Huddersfield Town 0-0 Cardiff City: McCarthy remains undefeated after Sanogo penalty failure

Mick McCarthy’s undefeated start as Cardiff City manager continued when his 1,000th game in management ended in a goalless draw at Huddersfield Town.

The former Arsenal forward’s failure means the Bluebirds have yet to lose in 11 games since McCarthy took over in January.

This point lifts Cardiff to seventh place on the table, as Huddersfield struggles to climb one place to 18.

A first clean sheet in 16 games was a huge advantage for Huddersfield, although boss Carlos Corberan will feel his team should have scored three points instead of one.

Cardiff’s turnaround under McCarthy has been spectacular and while they weren’t in their prime, they are maintaining momentum after 11 games without losses.

A 24-point comeback from McCarthy’s first 10 games saw him land a two-year contract extension earlier this week.

While Cardiff has flourished of late, Huddersfield’s form has been miserable, with just one win in 13 games since the turn of the year.

Corberan’s team has conceded more goals than all championship clubs except Wycombe this season, and they were reeling within two minutes here when Ryan Schofield did well to deny Sean Morrison.

Huddersfield took over possession after the initial scare, though his only notable first-half effort was a Juninho Bacuna free kick that Dillon Phillips pushed to safety.

Cardiff had more threat despite having less ball, with Will Vaulks’ fierce volley forcing a strong save from Schofield.

The visitors’ cause was not helped by the loss of Joel Bagan to a shoulder injury, particularly as the youngster was just getting started after regular left-back Joe Bennett was ruled out for the season earlier this week.

Bacuna was lucky enough to escape a card when he reacted to a late challenge from Aden Flint by raising a hand to the Cardiff defender’s face, and referee Tim Robinson decided no action was needed against either player.

Chances were slim early in the second half, though Richard Keogh got to Bacuna’s free throw first and reached for contact.

The big moment of the contest came with 16 minutes remaining, when Aaron Rowe saw a blocked opening shot before being brought down by Curtis Nelson while picking up the rebound.

But Sanogo, who was making his first start at Huddersfield, made a mess with the pitch that followed, dragging his effort a yard wide.

It was Huddersfield’s third penalty missed in three attempts this season, while surprisingly Cardiff have not conceded any of the four awarded against them in 2020-21.

Cardiff offered little to advance in the second half as they failed to score for the first time with McCarthy.

It was Huddersfield who came close to making up for Sanogo’s foul in the end, but Pipa saw an effort cleverly saved by Phillips before Fraizer Campbell launched a half volley over the bar when he looked like the favorite to score.