Mansfield Town left Merseyside empty handed as Tranmere Rovers struck in either half to claim maximum points at Prenton Park.
Regan Hendry put Rovers ahead in the 12th minute and although Stags’ forward Will Swan struck Mansfield level with a fine goal near the end of the half, Tranmere’s star man Rob Apter settled the encounter 11 minutes into the second period.
Three changes were made to the side which beat Swindon 3-2 at One Call Stadium on Saturday.
Midfielders George Maris and Aaron Lewis returned to the lineup as did match-winner Will Swan.
Stephen Quinn, Hiram Boateng and Davis Keillor-Dunn were moved to the subs’ bench.
Stags set the early tempo and should have been ahead in the seventh minute when Swan nodded over from six yards after Lewis delivered with a perfect cross on the right.
But it was Tranmere who took the lead just five minutes later in their first meaningful charge at goal.
A quick throw on the left channel caught Stags off guard as Kieran Morris was afforded time to flick into the path of Regan Hendry who blasted the ball into the far corner of the net from just inside the box.
Rovers had the game’s next real opportunity in the 25th minute as Stags’ goalkeeper Christy Pym was needed to beat away Brad Walker’s rasping 27-yard free kick.
Tranmere almost had a second goal two minutes later as Maris tried to turn inside his own box and lost possession, but Stags’ blushes were spared as Morris fired low beyond the post.
Mansfield began to re-find their rhythm and came close to a leveller on 33 minutes as left-back Baily Cargill sent an inviting low ball across the goal area but a sliding Tom Nichols inadvertently controlled the ball with an arm.
At the other end, Pym was well behind Apter’s pot-shot before Stags went on another charge forward.
On the inside right channel, Swan squared for Lewis who found Maris in a promising position on the left of the box.
And the midfielder lashed low but was denied by a Tranmere defender two yards ahead of the goalline.
Stags weren’t to be denied on 39 minutes as they equalised with a classy goal.
Reed directed a scintillating throughball just in front of the halfway line and Swan peeled away from his man to control sensationally in mid-flight before planting his shot beyond McGee to level.
Within a minute of the second-half, Maris was booked for dissent following a challenge on Rovers’ captain Connor Jennings.
On 49 minutes, Tranmere midfielder Rob Apter blasted a hopeful effort into the Kop End and the same man curled wide from a similar distance, 25 yards out, two minutes later.
Rovers’ Brad Walker was next in the referee’s notebook for delaying the restart of play and Mansfield’s Louis Reed was also received a yellow card for a foul outside the box on Apter.
Before the subsequent free-kick was taken, Hiram Boateng replaced George Maris in Stags’ first change on 55 minutes.
The omnipresent Apter eventually caused Stags’ undoing by propelling Tranmere back in front a minute later.
The 20-year-old cut infield before unleashing a powerful left-footed drive which arrowed into the inside post.
Stags’ right-back George Williams was shown a yellow card on the hour for a late challenge and soon after two changes were made by Nigel Clough.
Jordan Bowery and Davis Keillor-Dunn were introduced for George Williams and Aaron Lewis.
And Keillor-Dunn almost made an immediate impact by carrying the ball into the box before lashing low against McGee.
Stags were attacking with greater potency and a minute later, Akins set up Keillor-Dunn to again strike towards goal, but this time his effort was blocked.
Swan was a whisker away from restoring parity on 71 minutes as he latched on to Nichols’ pass to drag a low shot inches wide of the far post.
Stephen Quinn and Stephen McLaughlin entered the fray for Nichols and Cargill on 82 minutes while the hosts also made a double change.
And Quinn came close to scoring less than two minutes after taking to the field when he struck powerfully from the left of the box, but McGee made a smart stop at his near post.
The experienced midfielder was booked for dissent on 89 minutes and in the fifth minute of stoppage time Keillor-Dunn drilled low inside the box but it cannoned off Aden Flint to spin behind for a goal kick in the game’s last chance.
TRANMERE: McGee, O’Connor, Yarney, Turnbull, Wood, Apter (Pike 90+2), Walker, Hendry, Morris (Norris 82), Jennings, Saunders (Dennis 82)
UNUSED SUBS: Murphy, Hawkes, McAlear, Blouin
STAGS: Pym, Williams (Bowery 62), Flint, Brunt, Cargill (McLaughlin 82), Reed, Lewis (Keillor-Dunn 62), Maris (Boateng 55), Nichols (Quinn 82), Akins, Swan
UNUSED SUBS: Flinders, Gale
REFEREE: Ben Turner
ATTENDANCE: TBA
