In a frenetic encounter, North End rode their luck and were grateful Arnor Sigurdsson’s volley came back off the crossbar before skipper Alan Browne gave Preston the lead with a terrific left-foot finish.
Rovers hit the woodwork again before half-time and equalised just after through Sammie Szmodics’ 10th Championship goal this season.
It felt as though the hosts would go on to win but Duane Holmes struck a post for Preston, who dramatically secured a 2-1 victory when Liam Lindsay’s low header gave them a 90th-minute winner.
Preston are fourth after a second consecutive win at Ewood Park and Lowe felt his side gave ‘everything’.
He said: “When you win derbies, you’re always going to enjoy it.
“I thought the lads were fantastic. They had to deal with large parts of their pressure and how they play. They’re a good footballing team but we withstood all that.
“Disappointed with the goal but again, the lads showed that real character and desire, never-say-die attitude. To score the winner in front of our fans, it probably can’t get much better.
“The players gave us everything. The players coming on the pitch, the players starting, the bench behind. They’re fantastic, and that’s what I say to them all the time.
“We are a strong, resolute team that can overpower some teams. I think you see that with the goal. They give us everything, and as long as they keep giving me everything, and the staff, and the football club, then we’ll win a lot of games.
Blackburn have lost four of their last five at home and though manager Jon Dahl Tomasson felt defeat was harsh, he accepted Rovers did not create ‘clear’ chances.
He said: “We are of course extremely disappointed to lose the game. I don’t think we deserved to lose the game.
“If you look at the overall performance, we were the better team, created chances, more than the opponent. We were probably lacking a bit of clear chances in the final third, we were missing runs in behind. When we did that, we created chances immediately.
“We know Preston are extremely good at passing long, winning second balls, crossing, set-plays and transition. There were two occasions where we didn’t deal with those and it cost two goals.
“This young group gave everything so (I’m) disappointed to concede that late in the game.
“You need to deal better with those situations. I think with the possession we had, we should probably have created a little bit more clear chances in my opinion. But still there were plenty of good opportunities to win this game.”
Rovers were up against it from the 17th minute when Harry Pickering was given his marching orders for upending Liam Delap when clean through but displayed great resilience and managed to take a 74th-minute lead through Sam Gallagher.
However, Hull recovered superbly and Connolly volleyed home an 81st-minute equaliser before handing the Tigers their first away league win since January with a composed finish seven minutes later.
Hull deserved their second straight victory on the balance of play but Rovers perhaps should have come out of the game with something and will rue missed chances for Gallagher and Niall Ennis a minute before Connolly’s decisive strike.
Hull went close twice early on, but Aynsley Pears produced a fine low save to repel Ozan Tufan’s eighth-minute shot before denying on-loan Scott Twine from a narrow angle.
The hosts’ afternoon was made considerably harder when Pickering saw red after misjudging a long ball and bringing down Delap 20 yards out with only the keeper to beat.
Rovers regrouped but Hull maintained the pressure and Callum Brittain made a vital block to thwart Tufan.
Twine struck the side-netting just after the restart but the Tigers should have been ahead in the 58th minute when Lewis Travis lost possession and Jean Michael Seri cut the ball back for Delap but Pears was alert and rushed out to make a brilliant stop with his outstretched leg.
Blackburn’s disciplined defending and counter-attacking approach looked to have paid off with 16 minutes left when Ennis drove forward and, though his shot was blocked, the ball fell to the feet of fellow substitute Gallagher who took a touch before emphatically slamming home from 12 yards.
However, Liam Rosenior’s men hit back in style seven minutes later when Seri’s pinpoint pass over the defence found the run of Connolly who crashed a superb volley into the roof of the net.
Back came Rovers in a pulsating finale when Adam Wharton set up Ennis who slammed his shot onto the right post before Hull cleared.
The game swung decisively within a minute as Blackburn went agonisingly close twice in the 87th minute when Gallagher raced clear only to see Matt Ingram block his shot and Ennis’ rebound header cleared off the line.
That reprieve left Hull free to deliver the knockout blow a minute later when Alfie Jones picked out another intelligent Connolly run and with just Pears to beat, he showed remarkable composure to roll the ball into the bottom left corner.
John Eustace celebrated his first official win as Rovers boss in style with a 5-1 triumph at Sunderland at the start of a week that saw Saints stunned in a 3-2 stoppage-time defeat at fellow high-flyers Ipswich.
But there was no such drama as the teams met at a blustery Ewood Park on Saturday afternoon, with Rovers further easing their relegation fears in a 0-0 draw against fourth-placed Saints.
Russell Martin’s men dominated first-half possession but failed to create clear-cut chances, with Joe Aribo’s header off the crossbar the closest they came.
Rovers star Sammie Szmodics nearly saw an audacious effort from distance come off and the hosts continued to pose problems after half-time as Eustace searched for his first home win.
Both teams had chances to win it but a flat-looking Saints came closest, with Kyle Walker-Peters seeing a late shot cleared by Callum Brittain.
The first league meeting between these sides at Ewood Park in 19 years began with Sam Gallagher having an early chance against his former club.
That was swiftly followed by Adam Armstrong – one of three former Rovers players in the Saints line-up – striking wide a good chance from a driven David Brooks cross.
