Rochdale were defeated on the road on Saturday, losing 4-1 to Peterborough United at the Weston Homes Stadium.
A Jonson Clarke-Harris hat-trick and a goal from Nathan Thompson secured the victory for the home side.
There were two changes to the side that lined-up against Lincoln City last weekend. Tolaji Bola and Jimmy Ryan came in for Ryan McLaughlin and Ollie Rathbone.
The opening exchanges of the first half were frenetic, end to end at times, but a clinical Peterborough took a 4-1 lead into the break after doing the majority of the damage in the first 22 minutes.
The game started in the manner it continued, as the Posh’s Reece Brown struck the cross bar from 20-yards after 90 seconds.
With five minutes on the clock, they broke the deadlock with a questionable penalty, after Tolaji Bola was adjudged to have brought down Idris Kanu. Clake-Harris took the resulting spot-kick and sent Jay Lynch the wrong way, finding the bottom left-hand corner of the net.
Rochdale were level four minutes later through Humphrys. After good work from Jimmy Keohane to find Aaron Morley, the midfielder sent a ball over the top for the Dale forward, who coolly finished first time beyond Christy Pym.
The home side responded immediately though and put themselves back in front, when Clarke-Harris netted his second of the afternoon. He headed home from a Harrison Burrows ball into the box.
Clarke-Harris completed his hat-trick in the 22 minute. Lynch kept out an initial effort from Mark Beevers but the Posh forward struck home on the rebound.
Five minutes before the interval, Peterborough added a fourth, when Thompson headed home from a corner.
HT | PETERBOROUGH UNITED 4-1 ROCHDALE
Within the opening five minutes of the second half, Kanu had fired wide of the near post, while Clarke struck narrowly over the bar from just inside the area, but it was Rochdale who enjoyed more of the ball as the second period progressed.
Matty Lund looked to reduce the deficit with three efforts on goal in quick succession. He struck a rising shot over the bar before seeing a curling effort held by Pym. He then fired a speculative strike over from midway inside the Posh half.
Peterborough substitute Mo Eisa, who had been on the pitch for a matter of moments, go through on goal but Lynch got down to keep him out, while Clarke-Harrison struck inches wide of the upright soon after.
Rochdale’s first change of the game followed in the 72nd minute, with Bola making way for Jim McNulty and second came 10 minutes later, when Matty Done replaced Alex Newby.
Dale came close to adding a second late on, but Humphrys saw his shot blocked on the line.
With two minutes to go, there was a triple substitution. Kwadwo Baah, Ethan Brierley and Fabio Tavares came on for Humphrys, Morley and Dooley.
In stoppage time, Brierley found Tavares with a great diagonal ball and he squared for Done, but his shot was well blocked.
FT | PETERBOROUGH UNITED 4-1 ROCHDALE