Peterborough United 6-1 Cambridge United: Kwame Poku scores a hat-trick as Posh demolish U’s for second London Road derby in a row

Halloween may have been nine days ago but make no mistake about it – today’s Cambridgeshire derby was a complete horror show for Cambridge United.

The U’s made the short journey down the A14 to London Road – home of their fiercest rivals Peterborough United – in good form. After a winless start to the season Garry Monk’s men had racked up five straight victories in all competitions, during which they had conceded no goals.

But all of the momentum and confidence garnered from that sequence of results will have surely ebbed away as they slipped to a 6-1 hammering – and in doing so ensured that they have suffered a five-goal margin of defeat at Kwame Poku-inspired Peterborough in consecutive seasons.

And yet for 20 minutes there was no hint of what was to come. Cambridge started brightly, got their press right and had some decent sights of goal.

The game was just six minutes old when Cambridge striker Dan Nlundulu stung the palms of Nicholas Bilokapic at the near post, while three minutes later Jordan Cousins sent a bouncing ball over the crossbar after being picked out by Liam Bennett’s right-wing corner.

The two James’ – Brophy and Gibbons – both fizzed in dangerous low cross that were begging to be scored, but unfortunately for United nobody accepted the invitation and Cambridge’s good spell ended with Nlundulu lifting his effort from 18 yards out over the box after Elias Kachunga had hassled well to win back possession.

It took the home side 20 minutes to register their first shot of note on target when Ricky-Jade Jones’ attempt was palmed out by United goalkeeper Vicente Reyes before Gibbons mopped up the rest of the danger.

However, just five minutes later Jones had his fourth goal of the campaign. It was neat build up play from Posh with playmaker Joel Randall playing in Jack Sparkes down the left hand side of the box with a perfectly-weighted pass and the full-back’s cross was equally as good, leaving Jones with a simple tap-in.

Peterborough’s second goal – scored in 32nd minute – was very similar. Malik Mothersille’s ball over the top sent Randall scampering clear and this time it was September and October’s League One Player of the Month Poku who was on hand to apply the finishing touch from close range.

If that was a routine finish, the livewire had much more to do when it came to scoring his second goal of the afternoon in the 39th minute. He exchanged passes with Jones on the edge of the box and then beat a full stretch Reyes with a low shot that went in via the right hand post.

When Cambridge were hammered 5-0 on enemy territory last season, they went into the break three goals down. This time they trudged back into the dressing room one goal worse off when in the 44th minute Liam Bennett was adjudged to have hauled down Poku at a corner and Malik Mothersille rolled in the resultant penalty in relaxed fashion. From making a relatively positive start, Cambridge had shipped four goals in the space of 19 minutes.

Any hopes that Peterborough would go through the motions at the start of the second half were extinguished in the 50th minute when Poku was allowed to glide into the area unopposed and pick out Ryan de Havilland, who had the time and space to pick his spot from 10 yards out.

Thankfully from a Cambridge point of view, Peterborough did at least ease up after scoring their fifth goal of the afternoon. They remained in firm control of proceedings, but the attacking threat that had overwhelmed Cambridge subsided.

As the minutes ticked by the U’s fans that had remained in the ground did at least get to see a goal when substitute Sullay Kaikai fired in off the post with six minutes remaining, but that only served to nudge Peterborough and Poku back to life. In the final minute of normal time the 23-year-old once again weaved his way into the Cambridge box and on this occasion he fired inside Reyes’ near post to complete his hat-trick.

It sealed a grim end to a demoralising afternoon for all of those of a Cambridge persuasion.

Peterborough United: Bilokapic, Donnelly, Fernandez (Conn-Clarke 88’), Wallin, Sparkes, Collins, De Havilland (O’Brien-Brady 62’), Mothersille (Odoh 68’), Randall (Nevett 88’), Poku, Jones (Hayes 83’)

Cambridge United: Reyes, Okedina, Morrison, Gibbons (Ibsen Rossi 31’), Bennett, Brophy, Cousins, Smith, Kachunga, Nlundulu (Kaikai 62’), Njoku (Loft 71’)