Rotherham sitting 15th in League One with 14 points from 11 games played, while Peterborough are 12th with 15 points, a point off the playoff places.
On three occasions, the Millers could have gone ahead again.
Steve Evans said, as quoted in the Rotherham Advertiser: “Jordan should slip Jack in to go through one on one, Cohen should score – he’s inside the box with a free strike at goal – and Esapa should do better right at the end.
Evans also felt Sam Nombe should have been awarded a penalty after being brought down in the Peterborough box in the second half.
“We were 3-1 up at the break and it could have been more,” Evans added.
“Second half, we know we’re going to get a reaction from Peterborough.
“We don’t think it’s going to be an own goal that gets them back in the game, though. That gave them momentum and then we conceded a sloppy corner. Their big boy is decent up there.
“When you’re 3-1 up, it’s two points droppe.We talked about not conceding for five/ten minutes at the start of the second half.
“It just comes off Raffs. I think there is a little nudge, but there are no complaints. It happens in every box.”
Have a watch of Steve Evans’ post-match interview…
🗣️ “We made that effective change and then I think we controlled the game”
📹 Rotherham United manager Steve Evans after the 3-3 draw away to Peterborough United.
🎧👉https://t.co/eqf2XX6DG4#RUFC | @BBCSheffield pic.twitter.com/4taWTnrSsf
— Football Heaven (@footballheaven) October 12, 2024
Peterborough boss Darren Ferguson said, per Peterborough Today: “I’m delighted with the performance. I’m proud of them. We kept playing the way we wanted to and showed a lot of character and belief.
“We were the better team. They started with a diamond so we knew where to hurt them and that we had to control the game. And that’s what we did and seeing the opposition change formation three or four times in a game tells a story.
“They changed, but they couldn’t get the ball off us. James has scored and then, and this is where we’re at at the moment as we’re such a young team and a bit naive, they equalised and we didn’t deal with adversity quickly enough.
“Jack Sparkes knows he should keep Wilks on his right foot, but he’s come in and smashed it in. The centre-half has to come out and close the ball down as well, but after the goal, Jack dealt with him very well.
“They’ve had four shots at goal in the first half and scored three of them. The goals we are conceding are our Achilles heel at the moment. Conceding from a corner straight from going in front was a pivotal moment in the game and then at 2-1, Manny has to score from from four yards and they go up the pitch and score the third.
“I didn’t want to change too much at half time and I didn’t think I had to. We tweaked something in midfield and the players were great in second half. I wouldn’t say we were a completely different side. There was just moments in the first where they were ruthless and we switched off. We dominated the game in the first half, but we conceded three goals which was disappointing.
“I tweaked the midfield. We went with a six and two eights when we built play, which meant Ryan De Havilland and Joel Randall could give us more width. I just said to them, you’ve got to keep believing in what you’re doing and don’t change.
“We told Jack to come inside and leave Malik one-vs-one. We knew their wide players didn’t want to defend so we got our wide players one-vs-one and Malik Mothersille became a threat. When you’ve got that pace and power running at teams in the box, you can’t tackle them.
“I was really proud of my team’s performance for the belief in keeping to play the way we wanted to, knowing and feeling we would get back into the game.
“We look a real threat from set-pieces now as well and Sparkes was outstanding from them. “At 3-3, for that five or ten minute period, we had to go for the jugular because, if we get another one, we win the game.
“We just ran out of steam towards the end and the game got very bitty. They just sat in. They’ve had one or two opportunities when we’ve sat off, but I was generally really pleased with my team’s performance.
“To come back shows the belief in how we want to play and the character of the team to not give in considering we have so many injuries. We’ve got four or five injuries and they’re probably starters. We’re missing the two best midfielders in the league, but Ryan and Donay O’Brien-Brady were brilliant today.”
Peterborough: Steer, Dornelly (sub Ajiboye 78min), Fernandez, Sparkes, Wallin, O’Brien-Brady, De Havilland, Poku, Randall, Jones, Mothersille (sub Ihionvien 88min).
Subs: Bilokapic, Nevett, Kamara, Odoh, Young.
Rotherham: Dawspn. Rafferty, James, Powell, Nombe (sub Holmes 75min), Clarke-Harris (sub Hugill 46min), Wilks (sub Bramall 63min), Odoffin, Humphreys, Tiehi (sub Osong 89min), McCart.
Unused subs: Phillips, MacDonald, McWilliams.
Half-time: Peterborough United 1-3 Rotherham United
Full-time: Peterborough United 3-3 Rotherham United
Attendance: 8,859 (1,039 Rotherham fans)
Referee: E. Bell
Here’s how fans reacted as Peterborough cheekily mock a frustrated Steve Evans after Rotherham bottle 3-1 lead to draw 3-3…
@CraigIsted: You did enough to win did you? 😂🤦♂️
@CraigyBoyBes: I can’t believe he said we were in control of the game at any point. We had moments where we were on top. You can’t be in control of the game if you have about 20% possession. Also he always says Raggett will be available next game & then he never is! 🤣 #rufc
@NorthernDBP: We did not. Ludicrous assessment to appease big tone if he hasn’t watched the game. Second half tactics, effort and managers ability to change things was seriously lacking
@JayBarnfield18: 1st half we did. 2nd half completely sat back let them just keep coming at us. sooner hugill goes the better
@AndyWillert: Talking absolute twaddle! We at no point controlled that game especially with 20% possession, taking our two best players off too is scandalous
@millersfm2011: 2nd half sat back for the win. Utter bollox. Let’s see where we are at Xmas as you said. Judge the team at Xmas. Then let’s talk about the future. Shite.
@Andyl100k: Learn to defend then maybe we deserved to win + Drop Tiehi and Hugill and play with wingers
@MJCollins97: I was there and we didn’t Steve. We were lucky scoring 3. Get a fuckin grip of the back 4 and keeper. We didn’t deserve to win.
@Chris_M_RUFC: If defending was better yeah maybe but since it has more holes in it than a pinboard I’d say no we didn’t
@GregAdampfc: Definitely tops my list of people I wouldn’t want to be manager of my team!
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