Cardiff City returned to the pinnacle of League One on Saturday afternoon, delivering a comprehensive 3-0 dismantling of Mansfield Town at Cardiff City Stadium that showcased exactly why Brian Barry-Murphy's side harbour genuine promotion ambitions. Goals from Will Fish, Yousef Salech and Cian Ashford ensured the Bluebirds leapfrogged Stevenage to reclaim top spot in League One.
Dominant First Half Sets the Tone
From the opening whistle, Cardiff established complete control, pinning Mansfield inside their own half and creating chance after chance. The home side's intent was clear—this would be a performance befitting title contenders.
Ryan Wintle, who would go on to claim huge praise from Barry-Murphy, orchestrated proceedings from central midfield with some fantastic defensive work and passing on display. The 28-year-old consistently picked out diagonal balls that split Mansfield's defence, repeatedly finding Yousef Salech in dangerous positions.
Salech himself could have had a first-half hat-trick on another day. The striker, who has now netted seven league goals this season (8 in all comps), missed a trio of headed opportunities in the opening 20 minutes, each time unable to convert from these deliveries. His first attempt was comfortably gathered by Mansfield goalkeeper Liam Roberts, whilst a looping header from Wintle's over-the-top through ball sailed just wide of the target.
David Turnbull also tested Roberts from distance, forcing the Mansfield keeper into action with a powerful free-kick that was palmed into a crowd of bodies before being cleared. But it was Turnbull's next long-range effort that truly demonstrated Cardiff's intent. The midfielder unleashed a spectacular bending strike from 30 yards that looked destined for the top corner, only for Roberts to produce a full-stretch diving save that kept the scores level in the 33rd minute.
Fish Opens the Floodgates
The breakthrough Cardiff's dominance deserved arrived just one minute later from the resulting corner. Joel Bagan, who delivered an outstanding performance throughout, curled a dangerous left-footed corner towards the near post where Will Fish peeled away from his marker. The 22-year-old defender met the delivery perfectly, glancing his header into the net for his first league goal in Cardiff colours and a thoroughly deserved 34th-minute opener.
🐟#CityAsOne pic.twitter.com/rjruLLVo3p
— Cardiff City FC (@CardiffCityFC) November 30, 2025
Mansfield's Brief Resurgence
The visitors emerged from the interval with renewed purpose, enjoying their best spell of the match in the opening exchanges of the second half. Deji Oshilaja forced Nathan Trott into a low save with a curling effort towards the far corner, whilst Will Evans fired wide after Frazer Blake-Tracy's flick-on, though the offside flag had already been raised.
For a brief period, with the score still at 1-0, Cardiff appeared vulnerable. Brian Barry-Murphy later acknowledged the importance of adding a second goal, noting that "when it's 1-0 you always think it can become difficult."
Substitutes Make Immediate Impact
Shortly after the hour mark, Perry Ng made way for 18-year-old Ronan Kpakio, a change that would prove instrumental in Cardiff's second goal. The Welsh international, who has established himself as a first-team regular this season despite his tender years, made an immediate impact.
In the 70th minute, Dylan Lawlor demonstrated his technical quality with a beautifully weighted long ball that picked out Kpakio's run down the right flank. The teenager maintained his composure and delivered a delicate cross to the far post, where Salech atoned for his earlier misses by heading home from close range to double Cardiff's advantage.
Salech nearly doubled his tally moments later when he intercepted a wayward pass from Roberts and found himself with an open goal, but an uncharacteristically poor effort was blocked by the recovering Mansfield goalkeeper. Both Lawlor and Salech were subsequently denied by excellent stops from Roberts as Cardiff continued to pour forward in search of a third.
Dylan ➡️ Ronan ➡️ Yousef! ⚽#CityAsOne pic.twitter.com/JihZkmpAWb
— Cardiff City FC (@CardiffCityFC) November 30, 2025
Ashford Seals Comprehensive Victory
The final nail in Mansfield's coffin arrived in the 87th minute, courtesy of another substitute making a decisive contribution. Alex Robertson, introduced for David Turnbull with ten minutes remaining, threaded a perfectly weighted through ball behind the Mansfield defence for Cian Ashford. The young Welshman's first effort was weak and partially saved by Roberts, but Ashford demonstrated admirable persistence to follow up the rebound and bundle the ball home from close range. It was a fitting reward for Ashford's relentless running and pressing throughout the afternoon, capping a performance that earned him an eight out of ten rating.
The goal ensured the Bluebirds would see out the remaining minutes comfortably to secure all three points.
Making it three! #CityAsOne pic.twitter.com/lEJsxu5IiO
— Cardiff City FC (@CardiffCityFC) November 30, 2025
Barry-Murphy Full of Praise
Speaking to the press after the match, Brian Barry-Murphy expressed his satisfaction with both the result and the performance, particularly praising his team's ability to cope with enforced changes. "It was a very pleasing performance today," the Cardiff boss began. "To play so well and score three goals from the chances that we created, while also limiting Mansfield to very little, was very satisfying. We've had different parts of the season where we've been pretty good, but today we were consistently good," Barry-Murphy continued.
With a crucial player in Rubin Colwill missing from the lineup, Barry-Murphy was particularly pleased with how his replacements stepped up. "We had to make changes again, so you're looking for those players who come in to have a big impact on the team, and that was very satisfying to see. The overall performance levels of the team was very pleasing."
🗣️ "We had to make changes again, so you’re looking for those players who come in to have a big impact on the team, and that was very satisfying to see."
— Cardiff City FC (@CardiffCityFC) November 29, 2025
Brian spoke to the press after today's 3-0 win ⤵️#CityAsOne | @CardiffCityTV
Looking Ahead
Cardiff's attention now turns to Tuesday evening, when they face AFC Wimbledon in the Vertu Trophy Round of 32 at the Cardiff City Stadium. However, the immediate focus will be savouring their return to the League One summit and building momentum for the festive fixtures ahead.
For Mansfield, currently sitting 15th with 22 points, this represents a third consecutive league defeat that leaves them five points adrift of the playoff positions. Manager Nigel Clough will need to arrest this slide quickly if the Stags are to maintain their top-six aspirations.
