John Eustace admitted relegation-threatened Blackburn had let their travelling fans down by gifting Bristol City all five goals at Ashton Gate.

Tommy Conway capitalised on a bad error by Dominic Hyam to shoot City ahead in the 24th minute and doubled the advantage with a first-half penalty after the defender had brought down Mark Sykes.

Anis Mehmeti fired the third in the 73rd minute after another Hyam slip and two late Nahki Wells goals, the first another penalty, awarded for handball against Kyle McFadzean, completed mid-table City’s biggest Championship win of the season.

The result left Rovers just three points above the drop zone with four games left and head coach Eustace, who made four half-time substitutions, admitted: “I could have taken the whole team off.

“Tonight was so unlike how we have been recently. There wasn’t the fight we have been displaying and we gifted them all their goals.

“We have let our fans down. I said there would be highs and lows when I took the job and tonight is very much a low.

“I am very disappointed, but I know I have a good group of lads and we will go again against Leeds at Elland Road on Saturday.

“I expect a response from the players in that game and it’s important the supporters stay with us. We are all in this together and before tonight there have been a lot of positives.

“I don’t think the result will affect confidence. Individual errors have cost us, the first ones just as we seemed to be taking control of the game.

“All games are tough in the Championship and we will continue to take each one as it comes.”

City head coach Liam Manning was understandably buzzing.

“I’m delighted,” he said. “The togetherness and willingness to run, while staying focused and in control, was tremendous.

“Tactically, a lot clicked. We felt we could hurt them down the sides and that’s how it proved.

“The balls forward were good and our forward players were prepared to chase lost causes.

“Our front players need to be our first defenders. Two or three of Tommy Conway’s goals this season have come from being exactly that.

“The international break was hugely important for me in terms of working with the players on grass and we have seen the benefits in the matches since.

“Nahki Wells’ goals took him to 100 in Championship football, so it’s a proud night for him and his family.”

Tommy Conway netted a first-half brace as Bristol City increased Blackburn’s relegation fears with a thumping 5-0 Championship win at Ashton Gate.

The striker capitalised on a bad error by Dominic Hyam to race clear and shoot low past Aynsley Pears for his 10th goal of the season in the 24th minute.

Seven minutes later Conway sent Pears the wrong way from the penalty spot after a mistake by Callum Brittain had led to Hyam bringing down Mark Sykes inside the box.

Substitute Anis Mehmeti capitalised on yet more weak defending by Hyam to fire in the third in the 73rd minute and another replacement, Nahki Wells, drilled home a 78th-minute penalty after Blackburn substitute Kyle McFadzean had handled.

Wells completed the rout with a stoppage time tap-in from Harry Cornick’s cross and the thrashing left hapless Rovers just three points above the drop zone with four games to play.

City head coach Liam Manning made three changes, bringing in Ross McCrorie, Joe Williams and Conway for Matty James, Mehmeti and Wells.

They faced a Blackburn side featuring goal machine Sammie Szmodics, eager to show Ashton Gate fans his skills after a disappointing spell as a City player in 2019.

The hosts made a blistering start, Scott Twine twice going close in the opening six minutes. The midfielder shot wide from a short Haydon Roberts free-kick and then had an acrobatic volley blocked.

Blackburn flickered as an attacking force as City goalkeeper Max O’Leary dealt with two tame efforts from Dilan Markanday and one from Joe Rankin-Costello.

But the home side looked more threatening and Conway’s opening goal came as no surprise. They could have been out of sight at the break as Rovers continued to make sloppy defensive errors.

After the penalty, Conway was presented with a hat-trick chance by Harry Pickering’s short back-pass, but was denied by a sprawling Pears save.

Sykes had chipped wide when clear through the middle and Manning’s men looked altogether sharper than their mistake-prone opponents.

Blackburn head coach John Eustace reacted by making four half-time substitutions, sending on John Buckley, McFadzean, Andy Moran and Ben Chrisene for Markanday, Tyrhys Dolan, Scott Wharton and Rankin-Costello.

Still the next goal effort of note came from the home side after 69 minutes when Jason Knight shot wide at the end of a slick move.

A better chance fell to Szmodics two minutes later, but he could only shoot wide after good control on the edge of the box. Manning responded by sending on Mehmeti, Wells and Cornick for Twine, Sykes and Conway.

Within seconds Mehmeti had settled any doubt about the outcome and Wells’ two late goals put the icing on the cake of City’s biggest Championship win of the season.

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe hailed a “big moment” in his side’s season after they scraped past Championship Blackburn on penalties in the FA Cup on Tuesday.

