MK Dons 2-0 Shrewsbury - Report
Shrewsbury Town were denied a rare fourth league win on the spin after being soundly beaten by automatic promotion chasing MK Dons.
The hosts were comfortable victors through goals either side of half-time by forward pair Mo Eisa and Scott Twine, as MK go within just a point of top two Wigan and Rotherham.
For Steve Cotterill's improving Shrewsbury it was just a second defeat in eight in League One and ends a fine recent record of three victories in a row as Dons dealt their visitors a harsh lesson in finishing. Salop have not won four league games in a row since early in the 2017/18 play-off season.
Town drop a place to 16th but the gap to the mid-table target of 12th remains just three points with five fixtures left of the league campaign, which comes to a close at the end of this month.
Visitors Salop, who went into the game with six clean sheets from seven, were comfortably second-best to a Milton Keynes side who, at times, used the ball with extremely style and might have won by a bigger margin.
Shrewsbury were in a more even first half, in which they matched their high-flying hosts for chances but were behind to a 17th-minute Eisa opener.
Despite Cotterill making a half-time tactical change for the second game running, Dons clicked through the gears after the break and were very comfortable after Twine made it two.
Cotterill replaced Tom Bloxham with available-again defender Tom Flanagan, who had returned to club duty following his international commitments with Northern Ireland.
Flanagan came back into his familiar role on the left side of Shrewsbury's back three as Cotterill reverted to the tried and trusted 3-5-2 system - despite victory last time out against Lincoln, where Town's strength came in their half-time tactical switch.
That was the only alteration to a settled Town XI and matchday squad of 18 enjoying their finest run of form under Cotterill.
Liam Manning's Dons entered the contest as the form team in the country's top four divisions. Unbeaten in 12, they had lost just once in League One in 2022 and once since the middle of December as they chased down top two Rotherham and Wigan.
Josh McEachran for David Kasumu in midfield was the hosts' single change.
The sides were welcomed by good noise and warm fire jets as they entered the grand Stadium MK arena.
Dons' hardcore support behind Jamie Cumming's first-half goal were relentless with their encouragement and the section of what looked 500 or 600 travelling fans in the far corner made their presence felt.
Cotterill's men showed some early intent as Dons barely cleared a long George Nurse throw and Luke Leahy smartly won a free-kick. The Town midfield men allowed colleague Elliott Bennett to shoot from the set-piece but his effort drifted wide across Cumming's goal.
MK quickly grew into their style and only some brilliance from Marko Marosi in the Town goal denied the home side an opener inside 10 minutes.
Dons worked it well out to left wing-back Dan Harvie, who was in some space vacated by Bennett, and decided to let fly from 20 yards out.
His low strike looked to arrow into the far bottom corner until Marosi's flung out a flying left arm to divert the effort on to that post. The danger was not clear, as somehow former Don Tom Flanagan cleared Kaine Kesler Hayden's goalbound rebound.
The contest then swung inside 30 seconds with 17 minutes on the clock.
Ryan Bowman profited from a loose Dons pass and had grass to run into in the hosts' half. He ignored Daniel Udoh's run alongside him and cut inside a retreating defender on to his left foot.
Bowman's left-footed effort drifted wide across Cumming's goal, with the keeper eventually comfortable in what looked a perilous situation.
Less than a minute later and there was peril down the other end. Dons picked up the ball in midfield and Twine's ball to release Eisa through the left side of Town's defence was excellent.
Eisa raised away from his markers and slid an expert low finish across Marosi and into the bottom corner for the opener.
Confidence flooded through the white home shirts and home fans after the opener and Dons used the ball well. It took Cotterill's men a good 10 minutes to recover.
Bowman was released by Udoh down the left and he threatened to venture into the box before Harry Darling expertly extinguished the danger.
Salop recovered and responded during the final 12 minutes or so of the first half. They had some joy down both flanks, behind either Milton Keynes wing-back, with Bennett's energetic pressing a particular threat.
Shrewsbury forced two or three good openings before the break, the first of which was probably the clearest for Leahy.
Bennett won the ball for Town and Udoh helped it across the park for George Nurse, whose first-time pass to Leahy in the box was excellent. Leahy had time to take a touch before he rifled a rising finish well over the crossbar before holding his head in his hands.
Town continued to threaten. Tyrese Fornah released Bennett to the right byline with an excellent pass and Bennett's cross deceived Cumming but Bowman could not quite judge the header amid a sea of bodies. Udoh was then just unable to meet a fine low cross from Nurse at the near post.
Cotterill's men worked one more fine opening before the break and it was the turn of Cumming to make a fine stop to keep his side ahead.
Nurse was found in space down the left and his measured cross was a fine one. Udoh had to react with an acrobatic strike but his effort was heading in until Cumming turned the effort just wide of his left post with the save.
Cotterill made a surprising switch at half-time as defender Ethan Ebanks-Landell, who didn't appear to carry an injury, was replaced by Saikou Janneh. Bennett took the armband for Town.
Janneh was deployed on the right of a front three as Town switched to 4-3-3 in search of further joy out wide.
But, almost from the off in the second half, it was the hosts that turned it on.
Eisa was released for another huge chance in on Marosi's goal from a central position, but this time the Slovak keeper stood up well to repel the effort.
Within nine minutes of the second period the home side were 2-0 up. Leahy initially lost possession in midfield and, while Salop survived an initial attack, they could not keep MK at bay.
Dons worked it well on their left and a low cross into the box eventually fell the way of Twine, who took his time before he smashed a cool low finish into Marosi's bottom left corner.
There was still more than half hour remaining to salvage something but the hosts' confidence rose with the second goal as Town were left with a mountain to climb.
Republic of Ireland international Troy Parrott had a strike deflected wide for Dons before the home side celebrated a third as evergreen skipper Dean Lewington headed in - but the assistant's flag had long since gone up for offside.
The home side wondered how they did not receive a penalty on a couple of occasions in the second half but referee Martin Coy and his assistants waved away a number of appeals in front of a puzzled home end.
Twine then twisted and turned before he lashed narrowly over from outside the box.
Town's second half joy came in the form of a couple of crosses from clear standout player Bennett and Janneh. The former's delivery should have created a goal for Udoh or Leahy, who couldn't adjust their feet.
MK showed their quality as the contest entered its final 10 minutes. The game was long since won but a string of passes were 'oled' by the home fans before midfielder Conor Coventry had a fierce strike parried by Marosi. Coventry tripped over Bennett for the rebound and might have won a penalty on another day.
Dons eased their foot off the gas late on as Town pressed forward to reward their fans. They should have registered with the final kick of the game but one sub Janneh somehow blasted over in front of an empty net from Josh Daniels' cross on an afternoon the visitors were comfortably beaten.
MK Dons (3-4-3): Cumming; Darling, O'Hora, Lewington (c); Kesley Hayden (Corbeanu, 65), McEachran (Kasumu, 72), Coventry, Harvie; Parrott, Eisa (Wickham, 81), Twine.
Subs not used: Ravizzoli, Smith, Kemp, Boateng.
Shrewsbury Town (3-5-2): Marosi; Pennington, Ebanks-Landell (Janneh, 45), Flanagan; Bennett, Fornah, Leahy, Vela, Nurse; Bowman, Udoh (Daniels, 80).
Subs not used: Burgoyne, Pierre, Whalley, Caton, Bloxham.
Attendance: 8,984 (550 Shrewsbury fans)
Referee: Martin Coy