But things tailed off after that lively start, with a drab encounter briefly coming to life in the 25th minute when Aribo saw a header from Jack Stephens’ cross hit the crossbar.
The ball hit goalkeeper Aynsley Pears as it came off the woodwork and, after Rovers’ Ryan Hedges went off with a hamstring injury, the hosts went close through the Championship’s top scorer.
Jan Bednarek was breathing a sigh of relief after Szmodics picked up his loose pass and tried an audacious clipped effort from 30 yards that landed on the roof of the net.
Saints captain Stephens headed over as play limped towards half-time in Lancashire, where play resumed with Ryan Fraser striking wide in front of the 2,499 away fans.
Tyrhys Dolan saw a low shot saved by Gavin Bazunu at the end of some slick Blackburn build-up, with Saints’ backline having to make some important interventions after that.
The Ewood Park faithful were beginning to increase the volume so Martin turned to his bench, with freshly-introduced Che Adams curling just wide soon after coming on.
Blackburn kept knocking at the door and Taylor Harwood-Bellis threw himself in front of a Szmodics strike.
At the other end Walker-Peters wriggled free in the box only for a block by Brittain – sent off in the reverse fixture – to deny Saints in the 80th minute.
Joe Rankin-Costello was then stopped by Bazunu as the match ended scoreless.
Scott Wharton’s fourth-minute header – his first Championship strike since October 2022 – handed Rovers an early lead which they never relinquished.
Brighton loanee Andrew Moran added a goal to his earlier assist to spark a late flurry of action.
And the league’s leading marksman Sammie Szmodics rounded off a comprehensive win in stoppage time with his 11th goal of the campaign.
It was a fifth victory in seven league games for Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side while the Potters, who had not conceded in over seven hours of football before the tie, endured a miserable afternoon as their five-match unbeaten run was ended.
Despite their impressive recent defensive record, the hosts could have fallen behind with barely a minute on the stopwatch. Szmodics sprung the offside trap and lifted an effort over Jack Bonham only for it to drop wide of the target.
The early warning sign was not heeded by Stoke, whose hope for a fifth consecutive clean sheet was ended a matter of moments later. A Moran corner was met by the towering Wharton, with his precise header off the woodwork giving Bonham no chance.
A frantic start to the fixture ensued with the Potters twice going close to producing an immediate response.
Daniel Johnson’s low drilled strike was flipped wide by keeper Leopold Wahlstedt before Enda Stevens’ cross was nearly converted by both Dwight Gayle and Luke McNally.
And Stoke continued in their pursuit of a leveller with South Korean youngster Bae Jun-ho trying his luck with a header and an effort from outside the box.
But again, the hosts looked uncharacteristically fragile defensively with Szmodics racing in on goal before prodding narrowly wide.
The in-form forward had another opportunity to double Blackburn’s advantage shortly before the interval, but his mazy run was halted by Bonham.
Alex Neil’s half-time instructions nearly prompted an instant reply after the restart, but an unmarked Wouter Burger headed over the target.
The introduction of Ryan Mmaee, Tyrese Campbell and Wesley tried to inspire a clinical edge, but still the Potters failed to craft a clear sight at goal.
Rovers capitalised with Bonham parrying Jake Garrett’s harmless effort directly into Moran’s path, with the 20-year-old converting on the rebound.
And Blackburn were not finished there as Szmodics raced through on goal, rounded Bonham and converted to add the cherry on top of a fine display.
It brings up four straight away wins in the second tier for the visitors for the first time since 2000-01 – a year in which they won promotion to the Premier League.
The Championship’s top scorer Sammie Szmodics set Blackburn on their way with a quickfire first half double – his 22nd and 23rd goals of the season – before strikes from Ryan Hedges and Tyrhys Dolan early in the second half wrapped up the points.
Chris Rigg came off the bench to score a consolation for Sunderland 13 minutes from time but Blackburn added a fifth four minutes later through substitute Andrew Moran.
After seven draws and two defeats from his first nine games in charge, Eustace’s first win lifts Rovers five points clear of the relegation zone.
Sunderland ended a seven-match winless run at Cardiff on Good Friday but failed to build on that victory and were booed off at half-time and full-time.
Eustace was dealt a blow early on when left-back Harry Pickering suffered an injury and had to be replaced by Ben Chrisene, but Rovers steadily got a grip, started to impose themselves and broke the deadlock just before the half-hour mark.
Patrick Roberts, making his first start after a two-month lay-off with a hamstring injury, slipped in his own half and Blackburn made the winger pay. Dolan played a neat one-two with Chrisene before sliding in Szmodics, whose crisp finished flashed low past Anthony Patterson and into the bottom corner.
Just seven minutes later, Szmodics scored his and Blackburn’s second, turning in Joe Rankin-Costello’s cut-back from six yards out after good play again from Dolan in the build-up.
It could have got even better for Blackburn, with Rankin-Costello forcing a good save out of Patterson. Sunderland desperately needed the half-time whistle and were booed off by the home supporters at the break.
And plenty of the home fans were heading for the exits early after Blackburn added two more goals to put the game out of sight within 10 minutes of the restart.
