Blackburn Rovers were handed their first league defeat of the 2021-22 Championship campaign, as promotion-favourites, West Bromwich Albion flew out of the blocks, as Rovers never really looked like getting anything from the game, following their poor start.
After their midweek 2-1 win against Nottingham Forest, which the Blues won 2-1, Tony Mowbray made one change for the weekend’s fixture, as Rovers fan and Liverpool loanee, Leighton Clarkson came in for his Ewood and Rovers debut, in-place of Tyrhys Dolan who dropped to the bench, as Rovers swapped to a narrow 4-1-2-1-2 system.
Although Rovers kicked off the game, with the intention of hitting a long ball out for Sam Gallagher, in order to pin Albion down early on in their own half, the visitors did well to disrupt Rovers’ plan and force Rovers on the back-foot after 30 seconds as the 2,359 visiting Albion fans didn’t have to wait too long to celebrate. Albion won the long-ball before pressing Rovers’ backline. Rovers skipper Darragh Lenihan moved out wide in order to try and clear the ball, but scuffed his clearance under pressure from Matt Phillips. The Scot did well to win the ball back before bursting into the box and cutting the ball back for Jake Livermore to strike. The former Hull City midfielder obliged, but saw his first effort saved by Thomas Kaminski, before his second crashed back off the crossbar from yards out. After picking up the rebound from the other side of the six-yard box, Phillip clipped a cross towards the edge of the box, where the unmarked Alex Mowatt released a sumptuous left-footed which rifled into the top left-hand corner to put the visitors 1-0 within moments of the game’s first whistle.
With Rovers felt aggrieved, the 10th minutes saw the home fans grow even more agitated than they had already been following the goal. A Sam Gallagher flick on saw Ben Brereton Díaz go down under pressure from the Albion defence, but referee Tony Harrington waved play on.
The visiting side’s pressure continued as the reclaimed possession of the ball on the 17th minute. A dangerous cross into the box saw on-loan Brighton and Hove Albion defender, Matt Clarke rise highest in the box and win the header which he nodded across goal. With Karlan Grant lurking, Harry Pickering did well to shepherd the ball out of play, away from the former Huddersfield Town man.
The first booking of the game appeared a minute later, however, as Jake Livermore saw yellow for clattering into Darragh Lenihan.
In the 21st minute, former Preston North End forward, Callum Robinson tried to frustrate the home support further by releasing a long-range drive that targeted the same top corner that Mowatt found. Thankfully from Rovers’ perspective, Thomas Kaminski was alert enough to tip the ball over the bar.
West Brom’s pressure continued, as Darnell Furlong tried to find Conor Townsend with another cross into the area, but the former Scunthorpe United defender’s header was well denied by the Belgian in Rovers’ goal.
Rovers finally managed to break from the Albion pressure and get themselves into the visitor’s final third. Joe Rothwell played a ball over the top in the hope that Sam Gallagher would latch onto it. Despite breaking in behind, Sam Johnstone burst out of his goal and got to the ball ahead of the former Southampton forward, as the Baggies halted the Blues’ pressure.
Despite the Baggies’ physical dominance, Leighton Clarkson managed to get himself involved in the game to devastating effect. After picking up the ball inside the away team’s final-third, Clarkson looked up and played a delightful outside-of-the-foot defence-splitting cross towards the back-post where Brereton Díaz was tussling with the retreating Phillips. Despite getting to the ball first, however, the Chilean couldn’t keep his wild effort down as it cleared both, Johnstone and the crossbar and ended up with the Albion fans behind the goal.
In the 42nd minute, West Brom made their first change, which was enforced due to injury. Semi Ajayi was introduced as Matt Clarke departed with the injury.
The 44th minute saw Rovers again come close to levelling. Harry Pickering delivered an inviting back-post set-piece which Brereton Díaz again met. After taking what seemed to be an age in order to get the ball out of his feet, the Chilean failed to angle his effort on target.
As half-time approached, three minutes of time were added onto the end of the first period, following the goal, the injury and the substitution.
In the first of those three minutes, Albion once again parted the Rovers defence, as Matt Phillips came agonisingly close to his first in the league, this season. Furlong burst down the right before delivering a cross which Phillips connected with, as he outjumped Hayden Carter, but the Scot’s nod deflected behind for a goal-kick via the crossbar.
Phillips didn’t have to wait long, however, as in the final minute of the added time, he supplemented his early assist with a goal, as he doubled the visitors’ lead to 2-0. Karlan Grant did well to burst down the left as Carter was left stranded behind. The attacker tangled Daniel Ayala, inside out, before putting the ball across the face of goal where an unmarked Phillips tapped home, after the cross, beat Kaminski.
That proved to be the final act of the first period, as Rovers departed the field to a chorus of frustrated boos.
Tony Mowbray would have been livid in the home dressing room, not only for the poor way in which Rovers started the game, as they gifted his former side the opener, but with the way they had been carved open for the second goal with such ease. The boss would have been calling upon his players to come out fighting in the second period and match the visiting side’s tenacity and physicality to the best of their ability, in order to give the crowd their money’s worth.
