Peterborough United open a new year with a heavy home defeat to play-off rivals

It was a margin of victory that didn’t look likely at the break as Posh looked the better side against visitors who relied on the hump forwad and seeing how many holding and shirt pulling offences they could get away with (lots as it happened).

Lewis Wing’s classy free kick caught Posh goalkeeper Will Blackmore out in the 16th minute to give Wycombe the lead, but there was obvious joy to be had down the visiting flanks and Ricky-Jade Jones missed a one-one-one opportunity just before the interval.

But Wycombe were a side transformed after the break, while Posh shrunk from the challenge of least staying in front of these opponents in the League One table.

A deep corner enabled former Posh centre-back Ryan Tafazolli to head home at the far post on 66 minutes and Wing added a sumptuous third 15 minutes from time.

Posh had moments, but they were few and far between as they slumped to their heaviest defeat of the season.

Posh made one change from the victory stroll against MK Dons in their last outing with Hector Kyprianou replacing Jeando Fuchs in midfield, a move that would do little to help the team’s ball-winning capabilities, but could improve the passing as well as the height against a team who can exploit set-pieces as well as anyone else in the division. The plan didn’t work out too well.

Wycombe made six changes to a team that lost narrowly at League One leaders Plymouth on Thursday, but they’d made eight changes to that team. Top-class centre-back Alfie Mawson was missing with former Posh centre-back Ryan Tafazolli standing-in again.

Much of the talk before the game must have revolved around Wycombe’s set-piece prowess, but there was little anyone could do about the quality of Wing’s free kick, apart possibly from goalkeeper Will Blackmore who was beaten on his side of the goal.

Posh had started the game pretty well with Kwame Poku forcing a block from a despairing defender and Jonson Clarke-Harris seeing a shot deflected just wide.

Once in front Wycombe sat back and punted the ball long. Posh kept trying to play, not always successfully, but Jones looked to have too many gears for toiling right-back Jack Grimmer.

Posh probed, got the ball out wide, but couldn’t find a cross to trouble a packed defence. They had more joy when cutting inside and shooting, but Jones and Joe Ward saw shots comfortably handled.

Posh had a great chance to equalise five minutes before the break when Jack Taylor poked a ball through to Jones whose shot was well smothered by Wycombe goalkeeper Max Stryjek.

Posh should have been confident of getting back into the game, but instead the visitors increased the pace and quality of their play and Grant McCann’s men failed to respond.

Sam Vokes missed a sitter with his head after a deep cross had been superbly knocked back into his path by David Wheeler and McCann promptly changed shape by removing centre-back Kell Watts and replacing him with attacker Ephron Mason-Clark.

Amost immediately Mason-Clark had a chance to equalise after fine work from Kyprianou and Clarke-Harris, but he fluffed his shot and appeals for a penalty were ignored by referee Sam Barrott, an official who delivered a bizarre performance throughout, giving just two fouls to Posh all game according to the BBC statistics.

But blaming him for the latest second-half surrender would be wrong. The marking for Tafazolli’s goal was non-existant and the pull-back and vision from Gareth McCleary for Wing to sidefoot first time in off the underside of the crossbar was something no Posh player could have pulled off – one advantage of having 35 year-olds over kids in key positions.

Blackmore had to come racing off his line to stop a fourth goal for Anis Mehmeti after Frankie Kent and Ward got into a tangle.

Posh were unfortunate not to score late on, most notably when Jack Taylor struck the inside of the post with Jones furious Tafazolli wasn’t penalised for handling the ball off the line in the ensuing melee.

It wasn’t going to matter. Posh had been taken to school after the break leaving McCann and his bosses with plenty to ponder.

Posh: Will Blackmore, Harrison Burrows, Kell Watts (sub Ephron Mason-Clark, 64 mins), Ronnie Edwards, Frankie Kent, Joe Ward, Hector Kyprianou (sub Ben Thompson, 78 mins), Jack Taylor, Ricky-Jade Jones, Kwame Poku (sub Joe Taylor, 77 mins), Jonson Clarke-Harris.

Unused subs: Lucas Bergstrom, Dan Butler, Josh Knight, Jeando Fuchs.

Wycombe: Max Styrjek, Jack Grimmer, Joe Jacobson (sub Chris Forino, 77 mins), Ryan Tafazolli, David Wheeler, Lewis Wing, Josh Scowen, Gareth McCleary, Jordan Obita, Anis Mehmeti, Sam Vokes (sub Brandon Hanlon, 76 mins).

Unused subs: Tyla Dickinson, Curtis Thompson, Sullay Kaikai, Brandon Hanlan, Nick Freeman, Jason McCarthy.

Goals: Wycombe – Wing (16 mins & 75 mins), Tafazolli (66 mins).

Referee: Samuel Barrott 5.

Attendance: 7,482 (Wycombe to follow).