After Rovers fell to a defeat, despite playing 70 minutes with ten men, Jon Dahl Tomasson praised his side’s efforts and application whilst speaking to RoversTV, after he watched Hull City fight from a goal down to scoop all three points, with a 2-1 victory at Ewood Park, in what was the Tigers’ first away victory since January 2023.
“We’re extremely disappointed with the result. I thought we deserved more from that game. The players performed excellently today, at a high level and I don’t think we could have expected more today from them, with ten men. They created chances with ten men; they fought for the fans and for the club with that performance. They were playing well and were good in their organisation defensively. We saw a lot of the spirit that the boys have and yet, we still created chances, despite being at a disadvantage. The red card was a huge moment in the game, and that made our afternoon harder. It’s tough to play with ten men for almost 80 minutes, but the effort the lads put in deserves huge respect.
“There were a lot of big moments throughout the game, more so after it was 1-1. We had the ball dancing around their goalline and penalty area. They cleared the ball off the line and them immediately scored the winner, which was frustrating. We’re disappointed with the two goals we conceded; they were two straight balls, but sometimes, when you’re playing 10 vs 11 for a long time, you lose that concentration and mistakes happen.
“At the end of the day, losing at home is never nice. I hate losing, the players hate losing and the fans hate losing, but when you do lose, and see the fans still clapping and cheering for the players, despite defeat, you know that you’ve done something right as a team. I must give compliments to the players and the fans who worked together today. It wasn’t the result we wanted today, but it was a great collective effort. The lads put in a lot of hard work for almost 80 minutes and still created chances, which is brilliant. The fans will be disappointed with the result, like we all are, but they should also be proud of their team.
“I don’t have any complaints about the red card, it was a sending off. Harry (Pickering) was a bit unlucky. He’s tried to head it back to Aynsley (Pears) and he’s mistimed it. It happens in football and today it’s led to a red card. He was very disappointed and frustrated in the dressing room, but we all know how much Harry wants to do well for the team and to help us succeed as a group.
“When red cards happen, so early on, it’s important to concentrate on the defensive organisation of the team, which I thought we did very well over long periods. In the second-half, we were a bit more aggressive, created more attacking opportunities and scored a brilliant goal. It was great to see Sam Gallagher back in the team and back with a goal. We probably did have a few more good chances where we could have scored, but it didn’t happen for us.
“I think the boys picked our attacking moments really well, but I thought they were also investing a lot of energy and concentration in the defensive side, very well. When you’re leading so late in the game and then concede so late on, both the first and then the second, then you should be disappointed with the result, because you want more.
“It’s important to note that teams playing with 11 vs 10 for that long, will create chances, that’s part of football. Everyone connected with Blackburn Rovers did amazingly and stuck together, both on the pitch and in the stands. The fans remained behind the team, and you can see how great the spirit and togetherness is within the team. They worked so hard to get a draw or a victory over the line, and despite our defeat, I think we deserved more than what we got.”
