A first defeat of the campaign was on the cards for Rovers, this afternoon, as Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side failed to hold onto their lead, falling to a 2-1 defeat against Hull City, despite playing for most of the game with 10 men, after Harry Pickering’s first career red card.
With no new players to throw into the team, despite cries from the Head Coach in midweek, Tomasson made one change from the team that came back to draw with Rotherham United, 2-2, last week. Ryan Hedges returned to the fold to replace Dilan Markanday. Leopold Wahlstedt wasn’t available from the bench for the tie due to illness, meaning Aynsley Pears remained in goal to mark his 50th career league start.
As Ewood Park slowly filled, it was Rovers who got the game underway via Sammie Szmodics, who was personally looking to try and add to his brace against Rotherham United, to help the home side try and continue their unbeaten start to the campaign.
A bright start by the visitors saw them force Pears into a fine save inside nine minutes, as Ozan Tufan’s off-balance effort saw the Rovers number one stretch and keep the ball out of the net via a fingertip save.
Moments later, Scott Twine – signed on loan in midweek from Rovers’ fierce rivals, Burnley – managed to skip past Joe Rankin-Costello before forcing Pears into another save at the near-post.
Adam Wharton and Harry Leonard combined well in the 16th minute as the former supplied the latter, but the academy graduates failed to combine for the opener, as Leonard failed to get the ball under his spell for an attempt.
Disaster soon struck for Rovers in the 17th minute as they went down to ten men after the home defence were caught out via a long City goal-kick. With the ball dropping out of the sky, Harry Pickering was on the backfoot battling with Liam Delap. As the ball landed, it inadvertently bounced off the arm of the Rovers defender, before falling into Delap’s stride. With the on-loan Manchester City man storming into the box, Pickering was left with no choice but to tackle his man, which left referee, Oliver Langford with a decision to make, which culminated in Pickering’s early dismissal – the first red of his career.
With the resulting free-kick from Twine heading into the Blackburn End, Rovers reacted to the red card with a change, as Callum Brittain came into left-back to replace Tyrhys Dolan, as Rovers turned to a 4-4-1 system, with a midfield quartet of Sammie Szmodics, Adam Wharton, Lewis Travis and Ryan Hedges, all behind Harry Leonard.
In the 23rd minute, all four corners of Ewood Park burst into applause to mark the 23rd anniversary of the passing of Jack Walker.
Four minutes later, Jacob Greaves threaded through Twine, who then picked out Tufan, but the well-placed Callum Brittain was on-hand to deny the Tigers another attempt at goal.
Hull soon earnt a corner in the 29th minute as Delap’s attempt ricocheted behind off Dom Hyam, as the Tigers’ tails were up in the second-half of the first period.
Rovers again managed to find the strength and guile to come forwards as a good passage of play culminated in Joe Rankin-Costello trying a shot from close-range, but his strike cleared the crossbar.
A flurry of bookings soon appeared – both for the visitors – as Jacob Greaves was booked, two minutes before Adama Traoré saw yellow, with the pair suffering the consequences of late challenges.
The half soon came to a close following a respectable three minutes of added time, as both sides looked to try and break down their stubborn opponents in the second period.
Jon Dahl Tomasson would have been pleased with how his side had remained resilient, despite being a man down. The Dane would have wanted his team to keep their composure and their shape in order to try and force a potential goal on the counter-attack.
Liam Rosenior would have wanted his side to be more clinical in-front of goal and increase the intensity of their play, to try and exploit Rovers’ ten men. The former Tigers defender would have also been quick to offer encouragement to his team for their constant pressure, despite Rovers’ buoyant crowd.
When the players returned to the pitch for the second-half, it was Hull City who got the ball rolling, as they looked to try and earn their first away victory, since a 4-1 victory at Wigan Athletic in January 2023.
Four minutes into the half, Delap managed to find a half-space to turn his marker before finding Twine who was free on the left-hand side. The on-loan forward managed to keep the ball under his spell and try a tight effort at goal that ended up in the side-netting.
In the 52nd minute, Jon Dahl Tomasson made a double change as Niall Ennis and Sam Gallagher replaced Sammie Szmodics and Harry Leonard who had both run themselves into the ground.
Five minute later, Rovers got forwards as Matt Ingram punched Brittain’s cross out, only as far as Rankin-Costello, but the full-back again failed to keep his effort low as it flew over the bar.
Pears was soon called into action as he pulled off a fantastic save to deny Delap the lead, from close-range.
City’s first change of the game came in the 66th minute as Aaron Connolly replaced Adama Traoré.
