Blackburn Rovers head coach John Eustace admitted his pride in his excellent players, despite exiting the FA Cup on penalties at the fifth round stage on Tuesday evening at a close-to-capacity Ewood Park.
The Championship outfit had several standout performances from players, including goalkeeper Aynsley Pears and top scorer Sammie Szmodics, as they took Premier League side Newcastle United all the way.
In an uneventful first half, Szmodics and Tyrhys Dolan had Rovers’ best chances while Sean Longstaff had the greatest opportunities for the visitors, but both sides couldnβt find the back of the net.
The game did improve after the break. Anthony Gordon opened the scoring by stroking home Miguel Almironβs cutback for the Magpies. Rovers responded, however, when Szmodics lashed home the rebound after visiting keeper Martin Dubravka had tipped Dilan Markandayβs wonderful strike onto the bar. Both teams had efforts during extra time but neither side could find a winner.
ποΈ "ππ―π’π€ππππ¨ ππ¨ π©πππ§π, ππ©'π¨ ππ£! πΌπ£π ππ©'π¨ ππππ‘ππ’ ππ£π¨πππ ππ¬π€π€π πππ§π !"
— Blackburn Rovers (@Rovers) February 28, 2024
π«‘ @SamSzmodics pounced to equalise and take his tally to 24 for the season.#Rovers π΅βͺοΈ pic.twitter.com/viBxbSDeTh
Then came the shootout where the Tyneside club ran out eventual winners, bagging four penalties to the hosts’ three. Szmodics and captain Dominic Hyam had efforts saved by Dubravka, while Harvey Barnes had Newcastle’s solitary miss.
Blackburn Rovers have been struggling in the Championship this season and sit 16th in the table at present, just four points above the drop zone. Nevertheless, their league form was put on the back burner as the magic of the cup hit the northwest despite the game ending in disappointment.
Speaking after the game, Eustace was thrilled with his side’s performance against a club that competed in the Champions League earlier this season [quotes via the Lancashire Telegraph]:
“I am just very proud of the efforts,” the manager said.
“When it goes down to penalties it’s a bit of a lottery. I am very proud of the group of players that we used tonight.
“I am proud of the supporters, they were awesome tonight. A full house at Ewood Park,” he continued.
“Since we’ve come in, I couldn’t have asked for any more effort, togetherness and desire for these five games that we’ve had. You can see that everyone is fighting, looking after each other and the style of play is improving game by game.
“It’s not about individuals, it’s something we have worked on very hard since we came in, to limit the goals and the chances that the opposition have.Β
“I think you can see everyone is trying their hardest.”
Writerβs View
With Blackburn Rovers scrapping for survival at the bottom of the Championship, 12 more performances like this one will be needed if they are to survive the drop. The players have now set the benchmark for the run-in.
The belief will be there after this performance and despite losing, this will feel like a win to those players and fans. Rovers should be safe come the end of the season, and itβs nice to see that the players seemingly believe in Eustace’s philosophy. Rovers will be hoping to use this result as a catalyst for their season as they face a huge six-pointer against relegation rivals Swansea City at the weekend.
Be the first to comment