Hedges started and finished the move for the third, winning possession with a tackle inside his own half before receiving the ball back off Sam Gallagher and finishing calmly from inside the box.
The fourth came just seven minutes later when Dan Neil lost possession and Dolan’s clinical finish went in off the post.
Black Cats boss Mike Dodds immediately turned to his bench and made a triple change, with star forward Jack Clarke one of those introduced alongside Rigg and former Blackburn attacker Bradley Dack.
When Dack’s header was saved on 77 minutes, Rigg was on hand to tap home the equaliser, but Blackburn responded and Moran wrapped up the scoring after a miscued finish from Szmodics.
Tom Fellows opened the scoring after 12 minutes with a header before Brandon Thomas-Asante doubled the hosts’ lead on the half-hour mark.
An unfortunate own goal by Dominic Hyam three minutes later all but wrapped up victory for the Baggies before half-time.
Blackburn pulled a goal back after 60 minutes through Jake Garrett, but the visitors badly missed top-scorer Sammy Szmodics, out through illness.
And the host put the game to bed as Thomas-Asante struck his ninth league goal of the season after 63 minutes.
West Brom stay fifth, while Blackburn drop to 18th, 10 points above the relegation zone but winless in six league matches.
West Brom opened the scoring after Darnell Furlong’s long throw was not dealt with by the Blackburn defence.
After initial contact from Kyle Bartley at the front post, Fellows was able to head the ball into the net from a yard out at the back post.
John Swift volleyed over a chance for the second when he was found in behind the Rovers defence by a delightful Alex Mowatt pass.
Furlong then also found himself in behind but could not pick out Thomas-Asante for a clear chance on goal.
Thomas-Asante, though, only needed one sight of goal as, from 18 yards, he fired a low strike across goal and beyond the stretching arm of Leopold Wahlstedt.
A Hyam own goal put the hosts 3-0 up, the ball deflecting in off him after Wahlstedt was unable to collect Mowatt’s strike.
An opportunity to add a was passed up when a deep cross found Fellows, who took the ball down well but struck a left-footed shot wide.
In first half added time Fellows was presented with another good opportunity which he fired over.
Five minutes into the second half Blackburn had their best chance of the match when they caught West Brom playing out from the back.
Harry Leonard only had the goalkeeper to beat but scuffed his shot and it was an easy save for Alex Palmer to make.
Wahlstedt pushed away Fellows’ near-post shot before Palmer leapt across his goal-line to beat away a Sondre Tronstad effort.
The visitors pulled a goal back with half-an-hour remaining when Garrett showed neat footwork and a precise finish into the bottom corner to beat Palmer.
However, Thomas-Asante scored his second of the afternoon with a close-range finish to restore the Baggies’ three-goal cushion.
Yet the top two in England's second tier look increasingly likely to be the pair promoted to the Premier League, with third-placed Fulham suffering a damaging home defeat against Brentford.
In the first matches following the league's three-month coronavirus suspension, a new hero emerged for mid-table Derby County as 18-year-old Louie Sibley scored a hat-trick in their win at Millwall.
And Rhian Brewster, a striker on loan from Liverpool, gave Swansea City's play-off hopes a boost by netting twice at Middlesbrough, as well as making a powerful political statement.
POINT A MIXED BLESSING FOR BAGGIES
With Leeds in action at Cardiff City on Sunday, West Brom had an opportunity to go two points clear of Marcelo Bielsa's team as the league resumed.
Bilic's players dominated the derby clash and had a host of chances but could not find a breakthrough, and a stalemate at the Hawthorns potentially plays into the hands of Leeds.
The top two are now level on points, with West Brom top on goal difference, but Leeds will have the chance to go three clear before the next round of games.
BEES STING NEIGHBOURS
Said Benrahma and Emiliano Marcondes scored late for Brentford in a 2-0 win at promotion rivals Fulham, a result that leaves West Brom and Leeds seven points clear with eight games remaining for the play-off pack.
Nottingham Forest were heading for victory at Sheffield Wednesday after Joe Lolley gave the visitors a 69th-minute lead, only for Connor Wickham to grab a stoppage-time leveller for the Owls.
Forest sit fifth, four points clear of a Preston North End side who were held 1-1 at Luton Town, Callum McManaman firing a late equaliser for the hosts, who nevertheless fell to the foot of the table.
KING LOUIE
Blackburn Rovers beat Bristol City 3-1 in a battle between teams fighting with Preston for sixth place, but the individual performance of the day came from Sibley, whose heroics guided Derby to their 3-2 win at Millwall.
"I'm absolutely buzzing," Sibley told Rams TV. "To get that hat-trick was just unbelievable. When the third goal went in, I couldn't stop smiling."
Brewster was not far behind, his double steering Swansea to a 3-0 victory at lowly Middlesbrough.
Brewster held up a shirt that read "our colour is not a crime" after his first goal, expressing support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
TIGERS ON THE SLIDE
Wigan Athletic were 2-0 winners at fellow strugglers Huddersfield Town, while Hull City slipped into the bottom three after losing 1-0 at home against Charlton Athletic.
Barnsley climbed off the bottom by winning 1-0 at QPR, and Stoke City drew 1-1 at Reading.
