Player ratings and match stats from Rotherham United 0 Peterborough United 2

Millers (3-1-4-2)

Cameron Dawson: 7

Made saves and was generally sound in other areas of his game.

Joe Rafferty: 5

Kyrell Lisbie - a summer target of Rotherham's - had him for pace and the defender endured a tough afternoon, culminating in his own goal. Zak Jules: 5

Poor at Blackpool and the same again against Peterborough. Didn't lead, didn't exert himself, didn't dominate.

Jamal Baptiste: 7

Good again. Has pace and a good touch and doesn't mind doing the ugly stuff. Improving all the time during his loan spell. He and the Millers are good for each other.

Dru Yearwood: 5

His job was to stop Peterborough playing and he didn't manage it often enough.

Denzel Hall: 7

More class, speed and persistence from the Dutchman before he came off injured. Any prolonged absence would be a huge blow.

Shaun McWilliams: 6

Understandably, he looked a shade rusty in the early stages following a month on the sidelines. Got better as the match went on and made a decent contribution.

Joe Powell: 6

Was behind most of Rotherham's best work but there were also a lot of errors in the mix as well.

Reece James: 5

Not at his usual standard and was taken off at the break. It later emerged that an injury was behind his display.

Jordan Hugill: 4

Had to take that second-half chance and didn't. Played three days after breaking his nose, so he's due some credit for that.

Kion Etete: 4

Should have taken that first-half chance and didn't. Mistimed things and found himself ahead of the ball. Neither of the front two did enough to hurt Peterborough.

The subs

Ar'Jany Martha (for James H-T): 5

Flashes of good stuff, but still the wish persists that he attaches more application to his talent.

Josh Ayres (for Etete 53): 5

Game. Mobile. But never really a threat.

Liam Kelly (for Rafferty 66): 4

The feet can still look after a ball but the legs can no longer chase one.

Jack Holmes (for Yearwood 66): 5

A rare sighting of a player very much on the fringes or beyond these days. One or two runs that promised something before nothing materialised. Not the best at tracking back.

Sean Raggett (for Hall 79): NA

His move to the Millers hasn't worked out and maybe he was one of the players Hamshaw was talking about when he mentioned January exits.

Not used: Ted Cann, Lenny Agbaire.

Peterborough (4-1-4-1): Alex Bass 6; Peter Kioso 6 (James Dornelly 84), Tom Lees 7, Tom O'Connor 7, Carl Johnston 6; Archie Collins 6; Declan Frith 8, Matthew Garbett 6 (Ben Woods 77), Donay O'Brien-Brady 6 (Brandon Khela 71), Kyrell Lisbie 8 (Cian Hayes 77); Gustav Lindgren 4 (Harry Leonard 71). Subs not used: Vicente Reyes, George Nevett.

Goals: Rafferty og 61, Khela 73 (Peterborough)

Referee: Matthew Corlett (Merseyside)

Attendance: 8,429 (1,007)

Opposition view

“We had to stay in the game for some periods. There was a lot of pressure, which we expected because the opposition are good. They were fighting for everything and we stood up to that and found a way into the game more and more. At half-time, the message was to be a bit snappier, a bit more assertive in our half of the pitch because when we crossed the halfway line we looked like we could cause trouble.”

- Peterborough boss Luke Williams

The stats

Possession: Millers 36 per cent, Posh 64

Goal attempts: Millers 9, Posh 20

On target: Millers 3, Posh 7

Touches in opposition box: Millers 15, Posh 24

Corners: Millers 5, Posh 5

Fouls committed: Millers 21, Posh 10

Final word

A rotten end to 2025 followed by a rotten start to 2026. All those injuries are hurting more than ever.