Evans oversaw a gritty performance by the Gas whose passage was helped by the first-half dismissal of Crewe’s Adrien Thibaut. The sides traded early goals with Emre Tezgel firing Crewe ahead in the ninth minute and Callum Morton levelling three minutes later. Tezgel found the corner with a first-time strike from the edge of the box after Reece Hutchinson pulled the ball back. A misunderstanding between James Connolly and keeper Sam Waller allowed Morton to latch onto a through ball and finish into an empty net. As the half closed Rovers were indebted to keeper Luke Southwood, who used a leg to divert Josh March’s goalbound effort to safety.

Source: Express December 19, 2025 22:04 UTC