Huddersfield Town vs Blackburn Rovers. Sky Bet Championship.
The John Smith's StadiumAttendance20,887.
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Huddersfield and Blackburn Rovers at the John Smith's Stadium as Ryan Hedges came off the bench to salvage a point for Jon Dahl Tomasson's men on Easter Monday
Monday 10 April 2023 16:57, UK
Ryan Hedges came off the bench to keep Blackburn firmly in the play-off hunt with a dramatic late equaliser in an enthralling 2-2 draw away at Huddersfield.
Neil Warnock's Terriers - who had won each of their last three games - took the lead through Matty Pearson's header and doubled it by way of a smart finish from Jack Rudoni five minutes later.
Joe Rankin-Costello pulled one back for Rovers with a delicious chip just over a minute into a second half in which they put their opponents under intense pressure, and when it looked as though they would fall to a damaging defeat, substitute Hedges popped up in stoppage time to secure a deserved point.
Blackburn stay sixth on 62 points with six games to play, with Huddersfield still in 19th, two points above the relegation zone with five games left.
Having lost three games on the spin in all competitions, Blackburn quickly seized control and had seen two shots saved by Town goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik within the first 15 minutes, during which they had over 85 per cent possession.
But Huddersfield soon made a mockery of that statistic, as they took the lead when Pearson leapt highest to head home at the far post after the visitors had struggled to deal with a Rudoni corner.
Blackburn did not let their heads drop and they illustrated their quality in the final third when Sammie Szmodics curled wide after a neat touch from Ben Brereton Diaz. However, they were soon left shell-shocked.
Vaclik's long goal kick was flicked on to Joseph Hungbo on the right, who came inside and laid the ball on a plate for Rudoni, whose clinical finish beat Aynsley Pears at his near post.
With Sam Gallagher on the bench, Rovers perhaps lacked a focal point and, although he was spotted warming up before the break, manager Jon Dahl Tomasson stuck with the same personnel after it.
That decision proved to be important as, after a fast start, Rovers pulled one back when Rankin-Costello exchanged passes with Tyrhys Dolan and expertly chipped the ball over Vaclik from a tight angle.
There was no let-up in relentless pressure from Blackburn thereafter, with Huddersfield pinned back into their own half. Vaclik denied Rankin-Costello twice and debutant Harry Leonard once, while Tyler Morton's low drive evaded everyone in the box and cannoned off the base of the left-hand post.
But they continued to knock on the door until the end, when, with four minutes of injury-time to play, after Vaclik had once again denied Rankin-Costello, Hedges was on hand to find the net.
Huddersfield's Neil Warnock:
"We've played five good sides in our last five games and we've got 11 points, so we're delighted. It can't get any more difficult than the last five games, we've had horrific fixtures. I can't fault any of the effort from the players. They've given me everything these last few weeks and to get 11 points is an amazing situation. I never thought we'd ever have a chance of getting out of it really, but the lads listen to everything I say and they're so genuine.
"In three weeks, you can see the difference. We know that our lives and our jobs are at stake, so it's good at the minute. I thought it was a cracking game today in difficult conditions and we're disappointed that we didn't win it because of the timing of their goal. But, if we'd have known they were going to score in the first minute of the second half, you'd have said we'd have done well to hold on.
"We defended really well after they scored and I don't think I could get any more effort out of the players, so I'm really pleased. I was knackered and I was on the bench, so goodness knows what the players were like."
Blackburn's Jon Dahl Tomasson:
"It was one of our best games of the season. We had a lot of chances, I stopped counting. It's incredible that we're coming away with just a draw. We dominated from minute one until the end against a team who've had some great results recently. Coming away and at this period of the season with a very young team, we were creating a lot of chances and we probably should have won it.
"When you're 2-0 behind at half-time, it can be tough, but the boys did all the right things in the second half. Our playing development and our style is very good and we're making some great steps. If you look at the latest performances we've had, the results have not been the right ones. But I'm extremely pleased with the performance; the most difficult thing in football is creating chances and we created a lot today."
Both teams are back in action on Saturday April 15. At 3pm, Huddersfield travel to South Wales to take on Swansea, while at 7.45pm, Blackburn host Hull at Ewood Park, live on Sky Sports.