With Hull and West Brom’s drawing earlier in the day, the Canaries had the opportunity to close to within a point of the play-off places and looked on course to do so after their early superiority was reflected in Marcelino Nunez’s 22nd-minute opener – his first goal of the season.
They could not turn the screw, though, and Blackburn fought back, deservedly equalising through Dominic Hyam’s first goal in 17 months in the 56th minute.
Norwich have lost just once in their last nine outings and are a place and three points behind sixth-placed Hull, and although Wagner felt his side deserved the victory, he was frustrated at the nature of the equaliser.
He said: “Offensively we played some good football, played from our structure, created enough to score more than only one goal.
“Defensively, we put a shift in, we worked hard. Yes we gave one other opportunity away but in general I think it was a good away performance.
“I’m frustrated at the result to be totally honest, not to win this game after the opportunities which we created, after we got the lead.
“To concede off a set piece, off the corner, this is what frustrates a little bit, but at the end of the day the performance was good.
“We have to be focused on the performances because in recent weeks, the players have performed on a very good level.
“Nothing is decided today. We have a lot of games to play, a lot of points to collect. This game is gone, we got a point, we should have got three.”
Since changing head coach Blackburn have stemmed the tide of defeats and have lost just once in five.
Sam Gallagher was denied three times in the first half before Hyam’s equaliser.
Rovers are four points clear of danger, but John Eustace focused on the team’s “character and commitment” to fight back.
He said: “I thought it was a very good performance.
“We were up against one of the top teams in the league at the moment. They’re in a good run of form.
“I thought we created some really good chances in the first half, showed great character to come back in the second half and equalise, which I think is the first time this season at home we’ve managed to do that.
“We’re making small steps forward and I was pleased with the point in the end. I’d have loved three points of course, but again, I thought the lads showed great commitment and character to come from behind.
“To win a game or to stay in games, you have to show that level of commitment and be very difficult to play against. You have to earn the right to play.
“I thought our football at times today was very good. We created two or three fantastic chances from some really good moves.
“It’s about being patient and you can see us growing as a group.”
Jaheim Headley’s low strike handed the Terriers a first-half advantage which was added to after the break by Sorba Thomas and Delano Burgzorg as Darren Moore’s side opened up a five-point gap to the bottom three.
Town headed into the encounter sitting just above the drop zone and on a winless run of five matches, while Rovers had lost four out of their last five clashes and sat 14th in the standings.
Following early Blackburn pressure, Thomas collected David Kasumu’s right-wing cross to chest down and slice over from inside the box after four minutes.
At the other end, Niall Ennis had Rovers’ first real chance before the 10-minute mark but fired straight at Town keeper Chris Maxwell.
Ben Wiles rose the highest from Thomas’ corner not long after but Leopold Wahlstedt was untroubled in the Blackburn goal.
Town then went close to taking the lead when Kasumu found Thomas and Wahlstedt showed great reactions to parry to safety.
Rovers winger Arnor Sigurdsson was not far away after latching onto Sammie Szmodics’s lay-off for a sublime curling effort which flew just over.
The chances continue to come and Dominic Hyam diverted Headley’s dangerous low cross over his own goal, before Burgzorg’s mazy and persistent run down the right was eventually snuffed out by Rovers.
The hosts made the breakthrough in the 28th minute when Headley took aim and his low drive went straight under Wahlstedt too easily to put the Terriers in front.
Jack Rudoni rose highest to meet Thomas’ free-kick as Huddersfield sought a second but Wahlstedt was equal to it, while injured Town goalkeeper Maxwell was replaced before half-time by Jacob Chapman for his Championship debut.
Szmodics nearly capped off a flowing Rovers move in stoppage time but curled just over as the hosts led at the break.
After half-time, Blackburn top scorer Szmodics delivered a dangerous cross which just missed the arriving Ennis and Chapman parried behind.
The hosts doubled their lead 10 minutes into the second half when Burgzorg slotted across goal for a free Thomas to bury past Wahlstedt.
Shortly after that, Huddersfield wanted a penalty when Rudoni went down under Wahlstedt’s challenge but replays showed the Rovers stopper clearly got the ball.
It mattered little for Town though as they made it 3-0 in the 68th minute to all but wrap up the win, substitute Josh Koroma putting Burgzorg in and the Huddersfield attacker’s shot slipped under Wahlstedt.
Jake Garrett’s 78th-minute free-kick sailed harmlessly over as Rovers sought to reduce the deficit, with Callum Brittain’s long-range drive also off target as the Terriers held firm to claim three valuable points.
Rovers were always up against it after Liam Delap and Aaron Connolly scored early in the first half.
Sammie Szmodics and Harry Pickering – on his 25th birthday and 100th start for the club – made it 2-2 at the break but Alfie Jones’ winner after 63 minutes condemned Jon Dahl Tomasson to another damaging loss.
Blackburn were reduced to 10 men when Dominic Hyam was sent off for a second bookable offence after 74 minutes.
Delap capitalised on some poor defending to open the scoring after 11 minutes, skipping past Pickering before charging into the penalty area. Hyam then failed to stop Delap thumping the ball in at Leopold Wahlstedt’s near post.
Blackburn nearly equalised moments later when Dilan Markanday teed up Semir Telalovic on the edge of the box. The German’s strike was unimpressive but took a jolting deflection off Jones on to the base of the left post.