Martin Dubravka saved two spot-kicks as the Magpies prevailed 4-3 in the shoot-out after the game had ended 1-1 after extra time.

With the club having slipped to 10th in the Premier League in what has been a largely underwhelming campaign after last year’s top-four finish, the cup now represents the best chance to maintain their upward trajectory.

Howe said: “Obviously a lot was riding on the outcome so I thought the players handled the moment brilliantly, the goalkeeper and outfield players who took the penalties.

“It was big moment in our season at such a crucial stage.

“The players are desperate to achieve. No-one is underestimating the importance of the FA Cup.”

Howe also praised the heroics of Dubravka after the Slovakia keeper had been ill in the build-up to the game.

He said: “The two penalty saves were huge for us but in open play I thought he really performed well and we needed him to because they had a few big moments.

“He’s been playing feeling slightly ill and he deserves huge credit for doing that. He was nowhere near fit for the weekend against Arsenal and hasn’t been 100 per cent for quite a long period of time.”

Dubravka kept Blackburn at bay with a number of saves before Newcastle broke the deadlock in the 71st minute through Anthony Gordon.

Blackburn responded well and levelled through the impressive Sammie Szmodics and both sides had chances to win it, in normal time and extra time, but it came down to penalties and Dubravka kept out efforts from Szmodics and Dominic Hyam.

Howe said: “I thought we got better as it went on. I don’t think the first half was particularly good, I thought the second half was better and extra time was our best spell of the game by a long way.

“Really we shouldn’t have allowed it to go to penalties with the chances we missed in extra time.”

Blackburn manager John Eustace was pleased with the effort of his side, who played at a level above that of a team 16th in the Championship.

Eustace, who is still awaiting his first win after taking charge earlier this month, said: “When it goes down to penalties it’s a bit of a lottery but I’m very, very proud of the squad that we used and also very proud of the supporters.

“I couldn’t ask for any more effort and desire and togetherness. You can see that everyone’s really fighting and looking after each other and you can see the style of play improving game by game.

“We’re making small steps forward. We’re playing against a top Premier League team, top players, and you could see that we could hurt them in certain areas. On another day we could have had a couple more goals.”

Cardiff and Blackburn served up few thrills in a 0-0 draw that provided little optimism either can escape the bottom half of the Sky Bet Championship.

Both teams came into the contest low on confidence after poor form – Cardiff had lost six of their last seven in all competitions, Blackburn had won only once in 11 league outings – and it showed on a night of low quality.

Blackburn, five points above the relegation zone at kick-off, knew victory would take them above Cardiff in the bottom half of the table.

But John Eustace is still waiting for his first win as Rovers boss with one defeat and two draws from three games since succeeding Jon Dahl Tomasson at Ewood Park.

Cardiff also remain in a rut with scoring a clear issue, the Bluebirds having failed to register for the fourth successive home game.

Dimitrios Goutas’ early header counted as an on-target attempt but, in truth, the ball might have lacked the necessary power to cross the line before Aynsley Pears collected.

Dominic Hyam fizzed a shot wide from 25 yards but the Rovers captain was culpable conceding possession in a dangerous area and allowing Karlan Grant to burst down the left.

The on-loan West Brom forward sent over a dangerous ball which Ryan Wintle chose to leave when shooting seemed the wiser option.

Grant remained the biggest threat to breaking the deadlock while Rubin Colwill, benefiting from a rare run of games and making his third successive start, presented the odd touch of quality.

Rovers were stretched after Sondre Tronstad lost possession in midfield and Manolis Siopis released Grant. However, Pears closed down the angle at the near post and pushed the ball to safety.

Cardiff started the second half with purpose and Blackburn were fortunate not to concede.

Pears prevented Josh Bowler from opening the scoring low at his near post and then tipped over a short corner routine found Grant unmarked at the edge of the area.

Kion Etete forced another reaction save from Pears after good work by Colwill, Goutas headed wide and Grant was just off-target with a free-kick.

Rovers were creaking but almost stunned the home side with their first on-target attempt after 64 minutes.

Callum Britain’s effort was blocked by the arm of Goutas, which was raised yet escaped the attention of referee Leigh Doughty.

Play continued in the Cardiff box and goalkeeper Ethan Horvath spread himself superbly to deny substitute Tyrhys Dolan.

Rovers had more impetus after the introduction of Dolan and John Buckley, but that eventually petered out as the encounter drifted towards a tame conclusion.

West Brom further cemented their position in the Championship play-off places with a thumping 4-1 win over struggling Blackburn at The Hawthorns.

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.