Visiting boss, Valérien Ismaël would have been delighted with how quickly his side had started the game and not given Rovers a moments peace with their early press. Additionally, the Frenchman would have been delighted with his side’s second, given it had come at a time which further aggravated the home crowd, more so given the fact the Baggies had taken their time over set-pieces, particularly throw-ins. The former Crystal Palace man would have been warning his side against complacency, given Rovers’ good home record in-front of an audience, and would have been calling on them to be wary of a potential comeback if they took their foot off the gas.
With both managers’ words ringing inside their players’ ears, it was West Bromwich Albion who got the game back underway in the hope that they could continue their unbeaten start to the campaign and remain top of the division come 5pm.
Albion started the second period, right where they’d left off in the first, as Karlan Grant again burst forward, but this time, looked for a goal of his own, rather than trying to set up a teammate. After covering good ground, the forward shifted the ball onto his right-foot and fired at goal, but again, Kaminski did brilliantly to deny him.
Rovers did manage to pile the pressure onto West Brom and cause the Baggies some concern on the 51st minute, as Ben Brereton Díaz reduced the Baggies’ cushion from two, to one, with a slice of luck being followed by an easy tap-in. Daniel Ayala won first contact from Furlong’s long-throw, before the Chilean played a one-two with Leighton Clarkson, who pinged another outside-of-the-boot pass back into the path of the Chilean as Rovers hit the Baggies on the break. In more hope than expectation, Johnstone came out to try and clear the ball without any consequences, ‘keeper swung and missed, as Brereton Díaz took the ball into his stride and tapped the ball into the empty net to reduce the arrears and give Rovers a fighting chance at 2-1.
Rovers’ first and only booking of the game came in the 58th minute as Lewis Travis was cautioned for a foul on Darnell Furlong.
Daniel Ayala tried to make it two in two, for himself on the hour mark, but his connection with Clarkson’s corner failed to test West Brom’s England international ‘keeper, as he plucked the airborne ball out of the sky with ease.
Albion’s second change of the game came in the 62nd minute as Grady Diangana replaced Matt Phillips.
Four minutes after coming on, Diangana was straight into the action as he fed Grant however, Kaminski was again called upon, as his legs tipped Grant’s effort onto the post, before Rovers cleared.
Rovers’ first change of the game came following the Rovers clearance, as Jacob Davenport replaced Leighton Clarkson.
Diangana again showed his class as he beat Harry Pickering, before testing Kaminski, who showed why the Rovers fans had voted him as the 2020-21 Player of the Season, despite having never watched him in the flesh, as he pulled off another fine save from close-range.
Rovers’ second change of the game was soon made in the 73rd minute as Tyrhys Dolan came on for John Buckley.
The home side’s final change came five minutes later, as one speedster replaced another as Harry Chapman came on for Joe Rothwell.
Thomas Kaminski was certainly earning his wage packet in this tie, as once again, he bailed Rovers out with another fine save down to his right, as Republic of Ireland international, Callum Robinson was again denied by the Belgian.
Darnell Furlong became the second Albion player to be book in the tie, as, in the 80th minute, he denied Kaminski from kicking the ball up-field.
Brereton Díaz nearly turned provider, as on the 81st minute, he teed up Jacob Davenport who tried his luck from just outside the area, but Johnstone did well to deny the former Manchester City midfielder his second Rovers goal.
Darragh Lenihan found Harry Chapman with a fine raking pass in the 89th minute as Rovers desperately sought a late equaliser, but despite the ‘Starman’s’ fine drop of the shoulder, his curling effort was headed clear, as the retreating Albion defenders stood on the goalline.
Although five minutes of added time were added onto the end of the game, nothing memorable occurred, bar the introduction of Rayhaan Tulloch for Karlan Grant, as the 20-year-old came on for his Baggies league debut.
Despite the lengthy time added, Rovers were unable to find the late equaliser that would have salvaged their unbeaten start to the season.
There’s a lot to say about this game. Whilst West Brom came to Ewood with Premier League quality players, Rovers did well to keep their heads above water, rather than suffering the same fate that Sheffield United did in midweek, with the Baggies beating the Blades 4-0. Although Rovers basically handed Valérien Ismaël’s side the league inside 30 seconds, the Rovers reaction was quite admirable, with Thomas Kaminski, Ben Brereton Díaz and Leighton Clarkson the pick of the Rovers bunch
Despite conceding two goals, Kaminski deserves endless plaudits, as well as the Man of the Match award, as he single-handedly – and single-footedly at times – kept Rovers in the game and denied West Brom from leaving East Lancashire with a cricket score. With rumours flying around – reportedly leaked from CEO Steve Waggott, himself – suggesting that Rovers are close to signing a few players, the next week or so will be very interesting and we as fans, will undoubtedly know how our season will pan out, judging by how the squad looks come September.
With the loss arriving, Rovers have dropped out of the playoff places and now find themselves in 9th position, from the four games they have played. Mowbray’s men sit on 7 points with a positive goal-difference of +1.
Rovers’ next game sees them travel up north to face Middlesbrough on Saturday 28th August at 3pm. Following that game, we take a fortnight out in order for international fixtures to be played. Once the international break is complete, Rovers return to Ewood Park to host Luton Town on Saturday 11th September at 3pm. Three days later, the Blues are back at it again, this time, under the Ewood lights at 7:45pm, as Richie Smallwood’s Hull City cross the Pennines for their Tuesday, 14th September fixture.
