Blackburn 3-1 Derby County: Rovers return to winning ways

Blackburn boosted their play-off hopes thanks to a 3-1 Championship comeback victory over struggling Derby at Ewood Park with their first win in four games.

Derby took a well-deserved lead going into the break when Ravel Morrison converted from close range after a spell of pressure.

But Rovers were not to be denied when they scored two goals in the space of six second-half minutes as Scott Wharton equalised before Tyrhys Dolan netted his fourth of the campaign, while there was still time for Sam Gallagher to add the gloss with a stoppage-time header.

The first chance of the game fell in the way of the home side when Reda Khadra's effort form distance was comfortably saved by Ryan Allsop.

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The home side forced the issue in the opening 15 minutes and enjoyed an early succession of corners without threatening the Rams goal too much.

Rovers fashioned another opening after 24 minutes as some tidy footwork from Dolan in the middle of the park laid the ball into the path of Khadra, who shot wide.

Derby claimed the breakthrough 28 minutes in after Malcolm Ebiowei had his initial shot blocked and Nathan Byrne was on hand to put the ball on a plate for Morrison to tap home for his third goal of the season.

The visitors had their tails up heading into the latter stages of the first half and almost doubled their advantage when Morrison's powerful acrobatic volley flashed wide of the target.

Derby were given a gift of an opportunity to make it two when Tom Lawrence capitalised on some poor possession but smashed his effort straight at Thomas Kaminski as boos rang around the ground at the halfway stage.

Rovers started the second half with much more impetus and were rewarded when Joe Rothwell's corner was met by the head of Wharton at the near post to level things up after 53 minutes.

The hosts then came within inches of gaining the advantage, Wharton almost had his second before his goal-bound header was magnificently saved by Allsop.

Blackburn looked like a completely new side in the second period and took the lead just before the hour mark and - after another corner from Rothwell - Bradley Dack hung a ball into the box and Dolan nodded the ball in from close range.

Rovers could have sealed the points when Rothwell's curling effort from outside the box glanced just wide of the far post.

Derby were forced to play the remaining minutes with 10 men after Colin Kazim-Richards was carried off on a stretcher to add to the second-bottom Rams' misery

In stoppage time, a delicious Ryan Giles cross was met by Gallagher to seal victory but defeat for Derby means they are now six points from safety.

What the managers said...

Blackburn's Tony Mowbray: "I should have maybe changed four, five, six, seven players to be honest. We looked a really tired, emotionally-drained football team in the first half. There was a lot of fear and weren't playing how we play on the front foot.

"I had a conversation at half-time of our expectations, we got on the front foot and played how we played in the second half, caused them more problems, took their composure away from them and we got the job done in the end. It's an important three points. We'll see if we can go to Reading and get another three on Saturday."

Derby's Wayne Rooney: "It's a difficult loss for us to take because we did so many good things in the first half. We made it difficult for Blackburn to press us, we got the goal, go 1-0 up and I think we can go in at half-time maybe two or three up. I felt we could have been (more than 1-0 up at half-time). Tom Lawrence had a good chance, Buchanan had a good chance and I felt, from the first half, we were in complete control. You could feel the frustration from the fans and the coaches and we had to take a bit more advantage of that.

"We did not manage the game well enough and ultimately, that's cost us. Their fans were lifted by the two quick goals. I said at half-time, 'if they are pressing onto us, make sure we go more direct'. We had that much control, the players thought they were confident they could continue doing that but our decision making was not good enough."

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