The first ever competitive meeting between Blackburn Rovers and Morecambe saw the League One side advance in to the Second Round of the Carabao Cup, as an embarrassed Rovers side were left to lick their wounds, following their first defeat of the campaign.
After watching his side hold on to earn a 2-1 victory over Swansea City in their opening game of the 2021-22 campaign, Tony Mowbray made two changes to the weekend’s team alongside an alteration to the system. Rovers swapped their usual 4-3-3 system for a 5-3-2, whilst Hayden Carter and Tyler Magloire replaced Sam Gallagher and Daniel Ayala, with the former taking a seat on the bench, whilst the latter was excluded from the matchday squad altogether.
As both sides readied themselves for kick-off, it was Rovers who got proceedings underway at Ewood Park.
Rovers started quick from the kick-off as Ryan Nyambe burst down the right-hand side, in the fourth minute, before pulling the ball back for Ben Brereton Díaz, who was unable to keep his shot down.
Two minutes later, referee Stephen Martin produced the first card of the game, as John Buckley was cautioned for reprimanding Jonah Ayunga, as the Shrimps looked to counter-attack.
Rovers’ early dominance continued into the 10th minute as Brereton Díaz looked to build on his fine start to the season, by notching his second of the season, but his attempt was well stopped by Morecambe goalkeeper, Jökull Andrésson.
Rovers earnt a corner in the 20th minute which saw Rovers work the ball out to Harry Pickering after it was cleared. The former Crewe Alexandra full-back’s cross proved pinpoint, as his cross fell invitingly for Tyrhys Dolan, whose header from around the six-yard box saw him open his account in 2021-22, as Rovers took a 1-0 lead.
Morecambe looked to fight back, four minutes later, as Adam Phillips tried to catch out Rovers’ patrolling ‘keeper, Thomas Kaminski, but the shot lacked the accuracy required for it to dip underneath the crossbar, as it landed on the roof of the net.
The 33rd minute saw Rovers again stream forwards in-search of a second goal. Some lovely ball-carrying by Brereton Díaz saw him find Buckley. The 21-year old then did well to control the ball before trying to sweep it home, yet his effort lacked the required accuracy, as the ball dropped behind for a goal-kick.
Three minutes later, the Rovers fans nearly had a moment to savour as Ryan Nyambe nearly clinched his first professional goal. Some fine work by Pickering down the left, saw him eye up a cross towards the back stick for his opposite number to attack. With the visiting backline rooted, the ball came in invitingly for Nyambe whose header was well denied by Morecambe’s Icelandic shot-stopper.
Harry Pickering was on fine form throughout the first-half, as all of Rovers’ positivity seemed to come down his wing. The 41st minute offered him the opportunity to once again show his passing prowess as a corner angled towards the near-post saw Darragh Lenihan attack the ball, but the Rovers skipper was unable to keep the nod on-target.
As half-time approached, referee Steven Martin added on an extra one minute onto the end of the half.
Despite the extra minute added, neither side were able to force more attempts at goal, as the first-half was soon brought to an end, with Rovers heading into the break, on top.
Tony Mowbray would have been the happier of the two managers at half-time, as not only did he find his side ahead at the break, but they were fully dominative throughout the first 45 minutes. Although Rovers had switched system, the strength of the personnel they had kept in, from their game against Swansea City, proved too much for Morecambe to match throughout the first period. Although the gaffer would have had an eye on second-half alterations, in order to keep his already small squad, fresh, he would have also been quick to motivate his players towards finishing the game off in the second period, in order to not allow Morecambe a route back into the game.
Whilst Shrimps boss, Stephen Robinson, would have always expected this tie to be tough, he probably didn’t expect Rovers to field as strong a team as they did. With Morecambe only holding 29% of the ball, at the break, the former Motherwell manager, would have been drawing on all of his experience during the break, in an attempt to motivate and rally his side towards starting a seemingly unlikely comeback. Although the League One outfit were not favourites for the game, they would have still had confidence, despite conceding, given their recent promotion and opening day draw away at Ipswich Town, in League One.
Just prior to the start of the second-half, both sides made changes to their line-ups. Rovers brought on Dan Butterworth, in-place of John Buckley as they altered their system slightly, whilst Morecambe introduced Liam Gibson and Toumani Diagouraga to replace Wes McDonald and Kelvin Mellor.
