Talking points from AFC Wimbledon’s 3-0 win over Crewe – Stevens moves ahead in Golden Boot race as Dons produce dominant display

Wimbledon climbed to within one point of the League Two automatic promotion spots with a comfortable win over Crewe Alexandra yesterday night.

Here are Mitchell Hall’s talking points from Plough Lane:

A DOMINANT WIN

What started as a tense and even affair in the opening stages at Plough Lane was blown wide open when Crewe’s Jamie Knight-Lebel was deemed to have brought down Omar Bugiel in the area in the 39th minute.

Bugiel seemed set to head home at the back post, which was enough for referee Andrew Humphries to give the penalty and hand Knight-Lebel a straight red card as well.

Matty Stevens calmly put the penalty away to hand his side the lead in the 41st minute, leaving Crewe with a huge hill to climb.

Just minutes later, Jake Reeves doubled their lead in the second minute of injury time, as Bugiel touched down a cross for the skipper to smash home with a driven volley from just inside the box.

Stevens doubled his tally for the night with a neat finish from an Alastair Smith through ball to wrap up all three points, Stevens equalling Nathan Lowe at the summit of the League Two golden boot race with 15 for the season.

THE DECIDING MOMENT

There is little arguing that the penalty and red card combination cut Crewe down at the knees right before half-time.

The infringement looked to be a penalty in real time, but whether it was really deserving of a dismissal is up for debate. The away fans were of course convinced that the decision was incorrect, and began chanting towards the ref that would extend right to the final whistle.

Johnnie Jackson gave his cautious support to the decision.

Crewe boss Lee Bell was less diplomatic in his reaction to the decision.

Bell, who received a yellow card for his protests, said: “A decision has been made which is ludicrous, absolutely nuts.

ADAPTABILITY KEY TO REST OF SEASON

Wimbledon have taken up a policy of chopping and changing their starting 11 since their recruitment in the January window.

Bugiel’s return means Stevens has been moved sideways to a wider role, seemingly at no detriment to his ability to score, but alongside him could be any number of attacking options.

Marcus Browne was given his second start for the club against Crewe, though his impressive ball-carrying was marred by loose passes and poor decisions.

Osman Foyo, Aron Sasu and Joe Pigott all featured from the bench, with Josh Kelly providing even more in the way of attacking depth for upcoming games.

Jackson has been able to utilise his depth and manage his stars’ game time while still picking up results, a technique that will be crucial in maintaining a promotion charge should he keep the balance.

DONS LOOK UNSTOPPABLE 

The Dons are yet to lose in 2025, with the victory over Crewe extending their unbeaten streak to nine games since their loss to Gillingham in late December.

The scoreline also made it four wins and four clean sheets in a row for the Dons at home. The side have recaptured the immense form at Plough Lane which gave them their boost early in the season.

This run of results has seen the side climb into fourth place, just a point off Bradford in the automatic spots.

With the shocking fall off of Walsall’s season since the departure of crucial loanee Lowe, the entire top of the table has been drawn back into contention for Jackson’s men.

With momentum behind them and a chance to get one over on fellow promotion hopefuls Salford at home this Saturday, the sky is the limit for this group as it stands.