The visitors were once again not at their best at the back after 18 minutes, with Hyam and James Hill outdone by a routine long ball, from which Connolly controlled well before cushioning a half-volley home.
The visitors reduced the deficit on 33 minutes when Arnor Sigurdsson’s speculative punt through the middle bisected Jones and Jacob Greaves. Szmodics had the nous to spot Matt Ingram off his line before expertly chipping home for his 15th goal of the season.
Pickering then restored parity deep into first-half injury time when he was played into the penalty area on the overlap. Ingram might have done better but a slight deflection skewed the ball from his grasp.
Hull were back ahead as Rovers failed to clear Tyler Morton’s corner from the left and Jones scraped the ball into the net from three yards.
Hyam was handed a second booking for a foul on Ozan Tufan and while Blackburn had plenty of possession thereafter, Ingram was never seriously tested.
In a test of their credentials against a vibrant home side, Daniel Farke’s men passed with flying colours, and a goal in each half did the damage.
Dan James scored for the third game in succession to fire the visitors into a deserved lead and with Blackburn searching for an equaliser, Crysencio Summerville’s dinked finish 15 minutes from time sealed the points.
Even more impressive is that they limited Rovers to precious few chances, with Illan Meslier denying Arnor Sigurdsson late on.
The victory is Leeds’ sixth in the last seven and the league’s form side are well placed to pounce, should Ipswich or Leicester slip up.
It is a fifth home defeat in seven for Blackburn, who are still well placed for a play-off push but their Ewood form is a concern.
The hosts started brightly without testing Meslier but Leeds were soon into their stride, with Summerville lashing wide when a corner was cleared to him. They went closer in the 18th minute when Joel Piroe’s 20-yard free-kick took a wicked deflection but landed just wide of the right post, much to Blackburn’s relief.
Leeds spurned a glorious chance when Summerville dispossessed Hayden Carter and the ball found Georginio Rutter six yards out but he clipped the ball wide with the goalkeeper to beat.
He made amends in the 27th minute when he powered forward and shrugged off James Hill before finding James on the right who drilled the ball unerringly into the bottom left corner for his seventh of the season.
James flashed an inviting ball across the face of goal soon after, but Rutter could not get on the end of it, while at the other end, Sammie Szmodics headed over a Hill cross.
Blackburn wanted a penalty just after the restart when Andrew Moran’s cross struck Pascal Struijk’s arm but Bobby Madley waved the protests away. From the resulting corner, Szmodics fired wide when the ball felt to him 25 yards out.
But Leeds carried an almighty threat on the break and Wilfried Gnonto was denied a 73rd-minute goal thanks to an outstanding piece of goalkeeping from Leo Wahlstedt who brilliantly tipped his powerful strike over after it took a deflection.
The reprieve was brief as Leeds sealed victory in the 75th minute with a flowing move that saw Archie Gray exchange passes with Rutter before his first-time ball found Summerville in the area and he was coolness personified, lifting the ball over Wahlstedt.
Meslier made a tremendous save moments later, tipping Sigurdsson’s header over, but Leeds comfortably saw the game out, sending the 7,500 travelling fans home happy.
The midfielder’s second-half strike – Rovers’ only on-target attempt of the afternoon – condemned the Bluebirds to a third straight defeat on the road.
It also meant the Welsh club are now without a win on their last nine trips to Ewood Park, stretching back to December 2012 when Craig Bellamy was on target for the visitors in a 4-1 triumph.
During the early stages, Blackburn dominated possession without penetrating the visitors’ backline while Josh Bowler shot just wide from the edge of the box following Ike Ugbo’s lay-off at the other end.
After Joe Ralls also called home keeper Leo Wahlstedt into action from 20 yards, the Blackburn faithful urged their team to show more forward momentum and, at the first-half’s midway point, Arnor Sigurdsson volleyed wide of the far post after Callum Brittain’s cross from close to the corner flag.
Moments later, Sammie Szmodics lifted a shot over from just outside the penalty area after effective harassing by Sondre Tronstad and Rankin-Costello turned another Brittain centre from the right wide of the near post.
Cardiff thought they had taken the lead in the 35th minute when Dimitrios Goutas met Ralls’ corner with a thumping header but the effort was ruled out due to Karlan Grant standing in an offside position and blocking Wahlstedt’s sight line.
Following that let-off, Szmodics found the side-netting from an acute angle and Tyrhys Dolan prodded wide with the last kick of the half following a rapid counter attack started by Dominic Hyam’s brilliant recovery tackle on Ugbo and built upon by Sigurdsson’s positive raid down the left.
After the break, Goutas again climbed highest to meet another corner – this time delivered by Ryan Wintle – only to clear the crossbar.
Rovers then forged ahead in the 53rd minute after Hayden Carter’s forward pass picked out Dolan.
With the Bluebirds’ defence standing off him, Dolan chested the ball before turning and picking out Rankin-Costello’s run in behind Mark McGuinness.
The Ewood Park Academy graduate went on to keep his composure to find the net from 15 yards despite Jak Alnwick getting a glove to his effort.
Rankin-Costello was subsequently denied a second in the 67th minute by Perry Ng’s brilliant sliding challenge as he bore down on the away goal and pulled back his right leg to shoot.