The second period of the game was soon started by the visitors, as they looked to utilise the positivity and strength they had within their ranks, in order to shock the hosts.
Rovers continued the second-half, on top, as they had ended the first as Joe Rothwell looked to get himself involved in the game. The former Manchester United trainee did well to find space in order to whip in a cross which Hayden Carter connected with, but Andrésson proved equal to it.
It didn’t take long for Morecambe to make themselves known in the tie, as after Cole Stockton nodded a 48th minute corner over the bar, the forward – who notched a brace on the opening day of the League One season – managed to make amends in the 52nd minute as he combined well to draw the Shrimps level. A fine run in-behind by Ayunga, as the Shrimps man took over the space vacated by the pressing Tyler Magloire, saw Thomas Kaminski and Darragh Lenihan also shifted out of position as a cutback into the path of Stockton saw the forward increase his tally for the season to three, as he lashed home from close-range.
Rovers tried to fight-back, four minutes later, as Lewis Travis tried to tee up Dan Butterworth, but the substitute’s effort from range skewed wide off-target.
In the 65th minute, Tony Mowbray decided to use his final two changes in an effort to try and get his side back in-front, through a change of system. Jacob Davenport and Sam Gallagher were introduced in-place of Tyler Magloire and Joe Rothwell, as Rovers abandoned the five-back system.
After a quiet ten minutes, former Rover Anthony O’Connor was booked after hauling down Butterworth.
The 77th minute saw the final Shrimps change as substitute Liam Gibson was himself replaced due to suspected injury, as Jacob Mensah came on in his place.
After seeing his shot divert out for a throw-in in the 80th minute, Jacob Davenport became the second Rovers player to be booked, on the night, after he fouled Jonah Ayunga.
Rovers’ evening went from bad to worse in the 82nd minute, as Morecambe looked set to complete the comeback, after Greg Leigh was brought down inside the penalty area, which gave Burnley loanee, Adam Phillips the chance to score against his parent club’s rivals. The midfielder was able to make his chance count as he thrashed the ball home from 12-yards past Thomas Kaminski to make it 2-1 to the visitors.
The drama increased in the 85th minute as Phillips went from goalscorer, to savoir as he came in for a crucial goalline clearance after Rovers earnt a corner in the latter stages.
The on-loan Burnley man was certainly not making friends around Ewood Park as he soon added to the home fans’ anger, by starting a melee with Hayden Carter, which resulted in the midfielder being book.
As the 90th minute edged closer, with Rovers staring down the barrel of another cup exit, referee Stephen Martin called for a minimum of five minutes to be added at the end of the tie.
Just as the board was being raised, Sam Gallagher saw his header denied by the Shrimps’ Icelandic goalkeeper.
One minute later, Brereton Díaz had a chance to draw Rovers level again, but his late shot flashed wide of the mark.
Drama struck in the 93rd minute as there were huge appeals for a 93rd minute Rovers penalty, with fears that referee Martin would try and even things up, but the official waved play on, as Morecambe held out under late pressure.
That appeal turned out to be the last action of the tie, as despite a late Rovers rally, they were knocked out of the First Round of the competition for the time since 2015-16, when Shrewsbury Town beat Rovers 1-0 at Ewood Park.
Despite all the positivity gained from the opening day victory over Swansea City, today really brought Rovers fans back down to earth. With the afternoon sale of Adam Armstrong to Premier League side, Southampton, Rovers have typically offered their fans another dose of frustration with tonight’s defeat at the hands of their Lancashire neighbours. Whilst the sale of Armstrong was always going to happen in the eyes of many, this result was the more surprising of the events, with Mowbray’s gamble at playing a five-back system failing and despite efforts to get back into the game via a change of system in the second-half, his side ultimately couldn’t find a way past the valiant Shrimpers, despite holding 69% possession – a contrast to Saturday’s 29% – and now have to concentrate on their league campaign and suffer the ignominy of being labelled as a shock departure from this round of the competition, rather than dreaming what might have been.
With Rovers’ attentions now firmly set on the Championship, until the FA Cup comes around in the new year, the Blues’ next game see them face Millwall on Saturday, 14th August at 3pm. After that encounter, Rovers travel to the Midlands to face Nottingham Forest on Wednesday, 18th August at 7:45pm. Once those two away trips are completed, the side return to Ewood Park to face recently-relegated West Bromwich Albion, on Saturday, 21st August at 3pm.
