2 years ago
32
ARTICLE AD BOX
John Buckley's sixth-minute strike was the midfielder's first goal of the season - and just the fourth of his careerImpressive Blackburn Rovers moved to within a point of the Championship's top two as they brushed aside feeble Birmingham to record a fifth successive victory.
With goals from John Buckley, Reda Khadra and two from in-form striker Ben Brereton Diaz, Rovers fully capitalised on second-placed Bournemouth's defeat at Middlesbrough earlier on Saturday.
Buckley steered Rovers ahead after Matija Sarkic parried Ryan Nyambe's cross straight to the unmarked midfielder, while Khadra rounded the keeper from Darragh Lenihan's through ball to double the lead.
Brereton Diaz scored from the spot after being upended by Sarkic and then took his league tally to 19 for the season by nodding in a cross from Dan Butterworth, who had struck the bar moments earlier.
The Blues slipped to 17th after a poor display, although Chuks Aneke, on his first league start since joining from Charlton in the summer, did hit the crossbar from 25 yards when the score was only 1-0.
The game was one of only five Championship fixtures - and just 15 across the whole English Football League - to go ahead on Saturday following a raft of Covid-related postponements.
Rovers winger Tyrhys Dolan missed the game after testing positive but his absence did not blunt their attacking threat as they controlled proceedings throughout and could have won by more.
Scott Wharton headed a good chance wide after Buckley's early opener, while Sarkic saved well from Joe Rothwell before Khadra's classy second teed up an eighth win in 10 games for Tony Mowbray's side.
Blues did show some signs of life in between Brereton Diaz's double as Riley McGree and Lukas Jutkiewicz both tested Blackburn keeper Thomas Kaminski.
But the damage was already done as the Chile striker continued his rich vein of form to make it nine goals in nine matches and he almost completed a hat-trick with a cheeky lob that sailed just over late on.
Rovers' defensive improvements have been just as important as Brereton Diaz's goals to their surprise promotion push and they stretched their shut-out streak to five games, having not conceded a goal in 500 minutes of football since Callum O'Dowda's opener for Bristol City on 20 November.
Ewood Park remains a bogey ground for Blues, who have won just once on their past 25 visits, and goals have severely dried up for Lee Bowyer's side with just four in their past 10 away games.
Line-ups
Blackburn
Formation 3-4-1-2
- 1Kaminski
- 26Lenihan
- 25van Hecke
- 16Wharton
- 2Nyambe
- 27Travis
- 8RothwellSubstituted forJohnsonat 75'minutes
- 3Pickering
- 21BuckleyBooked at 41minsSubstituted forGallagherat 63'minutes
- 7KhadraSubstituted forButterworthat 70'minutes
- 22Brereton
Substitutes
- 4Johnson
- 5Ayala
- 6Davenport
- 9Gallagher
- 13Pears
- 14Butterworth
- 19Clarkson
Birmingham
Formation 3-5-2
- 13Sarkic
- 21Sanderson
- 4RobertsSubstituted forBelaat 37'minutes
- 5Friend
- 24GrahamSubstituted forColinat 45'minutes
- 19James
- 34SunjicBooked at 43mins
- 18McGree
- 3Pedersen
- 15AnekeSubstituted forJutkiewiczat 68'minutes
- 36Deeney
Substitutes
- 1Etheridge
- 2Colin
- 6Woods
- 9Hogan
- 10Jutkiewicz
- 11Bela
- 35Hall
Referee:Geoff Eltringham
Attendance:12,148
Live Text
Match ends, Blackburn Rovers 4, Birmingham City 0.
Second Half ends, Blackburn Rovers 4, Birmingham City 0.
Hand ball by Lukas Jutkiewicz (Birmingham City).
Foul by Riley McGree (Birmingham City).
Bradley Johnson (Blackburn Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Kristian Pedersen (Birmingham City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Sam Gallagher (Blackburn Rovers).
Corner, Birmingham City. Conceded by Jan Paul van Hecke.
Attempt blocked. Lukas Jutkiewicz (Birmingham City) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Riley McGree.
Ben Brereton (Blackburn Rovers) hits the bar with a right footed shot from the right side of the box. Assisted by Ryan Nyambe.
Jordan James (Birmingham City) hits the left post with a left footed shot from the left side of the six yard box. Assisted by Lukas Jutkiewicz.
Foul by Ivan Sunjic (Birmingham City).
Ben Brereton (Blackburn Rovers) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Attempt blocked. Jérémie Bela (Birmingham City) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Jordan James (Birmingham City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Bradley Johnson (Blackburn Rovers).
Attempt blocked. Lukas Jutkiewicz (Birmingham City) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Riley McGree.
Goal! Blackburn Rovers 4, Birmingham City 0. Ben Brereton (Blackburn Rovers) header from very close range to the high centre of the goal.
Daniel Butterworth (Blackburn Rovers) hits the bar with a right footed shot from outside the box.
Foul by Troy Deeney (Birmingham City).
English (US)