For Cardiff, sub Callum Robinson tried his luck from distance but Wahlstedt safely gathered his hopeful drive.
But the Republic of Ireland international should have then done better when he pulled a 12-yard chance wide after good probing down the left by Ng and Wahlstedt went on to make a superb save to push Ollie Tanner’s diagonal drive wide of his far upright and safeguard the three points.
The 23-year-old has committed his long-term future to the Ewood Park outfit, having joined as a youth player in 2014.
Rankin-Costello made 24 appearances and scored twice in the Sky Bet Championship last season, as Blackburn narrowly missed out on the play-off places to Sunderland on goal difference.
The right-back, who has also played in midfield, told Blackburn’s website: “I’m buzzing. Last season was a bit of a breakthrough for me in terms of staying fit and playing well, so I’m happy.
“We were near the play-offs last year and we seem to be improving year-on-year and moving in the right direction, so hopefully we can push for the play-offs again this season.”
The academy graduate has now made 71 appearances for Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side.
The Rovers manager was also full of praise for his “unplayable” front four of Sam Gallagher, Sammie Szmodics, Tyrhys Dolan and Ryan Hedges.
Szmodics’ double – his 22nd and 23rd goals of the season – set Blackburn on their way in the first half, with Dolan and Hedges then putting the game out of sight of the hosts within 10 minutes of the restart. Substitute Andrew Moran wrapped up the convincing win after Chris Rigg’s consolation.
It was Eustace’s first win at the 10th time of asking in charge of Rovers, who are now five points clear of the drop zone.
“It was an outstanding performance,” he said. “It’s been coming. The performances have been excellent over the time I’ve been here. You could see the togetherness was there.
“We’ve had some really difficult games but been competitive and rolled our sleeves up. The most important thing was we won playing our style of football but we also showed that level of commitment and desire to defend the box.
“The front four were awesome, they were unplayable at times and the most important thing for me was what they did without the ball, that was outstanding and was the platform.
“It was an all-round perfect performance.”
Furious Mike Dodds hammered his Sunderland players after what he described as a “pathetic” display.
The Black Cats ended a seven-game winless run with a 2-0 win at Cardiff on Good Friday but failed to build on that showing and were booed off at half-time and full-time by the home supporters.
Hopes of another top-six finish have disappeared in recent weeks and Sunderland are now 13 points shy of the play-off places.
Dodds said: “It’s a bad result and an even worse performance. It’s completely unacceptable and I don’t say that lightly. That’s probably the best word I can find.
“Blackburn were deserved winners and I don’t like saying that on our own patch.
“As head coach I have to take responsibility for it, when they’re back in for training there are going to be some uncomfortable conversations but they need to be had if we’re to move forward.
“The players haven’t had much of a chance to talk in there, they’re under no illusions as to my thoughts: if they want to play for this football club then they’re going to have to deliver a better performance than that. If they don’t, they won’t play.
“I could have subbed the whole team when I made the changes in the second half. We’re going to have to reflect and use it as motivation, use it as a huge learning curve – it’s completely unacceptable.”
It was a sixth draw in eight games for Rovers since Eustace replaced Jon Dahl Tomasson in the dugout and their third on the bounce – with Blackburn still three points above the Sky Bet Championship relegation zone.
Middlesbrough are now unbeaten in four league games and have kept three clean sheets on the bounce, but their hopes of a top-six finish are hanging by a thread. Norwich’s win at Stoke means Michael Carrick’s side are now seven points adrift of the play-off places with eight games to play.
Both teams had their moments at the Riverside but lacked the clinical touch needed in front of goal.
Middlesbrough almost made the perfect start when Emmanuel Latte Lath was denied by the feet of Aynsley Pears inside two minutes. And the home side should have taken the lead when a corner from the right was glanced on by Luke Ayling into the path of Marcus Forss, who looked certain to score from just two yards out but somehow missed the target.
Blackburn threatened early on as well, with the Championship’s top scorer Sammie Szmodics unsurprisingly looking the away side’s best route to goal. He saw one low drive well saved by Seny Dieng and had another opening soon after but was denied by a fine slide tackle from Paddy McNair.
Boro were dealt a blow when Forss went off injured and lost their way a bit afterwards, but they almost forced a breakthrough on the stroke of half-time when Ayling’s header was blocked on the line by Dominic Hyam.
Sensing an opportunity, Blackburn started to grow in confidence and Sam Gallagher stung the hands of Dieng with a fierce strike from the edge of the area.
Riley McGree scored a stunning winner for Boro at Birmingham on Tuesday night and looked to repeat it here but his shot from distance flashed wide. Defender Matt Clarke then headed wide from a Jonny Howson free-kick.
A Blackburn corner caused Boro problems and, after Scott Wharton’s header was blocked, substitute Tyrhys Dolan looked to turn in the rebound but was crowded out before the hosts managed to scramble clear.
Boro almost snatched a dramatic last-minute winner through Isaiah Jones when his shot was deflected onto the bar and substitute Sammy Silvera miskicked the rebound.
Brittain’s first goal for Rovers – his first for anyone in over four years – was enough to ensure his side recorded three wins in a row for the first time since Tomasson took charge 16 months ago.
