Blackburn Rovers suffered a huge blow to their survival hopes after putting in a dreadful performance to be beaten 5-0 by Bristol City.
After taking steps in the right direction over the last four games, this was three backs for John Eustace’s side. They were second from minute one and gave away some terrible goals.
Dom Hyam had a tough evening with three serious mistakes that led directly to goals. The first of these was a late back pass which was intercepted by Tommy Conway and fired into the bottom corner.
The second followed shortly afterwards. Callum Brittain missed control of the ball but Hyam was rash with his challenge, bringing down Mark Sykes to earn Bristol City a penalty.
At 2-0 down, Rovers had a mountain to climb and it could have been worse if Scott Twine hadn’t squandered a great opportunity to make it three after falling behind.
Eustace made tactical and personnel changes to try to change the pattern, but to little avail. They only created one significant chance when Sam Szmodics went wide.
Bristol City then secured the points with a quickfire double. Substitute Annis Mehmeti took advantage of a Hyam slip and fired into the corner before Kyle McFadzean handled the ball and allowed Nakhi Wells to make it four. The striker then added a fifth at the back post in stoppage time.
This was by far Rovers’ worst performance under Eustace and they were soundly beaten. They will need a huge performance boost to ensure nothing goes wrong at Leeds United on Saturday.
After Tuesday night’s results, Rovers knew victory would all but secure their place in the Championship for next season.
The gap was reduced from four to three overnight, with Sheffield Wednesday coming from two down to draw 2–2 with Norwich City.
Few matches in April provide surprises, but a trip to Ashton Gate could yield plenty of results. Bristol City have had their feet in the water and sandals for a while now, but recent wins over Southampton and Leicester City were a warning of their capabilities.
But like Sunderland, this was a match that many would have labeled ‘winnable’ given the well-documented difficulty of Rovers’ run-in. With a turnaround time of 65 hours before kick-off at Elland Road, this was the big opportunity of the week to get points on the board.
Without the services of Ryan Hedges, Eustace gave Dilan Markanday a first league start since December. That was the only substitution where 16-year-old Igor Tyjon was on the bench for the first time.
Bristol City may have been the ones with little to play for, but they started the match with the greater intensity. The Robins moved the ball around and dominated the early stages.
They came close twice through Scott Twine. He first shot wide after a creative free kick and then saw a shot hit the post after Haydon Roberts’ cross was only half cleared.
It took 15 minutes but Rovers slowly made their way into the match. Their best opening of the half came for Szmodics, but he opted to try and find Sam Gallagher rather than shoot, while Markanday couldn’t get enough pace behind his shot.
The defining moment of the half was the opening goal and a complete gift for Bristol City. Hyam completely misdirected his pass to the goalkeeper and Conway nipped in and finished low in the corner.
It was a shocking mistake and set the tone for the rest of the first half as Bristol City ran riot. The second goal was not far behind and it was another terrible concession.
Brittain made the first mistake, allowing the ball to slip under his foot before Hyam brought down Sykes in the area. It was an unusually rash challenge and a clear penalty, despite referee Bobby Madley’s hesitation.
Conway stepped up and sent Aynsley Pears the wrong way, leaving Rovers with a mountain to climb.
Before the half-time whistle it could have been even worse. Conway fed Twine and he should have scored, but crossed wide. Pears was called into action again to deny Conway after a loose backpass from Harry Pickering.
A two-goal deficit was a relief for Rovers at half-time after a huge drop in performance. Perhaps a suggestion that this team cannot handle a tighter schedule of three games in a week.
Eustace responded with four substitutions at half-time, which underlined his dissatisfaction. He changed the shape to 3-4-3 to match their opponents with Kyle McFadzean, John Buckley, Ben Chrisene and Andrew Moran all called upon.
However, the changes had no immediate impact. Rovers were more solid out of possession, but lacked the necessary grit or quality to open up Bristol City.
With a two-goal lead, the Robins were quite happy to sit deeper and invite their visitors. They slowed their pace and asked whether Rovers had the guts to break them down.
It wasn’t until the 70th minute that Rovers created their first serious opening. Szmodics was passed through on goal, but turned his shot wide under pressure from his marker. A missed opportunity for the division’s top scorer, but the defender did just enough to deter him.
That proved to be the last chance Rovers would have to save the match as Bristol City ended any hopes of a comeback.
It was another moment Hyam doesn’t want to see again. The defender slipped into the penalty area and presented the ball to Mehmeti, who put the match beyond doubt.
A little later things would go from bad to worse. McFadzean was penalized for handball and that gave Wells the chance to make it four from the spot he had rightly taken.
He then made it five in time and tapped in at the back post. Rovers could hardly suggest that the result was unjust.
After four very credible and competitive displays, this was a complete abandonment of these core principles. The team were easy to play against, were in second place after every ball and were blunt in attack.
The substitutions during half time did not have the desired effect. Instead, they took away any hope of Rovers getting back into the game. Eustace’s logic was understandable, but instead it played a role in a fourth game in five without scoring.
Rovers are three points above the relegation zone with four games to play, but things don’t get any easier with a trip to Leeds on Saturday. They will need a completely different level of performance to avoid further embarrassment.