Rochdale delivered a commanding performance at the Crown Oil Arena, securing a decisive 4-0 victory over Gateshead. The result highlights Rochdale’s ambitions early in the season, while Gateshead were left to reflect on a heavy defeat.
The home side established their dominance early on, with Ethan Ebanks-Landell opening the scoring in the 13th minute, assisted by Emmanuel Dieseruvwe. Rochdale maintained their pressure, and shortly before half-time, Emmanuel Dieseruvwe himself found the net, with Devante Rodney providing the assist to extend their lead to 2-0.
Gateshead struggled to gain a foothold in the match, and their attempts to change the game were complicated by a yellow card issued to Harry Chapman shortly after the restart. Rochdale continued to control the flow of the match, and Devante Rodney added his name to the scoresheet in the 70th minute, further solidifying Rochdale’s advantage.
The scoring was completed in the 79th minute by Connor McBride, assisted by Harvey Gilmour, just eight minutes after McBride’s introduction as a substitute. Gateshead’s frustrations then spilled over, resulting in yellow cards for Kain Adom and Kenton Richardson, adding to their woes. The match concluded with late yellow cards for Rochdale’s Kyron Gordon and Gateshead’s Max Sheaf in added time, but the outcome had long been determined.
Rochdale’s comprehensive victory propels them to the top of the National League standings with a perfect record of three wins from three matches, accumulating nine points. Gateshead, in contrast, find themselves lower in the table, with three points from their opening three games.