It lifted Blackburn up to 10th in the Championship, above their opponents, who let an early lead slip in what was their first home game since Gary Rowett’s departure as manager last week.
Tomasson said: “He [Brittain] hadn’t scored – maybe in training once – it’s his first goal in four years, so it’s great to see a finish like that after a switch of play from James Hill.
“So, I’m delighted but I’m almost extremely happy to give our fans a good journey back.”
When asked if Brittain had shown signs that he had a goal of such quality in him, Tomasson said: “I’d be lying if I said yes.
“It was an excellent switch of play, we knew there was space opposite and of course the finish was also excellent.
“We probably could have made it a little bit easier for ourselves and take one of those chances [later in the game] so the game was over, but in the end I think we defended our box against a difficult side who bring a lot of balls into the box.
“I thought we were fighting and showing the right attitude.”
Millwall were ahead after just three minutes when Wes Harding’s header slipped through Blackburn goalkeeper Leopold Wahlstedt, but his opposite number Bartosz Bialkowski was then at fault for Joe Rankin-Costello’s equaliser.
Brittain struck what turned out to be the winner six minutes into second half when he curled into the top corner after running onto Hill’s long pass.
Millwall interim boss Adam Barret said: “I thought the second half was much better.
“I wanted the lads to play quickly, to move the ball quickly with a little bit of spark and the first half at times just looked a bit edgy.
“I thought the shape was good, you’ve got to be careful against this side because, as we know, they’ve got some very good players and if you get it wrong, they can open you up.
“With the second goal, Joe [Bryan] takes the free-kick, goes down with a groin injury and all of a sudden, they break and score down that side where he would have been.
“Little things just didn’t go for us tonight, but there were a lot of positives, especially in the second half.
“We’ve put a good spell in the game, we’ve now got to do it for longer periods.”
A total of 35 attempts on goal were shared by both teams as Sammie Szmodics’ brace secured a 2-1 triumph over bottom-of-the-table Middlesbrough.
Matt Crooks replied in an incredibly open game, but Tomasson insisted afterwards that he would “rather try and win 5-3 than 1-0” every week.
Former Premier League-winning defender Colin Hendry and 89-year-old Bryan Douglas, who played in the 1958 and 1962 World Cup finals for England, were among the luminaries paraded onto the pitch before kick-off and ex-Denmark striker Tomasson said: “It was good to see us win the club’s 5,000th game and to see all of the legends before the game.
“I hope they enjoyed it and all the fans did too. It was great to see that amount of chances and we should probably have been 3-0 up at half-time, so it was frustrating not to convert more of the opportunities.
“We then scored a difficult one early in the second half but Middlesbrough got one back, which I think the referee and his assistant will be disappointed by when they look back at it because
their player was totally alone three metres from goal and was offside.
“It was then a tough period for us.
“Their goal changed the momentum after all those chances we had missed, but we play football for the fans because they pay a lot of money and you have to give them something back, so I would rather try and win 5-3 than 1-0.”
Midfielder Szmodics’ brace took his tally for the season to four, with Tomasson confessing that such a haul is a boost after a summer in which Rovers lost attacking duo Ben Brereton Diaz and Bradley Dack.
He added: “Sammie went close to his first hat-trick in a Rovers shirt and he’s started this season on fire for us. That’s important because we haven’t got a proven goalscorer in the squad, so everybody needs to chip in.”
Boro more than played their part in an absorbing and pulsating contest, but have now collected just one point from their opening six games and, including last season’s two-legged play-off defeat to Coventry, have failed to win any of their last 11 league matches – a sequence that equals the club’s longest outside of top-flight football since January 1925.
Manager Michael Carrick insisted, though, that the mood in his squad remains “good”.
“The changing room was quiet after the game, but it’s not a horrible atmosphere by any stretch of the imagination,” he said. “The mood is good.
“We’re not hiding from the fact that we need to get results, but there’s spirit and inner-belief in the group. It’s easy when people are telling me that I’m fantastic and the players that they are fantastic, but we knew a tough time would come at some point.
“Then, it’s how you deal with it and overcome it and, although this was an open game that probably suited them, I think we have controlled a lot of the other matches and it wouldn’t have taken much to tip the scales and turn the results in our favour.
“There were chances everywhere in this game and I thought we were right in it in the second half, but we are having to come back from setbacks too much at the moment.”
Rovers delivered what turned out to be the knockout punches in a clinical three-minute spell as Dilan Markanday’s tidy finish from a narrow angle set the hosts on their way in the 20th minute before they suffocated their opponents straight from the kick-off and academy graduate Harry Leonard slammed in a second two minutes later on their first league starts for Blackburn.
The Baggies struck back in fine style just after the restart through Matt Phillips’ stunning 25-yard effort but Blackburn finished strongly and better finishing would have made the margin of victory more comfortable for the hosts.
West Brom’s frustration was summed up by boss Carlos Corberan being sent to the stands for dissent late in the second half.
Tomasson gave his goalscorers special mentions but was also pleased to see the attitude of his young side, which contained four academy graduates in the starting XI.
