Skip to content
Full Time After Extra Time This is a live match. Extra Time Half Time

Blackburn Rovers vs Barnsley. Sky Bet Championship.

Ewood Park.

Blackburn Rovers 2

  • A Armstrong (44th minute)
  • S Gallagher (78th minute)

Barnsley 1

  • R Palmer (90th minute)

Blackburn Rovers 2-1 Barnsley: Adam Armstrong and Sam Gallagher fire home side to victory

Report and highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash between Blackburn and Barnsley at Ewood Park as Adam Armstrong and Sam Gallagher secure victory for Rovers before a late Romal Palmer consolation

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Highlights of the Sky Bet Championship match between Blackburn and Barnsley

Blackburn moved to within two points of the Sky Bet Championship play-off positions after a hard-fought 2-1 home win over Barnsley.

Tony Mowbray's side were made to work hard by the impressive Tykes, who were undone by clinical finishing.

The league's top scorer Adam Armstrong lashed in his fourth goal in his last three outings a minute before the break against the side he spent the 2016-17 season on loan at.

Sam Gallagher's sumptuous half-volley then gave Rovers a cushion in the 78th minute, before Romal Palmer's first goal for Barnsley gave the visitors hope in the closing stages.

Image: Adam Armstrong opened the scoring for Blackburn

The hosts held on, though, to make it back-to-back wins at Ewood Park for the first time this season and five league games unbeaten.

It is a second successive defeat for Barnsley, despite the encouraging performance.

Mowbray recalled Harvey Elliott in place of Gallagher and, for Barnsley, Herbie Kane and Luke Thomas were drafted in.

Also See:

Jack Walton palmed Tom Trybull's dipping long-range effort away in the early exchanges, but the visitors took charge of large spells of the first half.

Conor Chaplin fizzed one just wide via a deflection after Barnsley won the ball back high up the pitch, and the same player shot straight at Thomas Kaminski moments later.

Rovers had barely had a sniff but clinically put that right in the last moments of the half.

Armstrong's close-range shot was blocked by Walton's legs but Barnsley did not heed the warning and were punished in the 44th minute.

Ryan Nyambe raced clear of Mads Andersen down the right and his low cross fell perfectly to Armstrong, who hammered his 13th league goal of the season into the roof of the net.

Cauley Woodrow sliced horribly wide for the Tykes just after the restart before Rovers left-back Amari'i Bell engineered space in the area but lashed straight at Walton.

The visitors fashioned a superb chance in the 63rd minute when a corner found Andersen at the back post. He put all his weight behind the header but Kaminski produced a sensational save.

Rovers looked to have put the result beyond doubt 12 minutes from time when Nyambe's cross was cleared as far as Gallagher, who rifled in an unstoppable half-volley into the bottom-left corner.

Barnsley fought back, though, with Kaminski's flying save denying Dominik Frieser before fellow substitute Palmer guaranteed a nervy finish in the 90th minute, but they could not find an equaliser.

What the managers said...

Blackburn's Tony Mowbray: "It was a dangerous game wasn't it? I said it at half-time, the game panned out as I thought. Their front three are a pressing machine and you can't get past them, unless you decide not to play and boot it to the front. We had Armstrong, (Harvey) Elliott and (Ben) Brereton. None are what you'd call dominant aerially. We found it hard to get beyond their front line and their wing-backs jump out as well.

"Credit to them, they made life difficult for us. It's Championship football. You either decide you are going to scrap everything for this game and play a different way or try and move the ball quick enough to give them problems. It was a tough game as I expected. They have young, athletic, motivated footballers, but we found a way to win and I think ultimately we deserved to win. I was disappointed with the goal we lost at the end which made the last couple of minutes a bit chaotic."

Barnsley's Valerien Ismael: "The performance was exactly what we wanted. Intensity, aggressiveness, win the ball first time deep and try to finish quickly.

"But you lose the game with 23 attempts, 11 corners, and we scored once. It's not enough. We have to learn the killer mentality. In such a game when you are good in shape, you have to punish your opponent, you have to score, and have more confidence for the game."

Win £250,000 for free with Super 6!
Win £250,000 for free with Super 6!

Do not miss your chance to land the £250,000 in Saturday's Super 6 round. Play for free, entries by 3:00pm.

Around Sky