Nigel Clough felt that Hiram Boateng’s second yellow card was “harsh” as his Mansfield side left Wanderers empty-handed.
The midfielder, who had earlier put the Stags in front with a clinical header, was sent off after bringing down Randell Williams.
The Whites made their man advantage count with goals from Dion Charles, Victor Adeboyejo and John McAtee to secure all three points.
“It was the perfect away performance up to then,” said Clough. “We got the goal, Hiram scored a great goal.
“We started OK and then they had a 10 or 15 minute spell where they had two or three situations, we dealt with that.
“Then, there wasn’t much until the sending off. We had good situations, got the goal and all we have to do is look after it, play sensibly, play with thought and care, and we win the game.
“The subs gave them a little lift but then that sort of petered out a little bit. You can see hear the crowd getting very restless indeed, I think some players sense that or realise it and play accordingly.”
Mansfield have now lost four successive matches in the league, although Clough reckons their performances have deserved much more.
“You can still defend better, even with 10 men,” he added. “We got done too easily for the second. The first, we lost a header in the box and he has headed it for goal, the lad tapped it in at the far post.
“We thought one was over the line for ourselves not long before that as well. The frustration is incredible but I still think it was a harsh second yellow card. I thought it was very inconsistent with the yellow cards this evening.
“Every time we seemed to pull somebody back, it was a yellow card. I saw Bolton players doing exactly the same without the same punishment.”
“That is the most frustrating of the last few. We have now lost four league games on the spin, which is a disgrace conserving the performances we have put in.
“We have to do everything absolutely right in order to get a result. We did 90-odd per cent of it tonight, but one player has made an incredibly silly decision and it has cost us the game.
“But I should have brought him off, normally when players are on a yellow they come off. They will come off in future, every time.”
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