He said: “It’s great to see, and especially to see all those young lads. I think actually we were just below 24 in average age today but to see the development of those players and the joy and also getting a goal. I think Harry started at the academy when he was 10. After the game, I said ‘well done Harry, you played a good game, scored a great goal’ and he said ‘I should have had a hat-trick’. That’s the ambition of the boy.
“It’s also good to see Dilan. We all know Dilan had a difficult period. He came back in pre-season with the right attitude, he’s been working hard and doing the right things. I’m also pleased for him.
“I think it was an exceptional win and performance. We scored two great goals, really good goals and should probably have had a third, fourth or even fifth goal against one of the best teams in the league. The intensity of the team was very good. I think we played some good football as well.”
Corberan’s dismissal meant he was not allowed to speak to the media after the game, in accordance with new EFL rules. In his place was new Baggies captain Jed Wallace, who felt there were ‘positives’ in the performance.
He said: “I thought first 20 minutes we were in control of the game, definitely looked the better team. It’s the Championship, quickly, the ball goes in the channel, probably don’t do as well as we’d like with it and from our own kick-off, within the blink of an eye we’re 2-0 down and give ourselves a mountain to climb.
“The gaffer got behind us at half-time and then I think we responded really well second half. Had a couple of goalmouth scrambles to get that second goal after Matty scored a great goal. Just couldn’t quite manufacture that yard in the box to get that shot off. Then they’re naturally going to have their chances on the break.
“It was a typical wide open Championship game at the end and like I say, we just couldn’t get that goal but on the whole I think there were positives to take from the game.”
The 24-year-old, who won his first senior cap for Sweden earlier this year, got his right glove to a powerful drive from Bluebirds substitute Ollie Tanner in the game’s dying embers.
It was a big moment for the 6ft 3in keeper, who was starting only his fourth EFL fixture following a summer move from Norwegian outfit Odd Grenland, as his heroics ensured Joe Rankin-Costello’s 53rd-minute strike bagged all three points.
An impressed Tomasson said: “Leo made a brilliant save late on to make sure we won the game. It can be quite difficult as a keeper when your team are in control, then suddenly you’re facing a shot, but it was a top-class save and it was a brilliant win against a very good Cardiff side, who are tough to play against.
“It can be difficult after an international break to get started again, but we had an excellent win before it at QPR and backed that up in front of our own fans. The back-to-back wins should give us confidence, as should consecutive clean sheets.
“We have been giving unnecessary chances away before and, if you do that with the opponents you come up against in this league, they can score goals against you. It wasn’t the best game we have played and we were a little bit slow on the ball.
“We needed to go forward with a bit more speed but we spoke at half-time about getting runs in behind them, so it was really pleasing to see how we scored our goal. The boys also had to dig in to win, but we could have scored more goals because I thought we had five good chances and it was a well-deserved win.”
Cardiff had earlier seen Dimitrios Goutas’ first-half header ruled out as Karlan Grant was stood in an offside position and deemed to be obstructing Wahlstedt’s view of the ball.
Whether Wahlstedt would have got anywhere near the powerful effort was highly debatable but away manager Erol Bulut agreed with Tomasson that it was the right decision.
His only argument was why it took the officials so long to chalk it off.
The Cardiff chief said: “I spoke with the referee after the game and all the officials said it was offside, but the linesman did not seem to know that at the time. I think, for him, it was a clear goal because why did it take him 30 seconds to put his flag up?
“But, after the game, I watched it back and he was offside. It was just a bit strange how they got to that decision.”
Bulut was more displeased with the manner in which his side defended for Rankin-Costello’s decisive strike.
“It was a game between two teams that didn’t create many chances and always looked like one in which the first side that scored would go on to win,” he said.
“We had more shots on goal than they did, but they scored from a small mistake by us, which was down to our concentration and communication not being good enough down the middle of the pitch.
“We have to be more focussed, sharp and aggressive in those situations and areas of the pitch. In the last 20 minutes, we tried hard to score, but it wasn’t enough.”
Second-half substitutes Bloxham, 18, and Edmondson, 17, joined John Buckley (2), Jake Garrett, Sam Gallagher, Dilan Markanday and Zak Gilsenan as Rovers romped to their biggest victory since 1963 and earned a third round home tie against Cardiff.
Tomasson said: “It’s fairly rare to score eight goals in a competitive match and we have all seen before how tough these games can be but we produced a very professional and mature performance.
“We showed intensity right from the beginning in a competition that I take seriously and it was a perfect day for the academy with players getting their first minutes and goals for the senior team.”
Tomasson made 10 changes from the side that won 1-0 at Watford on Sunday with home boss Simon Weaver also surprisingly fielding eight different players to the starting XI that kicked off the weekend’s 2-0 victory over Morecambe.
Weaver conceded that the result was an “embarrassing” night for the Sulphurites, who were hosting Championship opposition in a competitive fixture for the first time in their history.
“We had important players missing through injury, but I can’t defend a really bad, embarrassing scoreline like that,” he admitted.
“The gulf in class was obvious and we gifted them the first two goals in that opening 13-minute spell.
“It’s hard to then come back and overcome the odds against a Championship team with quality running right through the squad but, as devastated as we are and having taken some stick that was quite rightly directed at us, we have to move on quickly because what’s most important now is we put right a few wrongs here in the league on Saturday.”
