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Joe Rothwell’s goal in the second half gave Blackburn a controversial 1-0 championship win at Middlesbrough.
Rothwell grabbed the bottom corner of a Harvey Elliott cross in the 63rd minute to give the Rovers an advantage that they never seemed to give up, and that they should have increased with numerous missed opportunities.
But the real talking point came after just 13 minutes, when Jarrad Branthwaite’s studs raked Dael Fry’s face as he attempted a header into the Rovers area.
Branthwaite was fortunate to stay on the field for the challenge, which went unpunished despite protests from Boro players and fury from boss Neil Warnock on the bench – Fry left the field with an unsightly cut just below his eye .
The victory elevates Tony Mowbray’s Rovers to ninth place, six points out of the play-offs, while Neil Warnock’s Boro remains three points out of the top six in seventh place.
How Rovers secured three vital points.
The visitors first saw the goal through Adam Armstrong, who fired a deflected shot from the far post by Marcus Bettinelli in the early stages.
But the first real action of the game came in the Rovers’ penalty area after 13 minutes, and it left Warnock outraged on the touchline. Fry was caught by Branthwaite’s high boot as he sought to get to the end of a cross, leaving him with an ugly cut under his eye.
It was a reckless challenge on the part of the Everton borrower, who might have had few complaints if he had been sent for an early bath, aside from giving away a penalty. But referee Dean Whitestone shockingly rejected his appeals when Boro players surrounded him. Warnock was furious in his technical area and the fact that Fry couldn’t continue only compounded his anger.
Other than that, it was a first half that saw defenders rule the roost. Britt Assombalonga was the only Boro man to put Thomas Kaminski to the test in Blackburn’s goal, as the Belgian flipped the forward’s fierce free kick over the bar, while Marc Bola’s low shot at the half-time break It was almost diverted to the bottom corner by George Saville.
Ryan Nyambe crosses the ball under pressure from Duncan Watmore
It was Boro who came out shooting after the break and Marcus Tavernier who sought to take the game by the neck. He switched the ball to his left foot inside the box and fired on a low drive, which the impressive Kaminski pushed behind.
The hosts got even closer just after the scheduled time when Kaminski saved Jonny Howson’s header from close range, only to see the ball land directly on Nathan Wood. He was slightly off-balance and with the goal wide open, he saw his blow hit the post and bounced clear.
3:55
Neil Warnock was furious at the tackle that left Dael Fry with a serious facial injury and was surprised he was not awarded a penalty for the incident.
They regretted that failure almost immediately. Elliott played a flawless one-two with Armstrong before cutting the ball through the box for Rothwell. No Boro player reacted to the ball and the midfielder had all the time in the world to choose his place in the bottom corner and shoot the Rovers ahead.
It was a different game after the goal with Rovers full of confidence and Boro in shock. Visitors should have secured points long before six minutes of injury time was added.
Barry Douglas pounced on a fumble in the area, but was only able to lift his shot well over the bar, before leading scorer Armstrong failed to beat Bettinelli with a scraping effort as he passed the goal. A frustrating afternoon in front of goal continued for Armstrong as he tried to fold the ball into the top corner after a quick counter, only to see him miss.
Boro was unable to create a single opening after falling behind and Warnock will undoubtedly be angry about it, even if he directed his ire at Branthwaite full-time after the controversial first-half challenge.
Man of the Match – Darragh Lenihan
Lee Hendrie from Sky Sports
“Blackburn captain Darragh Lenihan has led by example and not taken a wrong step. It was one of those games where we haven’t seen enough of the creative threat, but Lenihan has shone.”
What the managers said
Middlesbrough boss Neil Warnock: “Absolutely [a penalty]. 100 percent [a red card]. From then on I didn’t even want to be on the bench after seeing the ghastly injury. I don’t think the boy intended to do it, but it’s a red card and a penalty.
“The whole game has been decided by the referees today. It should be decided by people who know the laws and the rules. He’s in a good position, the linesman should give it if he doesn’t.
“The doctor says he’s a quarter of an inch away from losing his eye; that’s how serious it is. I feel bad for the player and the result. We didn’t get a penalty, we didn’t get sent off and we lose one of our best players. Thats false “.
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Tony Mowbray praised the tenacious performance of his young team and says they showed they can ‘roll up their sleeves’ for a result.
Tony Mowbray, boss of Blackburn: “We play against a team that goes from man to man, ask questions about your ability to copy with the physique today and it is a young team, a really young team, so I am delighted for them.
“It’s a difficult place to come. I can’t stay here today and say that I enjoy watching that football, but we have to get rid of it. Today we rolled up our sleeves and came to the party. They did it today and there were performances that weren’t looking to play good passes and passes, but win some headshots and win some headshots. “
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