Substitute Diedhiou strikes late on to keep City riding high in the table
BRISTOL City dug deep last night to see off the fancied Blackburn Rovers 1-0 and record a first home win in three games.
Famara Diedhiou came off the bench in the 75th minute and seven minutes later his cool closerange finish was enough for the Robins to take the three points.
Both sides enjoyed plenty of chances but the result ensures that City keep pace with the leaders in the division and turns around some recent poor form in BS3.
The Robins were looking to improve on a record of one win in their last four league outings, home and away, but the opposition were expected to provide a stern test as the most-in form team in the league, the highest scoring and a side unbeaten in seven. Rovers also boasted the league’s joint-leading marksman in attack - Adam Armstrong (14 goals).
Rovers won both home and away against Lee Johnson’s City side last season and were always likely to dig in at Ashton Gate and scrap even harder than Birmingham did at the weekend. But the visitors’ aims were dented when captain Darragh Lenihan had his onematch suspension upheld after an appeal just before the match was ruled on, following a red card against Brentford last weekend.
Dean Holden opted to make two changes, recalling Tyreeq Bakinson and Jack Hunt for Chris Brunt and Adrian Mariappa, with Jay Dasilva out injured. And despite changes for both sides (three for the visitors as former Robin Derrick Williams came into central defence), a pulsating game played out with plenty of chances for both sides.
The best of those in the first half arrived just before 20 minutes as Adam Nagy rampaged through the middle past several powderpuff challenges before playing in Callum O’Dowda to blast over the crossbar. The Irishman had to do better when well placed, while Antoine Semenyo had several shots from around the edge of the box, but all were lashed wide of goal.
The visitors were not without their own opportunities however, as Armstrong played out his own personal battle against Daniel Bentley with eight shots at goal himself before 65 minutes, more than some teams have attempted in BS3. The closest that the former Newcastle United man came was when on-loan Liverpool attacking midfielder Harvey Elliott played a sublime pass down the channel to release Armstrong in on goal, only for Bentley to rush out and get enough on the ball to stop the Rovers No 7 being able to convert. Half-hearted penalty shouts were waved away and Tomas Kalas and Tommy Rowe helped mop up.
After the break, O’Dowda went close again as Martin escaped down City’s right and cut back for the Irishman only for Williams to block the goalbound effort, and Semenyo to volley the rebound tamely at goal.
Armstrong continued his peppering of the City goal and surrounding area, while O’Dowda cut inside to shoot, but neither side could find the breakthrough.
Wells came close when he broke down the right in the 77th minute and rifled a shot just wide of the far post.
However, the 30-year-old Bermudian would be heavily involved in the crucial late action as the Robins won just a second home game in eight matches. His deep cross from the right was nodded back into the area by O’Dowda for Diedhiou to spin and fire low past Thomas Kaminski. A release of red joy erupted as City went sixth in the league.