The bookings were out again, this time, for substitutes, John Buckley and Jason Lokilo, as the pair squared up to each other, following a clash between Sam Gallagher and City skipper, Lewie Coyle.
Rovers began to pile on the pressure in sporadic spells, when their energy allowed them to, as Lewis Travis wound up a shot from distance that was charged down, as Rovers earnt a corner, which was cleared.
The hosts soon recycled the ball as Callum Brittain cut inside from the left, onto his stronger right-foot and tried to curl Rovers into the lead, but his effort span just past Ingram’s far-post.
Rovers’ pressure soon paid off in the 74th minute, as Sam Gallagher won the ball back, just inside his own half, before passing it to Niall Ennis. The forward span his man and drove forwards before seeing his shot charged down and deflect into the path of Sam Gallagher. The number nine did brilliantly to keep his composure inside the box, before slotting the ball into the bottom left-hand corner for 1-0, as the home support erupted with delight.
Liam Rosenior reacted to goal a goal behind by making two attacking changes, as Jason Lokilo and Óscar Estupiñán replaced Liam Delap and Sean McLoughlin.
On the 80th minute, Twine had another set-piece from close-range, but like his first-half effort, the second hit the back of the Darwen End.
Those 1,251 travelling Hull City fans didn’t need to wait long for the goal their play all game had threatened as Jean Michaël Seri managed to find Aaron Connolly with a superb, lofted pass after he peeled off his marker. The Republic of Ireland international made no mistake with the finish as he struck a fantastic half-volley past Pears for 1-1.
Rovers nearly managed to get their noses ahead just moments after the kick-off, as Adam Wharton fed through Niall Ennis, but the attacker’s attempt came back off the post, despite many Hull bodies around, as the home crowd directed their frustrations towards referee Oliver Langford, who denied the Blues a spot-kick among the chaos.
Sam Gallagher was booked in the 83rd minute for a foul on Regan Slater, midway inside the Hull half.
Hull’s final change came in the 85th minute as Harry Vaughan replaced Scott Twine, whose afternoon of being on the end of the Blackburn End’s jibes was over.
Rovers continued to knock on the door as they ramped up the pressure in the late stages, with a triple chance that saw the home support collectively have their head in their hands. Gallagher burst through and saw his effort saved by Ingram, before Ennis’ follow-up header was cleared off the line by Lewie Coyle. Hull’s skipper’s effort went only as far as Hayden Carter whose own half-volley span wide, as the Hull defence congratulated themselves on holding off Rovers’ wave of attack.
Their congratulations soon turned into celebration, The Tigers soon doubled their advantage, as Aaron Connolly again proved clinical and this time, the match winner, as the Irishman managed to bag his third in two games, and became the first City player, since Peter Swann to net a brace at Ewood Park in the process, to all but seal a fantastic turnaround victory for the Tigers. A free-kick inside the Hull half was punted forwards and with the Rovers defence switched off, Connolly used his pace to spin away from the back four and race through on goal, Connolly’s touch took the ball away from the stretching Carter, who tried to take one for the team, but the forward’s mind was already made up, as he slotted the ball past a suspect Pears for 2-1 and three points.
As the 90th minute ticked over, six minutes of time were added onto the end of the game, which brought a huge roar from the home crowd as they tried to urge their side towards a potential equaliser.
The chance came in the 95th minute as Wharton found Rankin-Costello, but despite having more time and more options than he realised, he elected to go for goal, with his effort failing to work Ingram in what proved to be the game’s final act.
A game that can be summed up with the phrase: ‘good performance, poor result.’ Rovers showed energy, guile and commitment despite being up against it for most of the game, but ultimately, it was fresh legs, fitness and fine finishing that saw Hull triumph in East Lancashire for the first time since 2018. Whilst Rovers put in a valiant display, with the roof coming off Ewood Park after Sam Gallagher’s opener, ultimately, Liam Rosenior’s well-placed substitutions claimed the points for the visitors.
Whilst the league is still in its relative infancy, with just three games played, Rovers remain on four points with a neutral goal-difference of zero, despite sitting in 12th place.
Rovers now wait just under a months before they return to Ewood Park with three away games on the bounce. First up is the Sky Sports selected trip to Vicarage Road, where Watford will host the Blues at midday on Sunday 27th August. After that, Jon Dahl Tomasson’s players are back on the road, just three days later, to face Harrogate Town on Wednesday 30th August in the Carabao Cup Second Round, prior to another long journey down south, this time to face newly-promoted, Plymouth Argyle on Saturday 2nd September at 3pm.
