Blackburn Rovers blow chance to secure safety with Sheffield Wednesday defeat
Sheffield Wednesday achieved a 3-1 victory over Blackburn Rovers. (Photograph: CameraSport)
The opportunity for Blackburn Rovers to ensure they remain in the Championship slipped from their grasp, giving way for Sheffield Wednesday to potentially take their spot, following a 3-1 loss at Ewood Park.
The Rovers were aware that securing a win during their recent match would guarantee their spot in the division for the following season. However, they unfortunately missed out on that opportunity during a crucial game on Sunday.
Aynsley Pears made a big mistake during the game by slicing a pass intended for his own team into the opposite team's net, which gave the visitors a 3-1 lead.
The event turned out to be significant, particularly because the match was tense and close throughout. The team known as the Owls began quite well by exploiting a situation where Pears and Dom Hyam were unable to handle a bouncing ball. This opened up a great opportunity for Josh Windass to make an outstanding move and score by lobbing the goalkeeper from a distance of 40 yards.
The Rovers team were fast to react and scored a goal through Sam Szmodics. Sam Szmodics is currently the top scorer in the Championship league, with a total of 31 goals this season. He managed to get onto a pass from his teammate and successfully put the ball past the opposing team's goalkeeper.
Following an intense initial 10-minute period, the match became rough and uneasy, with both teams lacking sufficient skill while in possession of the ball. The game did not become more lively until the second half.
On Wednesday, they successfully executed a counter-attack and regained their lead thanks to Anthony Musaba's assist to Marvin Johnson at the back post.
Pears soon had a terrifying moment when he accidentally hit Hyam's backpass into his own goal, resulting in Wednesday being ahead with a score of 3-1. This victory will help them move out of the danger zone and get closer to Rovers by just two points.
John Eustace's team missed out on a great opportunity and now they must secure at least one point in both of their remaining matches - against Coventry City at home and away at Leicester City, in order to avoid being relegated.
On 'Survival Sunday', the situation was extremely intense for Rovers. They needed to win the game to guarantee their safety. However, even with a draw, they still had a decent chance of staying in the league due to their better goal difference, but it wasn't certain mathematically.
The guests perhaps required the points more, regardless of Eustace's squad arguing the opposite, as Sheffield Wednesday had to secure a victory to keep up their goal of remaining in the Championship.
The Rovers had some good news when they found out that Scott Wharton was fit and healthy. This meant that they could keep the same team that did so well in their game at Elland Road last weekend. Yasin Ayari and Andrew Moran were also able to come back after suffering from muscle injuries. They were on the bench as substitutes for the game.
In a crucial match for avoiding relegation, these types of games usually take some time to get exciting. However, a very quick beginning resulted in both teams scoring within the first 10 minutes.
The first ones to go crazy after a goal, that Rovers created on their own, were the 7,000 fanatics who came to see the game. Pears quickly went out of his goal and ran towards Hyam, who hesitated on clearing the ball.
The site was shut and then the ball was grabbed by Windass who skillfully kicked it over Pears from a distance of 40 yards. It was an amazing goal, but it could have been avoided if things were done differently.
Fortunately, Rovers have an exceptional striker in the Championship and didn't take too long to score. Callum Brittain made a pass that set Szmodics through the Owls' defenders and he effortlessly hit the ball into the net, displaying the confidence of a player who has scored 31 goals.
Rovers found the ideal solution to silence the opposing crowd. At the 15-minute mark, the match appeared to be on track to become a memorable one, but the subsequent 30 minutes were underwhelming.
Both teams were at fault for giving away the ball too easily. Rovers seemed to be more concise out of the two teams, but the game turned disorganized.
On the day of the match, just before the first half ended, Marvin Johnson had a significant opportunity. He stole the ball from Hayden Carter on the sideline and threw a perfect pass to Liam Palmer. Unfortunately, Palmer missed the shot from 18 yards away, right in the middle of the goal post.
Rovers were finding success by sending balls behind Wednesday's defense and Szmodics nearly scored his second goal of the game using that tactic. However, Bambo Diaby prevented him from scoring with a tackle at the last minute.
The match was interrupted many times, which made it difficult for both teams to gain any momentum or flow. However, with only 30 minutes remaining, the visiting team was able to take the lead again.
The Rovers team made a mistake and lost possession of the ball, which allowed the opposing team to quickly attack and score a goal. Musaba found Johnson near the back of the goal area, with no defenders around him, and he easily finished the shot to score.
The hosts' performance was quite dull, and they seemed lethargic. However, the situation took a turn for the worse shortly thereafter. Pears experienced a catastrophic event that made him want to disappear from sight.
The goalkeeper received the ball, but unfortunately, he made a grave error by missing the clearance hit and accidentally scoring it into his own net. There's no sugarcoating it; it was an awful blunder.
Despite the limited time left and possible delays, Rovers had a chance to turn the game around. Szmodics had an opportunity to score again, but unfortunately, he wasn't able to successfully convert his attempt.
On the opposite side, Wednesday appeared to have the ability to score again. Musaba broke through towards the goal, however Pears successfully blocked his attempt to seal the victory.
Wednesday had a comfortable advantage, being ahead by two goals and not much need to take risks. Therefore, they allowed Rovers to push forward while focusing on exploiting any opportunities for a quick attack. Despite Rovers making tactical changes by bringing in fresh players, they were still unable to come up with any creative ways to penetrate and break through Wednesday's defense.
Rovers missed out on a chance. They were riding high after their victory at Elland Road, but reality set in and brought them back down.
There is now great pressure on the team to secure at least a tie in their last two matches. As of now, both teams are vying for a promotion spot, but the outcome of the matches played during the week may lessen their need for points.
