MX23RW : Thursday, December 20 13:09:26
Dec 15, 2018 at 3pm UK at ​Ewood Park (Blackburn, Lancashire)
BlackburnBlackburn Rovers
2-2
BirminghamBirmingham City
Graham (19'), Armstrong (46')
FT(HT: 1-0)
Gardner (78' pen.), Adams (80')

Tony Mowbray fumes after Blackburn blow late lead against Birmingham

Tony Mowbray fumes after Blackburn blow late lead against Birmingham
© Reuters
Rovers led 2-0 with 12 minutes left.

Tony Mowbray felt Blackburn had shot themselves in the foot after conceding a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Birmingham at Ewood Park.

Rovers looked on course to make it four home wins from five after Danny Graham’s 19th-minute header and Adam Armstrong’s fifth goal of the season a minute into the second half.

But David Raya’s rush of blood resulted in a needless penalty for the visitors that Craig Gardner emphatically tucked away in the 78th minute and two minutes later Che Adams slotted in an equaliser from close range.

And Mowbray was visibly annoyed at letting a lead slip.

“It’s quite amazing to think we threw away two points having worked so hard to get in to a 2-0 lead in difficult conditions for football,” he said.

“There was a swirling wind, rain for 90 minutes and it wasn’t a great game because the conditions didn’t allow for getting the ball down and playing too much football. Yet to get yourselves 2-0 up going in to the final 15 minutes, we manufactured our way to drop two points.

“We have to accept it, be frustrated by it, but know we have to be better.

“We’ve come back from 2-0 down ourselves down at home to Reading, that’s the way it is.

“It’s a disappointing dressing room because we had the points in the bag.

“They didn’t have a shot in the second half up until David (Raya) goes walkabouts in his penalty area and gives a penalty away.

“Then some pretty poor positional play for the second goal, inside the full back. I’m not sure how we manufactured that to drop two points but we did. We shot ourselves in the foot.”

The Blues have won just once at Ewood Park since 1968, but after making it two unbeaten away, Garry Monk praised the attitude of his side.

He said: “It’s an excellent point for us and a fantastic response to being two down.

“We knew it was poor from us in the first half, especially. I think it was just a case of the conditions and everything that comes with that, but they did the basics much better. We didn’t in that first half.

“We came in a goal down and talked about it at half time, and to go out in the second half and concede again straight away, it doesn’t make it any easier. To be two down, you need character, you need attitude, you need to be able to show a response, and we did that.

“I thought especially that last 20-25 minutes we were better, got ourselves back level, possibly could have gone on and got a third but overall, considering how Blackburn have been here – it’s an extremely difficult place to come and get points – to come away with that point under the circumstances, we have to be very happy with that.”


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Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Leeds UnitedLeeds22136336181845
2Norwich CityNorwich22135440261444
3West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom22116546311539
4Derby CountyDerby2211563124738
5Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2211473526937
6Middlesbrough229942416836
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest22811332221035
8Aston Villa228954334933
9Swansea CitySwansea229582724332
10Birmingham CityBirmingham2271053227531
11Stoke CityStoke2271052927231
12Blackburn RoversBlackburn2271052933-431
13Queens Park RangersQPR229492732-531
14Bristol City228682726130
15Preston North EndPreston227783537-228
16Wigan AthleticWigan2274112330-725
17Hull City2266102330-724
18Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds2266102840-1224
19Brentford2257103334-122
20Rotherham UnitedRotherham2241082233-1122
21Reading2247112735-819
22Millwall2247112838-1019
23Bolton WanderersBolton2246121530-1518
24Ipswich TownIpswich2228121837-1914

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