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Result: Joe Rothwell's solo effort sees Blackburn earn a point against Wednesday

Result: Joe Rothwell's solo effort sees Blackburn earn a point against Wednesday
© Reuters
Adam Reach had given struggling Sheffield Wednesday the lead.

Joe Rothwell's superb solo goal rescued a point for Blackburn in a 1-1 draw against struggling Sheffield Wednesday.

The midfielder collected the ball 40 yards from goal in the 76th minute and weaved into the area before slotting home, cancelling out a stunning 41st-minute strike by Adam Reach.

Both sides will be frustrated with a result that could have gone either way. Blackburn struck a post through Adam Armstrong, while Reach and Josh Windass both passed up good opportunities.

Tony Pulis' side looked much more comfortable before a chaotic end to the game, which played into the hands of the hosts' quick attackers.

But Rovers could not find a winner and are now five points off the top six. The Owls are three points adrift in the bottom three but ended a run of three successive away defeats.

Rovers made one change from the defeat at Stoke, replacing Tom Trybull with Daniel Ayala, while Pulis made two alterations from the Owls' win against Coventry, handing starts to Moses Odubajo and Joost Van Aken.

The game quickly settled into its default pattern of Wednesday sitting back and inviting Rovers to break them down, which yielded a solitary tame Armstrong effort early on.

Despite enjoying the lion's share of possession, Blackburn could not fashion anything meaningful and fell behind to a strike of real quality four minutes before half-time.

It came from nothing, as Barry Douglas' headed clearance hit Ayala and fell to Reach 30 yards out. He had plenty to do but measured a beautiful left-foot strike into the top-left corner for his second goal this season.

Another defensive lapse just after the break presented Windass with another opportunity but his initial effort was blocked and then his shot on the turn went wide.

Wednesday grew in confidence and should perhaps have extended their lead when Barry Bannan combined with Reach but the latter dragged wide after pouncing on another Douglas error.

Rovers rang the changes and it gave them extra impetus. The width of a post denied Armstrong after a smart turn and shot but the hosts equalised 14 minutes from time thanks to a special goal by Rothwell.

He carried the ball 40 yards, surging past the Owls defence before calmly passing the ball beyond Keiren Westwood from 12 yards.

It opened the game up and Armstrong was denied at the end of a lightning counter-attack moments later, when Westwood parried his effort.

At the other end, Blackburn were almost caught cold with a quick free-kick but Ayala's heroic intervention deflected Windass' shot over.

Armstrong had another sight of goal towards the end but saw his shot deflected just wide, and Rovers will see it as two points dropped.

ID:428038:cQx

How you voted: Blackburn vs Sheff Weds

Blackburn Rovers
74.5%
Draw
19.1%
Sheffield Wednesday
6.4%
47
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Todd Cantwell celebrates scoring for Norwich City against Cardiff City in the Championship on December 19, 2020
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Todays Game Header Right
Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Norwich CityNorwich23145431201147
2Swansea CitySwansea23127427131443
3Bournemouth22118337181941
4Brentford22118336211541
5Reading2312473428640
6Middlesbrough21106528171136
7Stoke CityStoke239862622435
8Watford219752417734
9Barnsley2310492729-234
10Bristol City2210392324-133
11Blackburn RoversBlackburn2395938271132
12Preston North EndPreston23102113031-132
13Huddersfield TownHuddersfield2394102832-431
14Luton TownLuton228682024-430
15Cardiff CityCardiff228592925429
16Coventry CityCoventry236892231-926
17Millwall2151061820-225
18Birmingham CityBirmingham2358101729-1223
19Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2357111626-1022
20Queens Park RangersQPR224992030-1021
21Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds2367101523-819
22Derby CountyDerby2247111424-1019
23Rotherham UnitedRotherham2044121929-1016
24Wycombe WanderersWycombe2336141635-1915

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