Blackpool 4-3 Peterborough United: Armand Gnanduillet bags brace in Seasiders' thrilling win

Blackpool produced a magnificent display to overcome free-scoring Peterborough United in a seven-goal thriller at Bloomfield Road.

A brace from Armand Gnanduillet and two own goals helped the Seasiders earn their first win in five against a Posh side that started the day in third place.

Simon Grayson’s men came from behind to earn the vital win, Mo Eisa edging the away side ahead with a deflected curling effort.

Blackpool, who had done little to find themselves behind, fired back with two goals before the break - before being pegged back by Ivan Toney on the stroke of half time to go into the interval on level terms.

Gnanduillet fired the Seasiders ahead ahead once again from the penalty spot, their lead lasting until the hour mark when Marcus Maddison equalised with a penalty of his own.

The entertainment didn’t stop there though, as Pool produced an immediate response to Maddison’s spot kick, Dan Butler inadvertently diverting the ball into the back of his own net.

That’s how the scoreline remained, Pool overcoming the highest scorers in England’s top four divisions by netting four goals for the first time in League One this season.

Simon Grayson made three changes to his side, two of which were enforced with Curtis Tilt missing through suspension and Jordan Thompson dropping out with a knock.

Ryan Edwards was the man to replace Tilt, as the Seasiders reverted to a back three which also included Ben Heneghan and James Husband.

Calum Macdonald also came into the side for his first league start for the club, playing at left wing-back with Liam Feeney on the opposite side.

That saw Ollie Turton drop down to the bench, with Armand Gnanduillet going the other way by being promoted back into the starting line-up.

Pool, as they often tend to do, started strongly, threatening early on as Ben Heneghan looped up a header towards the back post which keeper Christy Pym dealt with at the second attempt.

The Seasiders continued to enjoy the lion’s share of possession and territory in the early stages, but as so often has proved to be the case they had nothing to show for it.

Peterborough soon began to grow into the game, Ivan Toney having a free kick blocked by the wall - after James Husband had been booked for a foul - and George Boyd seeing a low shot charged down by three defenders.

The away side’s growing pressure resulted in the opening goal of the game after just 13 minutes, striker Mo Eisa curling home into the far corner.

It came after Matty Virtue was dispossessed of the ball after attempting to shephard it out of play, granting space for Eisa to open his body and get a shot off at goal that appeared to take a slight deflection to beat Jak Alnwick.

To Pool’s credit, they responded well in their search for an immediate leveller, Sullay Kaikai having a shot blocked after the winger was found in space behind Peterborough’s backline thanks to a searching ball from Macdonald.

The youngster continued to pose problems for the visitors down the left, the 21-year-old pulling the ball back for the onrushing Kaikai who produced an airshot in front of goal.

Grayson’s men weren’t left to rue that missed chance for too long, as just two minutes later the Seasiders pulled themselves back level.

The goal came via a Niall Mason own goal, the defender poking the ball past Pym and into the back of his own net under pressure from Gnanduillet.

The men in tangerine continued to perform well and posed questions of the Peterborough defence every time they ventured forward.

Virtue saw a shot well blocked after being played in by Nathan Delfouneso, before Gnanduillet headed wastefully over the bar from the following move.

Pool finally got what their opening half display deserved four minutes before the interval when Gnanduillet slotted home his eighth of the season to edge his side ahead.

It came via some sterling work from Macdonald down the left, the wing-back combining well with Virtue before seeing his cross palmed straight into the path of Gnanduillet, who did the rest by slotting home calmly despite the best efforts of a defender on the goalline.

The lead lasted just three minutes though, Peterborough begging them back with a soft goal on the stroke of half time.

It came from Toney, who squeezed his stooping header through the grasp of Alnwick, the ball eventually trickling over the line in slow motion.

Pool were guilty of some lackadaisical defending once again, Toney somehow getting in between Heneghan and Husband who failed to deal with what appeared to be a fairly innocuous ball into the box.

The home side were harshly done going into the interval only on level terms, but they soon atoned for that in the second period.

They were awarded a penalty on 47 minutes, the referee pointing to the spot after Gnanduillet was brought to the floor after getting on the wrong side of defender Mark Beevers.

The striker dusted himself down to send the goalkeeper the wrong way, netting his second of the game to put Pool back in front.

Pool were rampant at this stage and looked like scoring every time they came forward, and they nearly did exactly that when Delfouneso whistled a shot just past the post after weaving in and out of two or three challenges.

James Husband was the next man to get a shot off at goal, the defender drilling wide after Jay Spearing’s pullback evaded everyone in the box.

Pool continued to produce wave after wave of attack, but they were almost undone shortly after the hourmark when the away side had the ball in the back of the net.

Toney was the man to bundle home from Marcus Maddison’s free kick, but the referee ruled it out for an apparent handball.

Toney again came close on 65 minutes, the striker seeing his header strongly pushed away from goal by Alnwick.

The see-saw nature of the game continued, with Gnanduillet - searching for a hat-trick - heading straight at Pym from Macdonald’s centre.

The referee signalled for a second penalty of the game - this time in Peterborough’s favour - with 20 minutes remaining.

Ryan Edwards was adjudged to have pulled back the shirt of Beevers, Maddison taking full advantage by sending Alnwick the wrong way to level the game once again.

In tune with the rest of the game, we had to wait just three minutes for another goal.

Blackpool got it, taking advantage of a second own goal as Dan Butler inadvertently diverted Feeney’s cross into the back of his own net.

It was superb play from Feeney in the build-up, the winger latching onto Alnwick’s quick throw to beat his man for pace and guile before delivering the ball into the danger area.

The visitors got increasingly desperate in their attempts to level matters at the end, former AFC Fylde man Serhat Tasdemir coming off the bench to fire over the bar.

Eisa, the scorer of Peterborough’s first goal, somehow managed to fire wide of goal when well placed just as the fourth official signalled for five minutes of added time.

Try as they might, Peterborough were unable to muster up any late drama as the Seasiders held on for a vital win in front of a raucous Bloomfield Road crowd.

TEAMS

Blackpool: Alnwick, Edwards, Heneghan, Husband, Macdonald, Feeney (Turton), Spearing, Virtue (Guy), Kaikai, Delfouneso, Gnanduillet (Nuttall)

Subs not used: Sims, Bushiri, Scannell, Hardie

Peterborough: Pym, Butler, Beevers, Mason (Dembele), Kent, Knight, Reed, Maddison, Boyd (Tasdemir), Toney, Eisa

Subs not used: Chapman, Thompson, Bennett, Ward, Kanu

Referee: James Oldham

Attendance: 7,619 (402 Peterborough)