Boss Mick McCarthy felt "a penalty and a worldy” were the difference between Bristol City and the Blues following his side’s 2-0 defeat at Ashton Gate. McCarthy had no complaints regarding the first-half spotkick won by Tammy Abraham and netted by Lee Tomlin, with Luke Freeman slamming home a brilliant volley after the break.
"The difference between the two teams was a penalty and a worldy, that was the difference,” he said.
"I thought they started well, I thought we got to grips with it. Was it a penalty? Yes, it was.
"I thought the referee waited a long time. He said to me coming off that if it had gone out he couldn’t give a penalty, I didn’t really understand his explanation, but I think [he meant] if it had gone out and [Bart had] caught him afterwards [he couldn’t have given it], I’m not quite sure.
"I just hope it wasn’t their appeals that got the penalty because they were quite vociferous. But I looked it at half-time and I’ve no complaints, I think it was a penalty. We’d have wanted it.”
He added: "Tammy Abraham’s reacted quicker than any of us. They’ve got their bit of luck just by reacting, nicking a ball, as Reg did last week, he chased one down."
McCarthy felt the Blues were in the game until Freeman’s goal in the 72nd minute: "The turning point was when that unbelievable flying bomb went into the top corner because we were on top then and we’d had some good chances and we didn’t make the most of our final pass or final cross. We wasted a few really good opportunities.
"Of course you could say the turning point is if [David McGoldrick’s shot which hit the post] goes in, then we’re one-all. I think we go on and get something out of the game, whether we win it or not, who knows.
"But I don’t think we’d have been beaten because we were doing alright then, we were playing well.”
The Blues are still to record back to back wins during what's been an inconsistent season, but McCarthy wasn’t unhappy with his team’s performance today.
"One step forward, one step back, but the difference is that I’m not going to grumble about how we played or the performance playing against them,” he continued.
"I know when they get to 2-0 we’re winging it a bit, we’re trying to push forward and they had a couple of chances.
"But that’s at 2-0 when we’re [chasing the game], like QPR last week, they were down 2-0 against us and they were winging it and we got another goal and could have got four or five or six.
"Up until that point in the second half we’d been playing well. Goals change it, of course.
"How do we change it? Just keep playing the way we are. The freekick that we gave away for the [second goal], I said it was a rubbish freekick by them and it ends up in the back of our net. Maybe it was their day. Looked like it.”
He added: "I’ve no complaints about the performance. Bristol City, with their players, who have got a good side and play 4-4-2, with the two lads up front, they started well, they needed a performance, they’re the home team. Let’s give them a bit of credit for the way they started.
"But I thought we got to grips with that and before the penalty I thought we just got to grips and were probably equal to them.”
His biggest frustration was that Robins keeper Frank Fielding wasn’t forced into too many saves: "We didn’t work their keeper enough because we broke on them and I thought we played some good stuff. We were lacking in that final third. We’ve only scored 17 goals, so that speaks for itself.”
He added: "We’ve had eight clean sheets and a lot of those we didn’t score in those games, apart from the couple that were disallowed. We need to get the first goal if we can, it changes the game, like it did today.”
Regarding Freeman’s goal the Town boss felt it was probably the best scored against Town this season - "I suppose so” - and that there wasn’t much his side could have done to prevent it.
"If I can’t do owt about it I don’t try and make excuses or find some reason for it, that was just an unbelievable strike,” he admitted. "Completely unstoppable. We were right behind it, as soon as it left his foot it was flying in the net.”
McCarthy says midfielder Teddy Bishop, who was left out of the 18, picked up an injury in training: "He’s got a bruised foot from Friday’s training.”
Bristol City manager Lee Johnson was pleased with his team's display having made five changes and matching the Blues' 4-4-2 system.
"It was everything I wanted from my team," he said. "It was a really steady performance, I think. It was very professional from start to finish.
"It was almost like an away performance in once sense but it was really important we held that position of strength and gave ourselves the opportunity to get the first goal.
"In recent weeks we’ve been conceding reasonably early and I needed to get a group out there you could trust, could communicate, round pegs in round holes at the right times.
"We know we’ve got the quality at the top end of the pitch, Tammy Abraham, Aaron Wilbraham, Lee Tomlin and Luke Freeman, to go and produce a bit of magic. We did that today and I’m very, very pleased and relieved that we won.”
Regarding Freeman's goal, he added: "It was worth the entrance fee alone, wasn’t it? It was a fantastic strike.
"We actually do work quite a lot on that sort of thing in training. It’s a difficult technique that, to get that control and dip as well as the power is not easy to do.”