Joe sets Rovers back on road
MOWBRAY: ‘HE’S PREM QUALITY’
JOE ROTHWELL underlined why Blackburn must hold on to him as doggedly as they clung to their lead here to refresh their promotion bid.
Rovers midfielder Rothwell scored the only goal and then formed part of an aggressive 10man guard that kept Cardiff ’s crude approach at arm’s length.
It gave Blackburn their first win of 2022 and suggested the Championship’s surprise package are not going to be deflected by either transfer talk or their recent FA Cup defeat to League One neighbours Wigan.
Rothwell is understood to be a target for Bournemouth while a number of Premier League clubs want Ben Brereton Diaz.
Chilean hitman Brereton Diaz hardly had a sniff but worked his socks off – like the rest of his team – to make sure Ryan Nyambe’s sending off would not lose them the points.
Nyambe earned yellow for pushing Perry Ng in the chest and then chopped down the same player to be dismissed in the 76th minute.
A sharper team than Cardiff might have capitalised, but the Bluebirds are a pretty blunt instrument, and without injured Kieffer Moore they go battering without a ram.
They have now lost eight of their last nine home games in the Championship – the worst home record in the division.
They hit the post through substitute Isaak Davies and were denied when keeper Thomas Kaminski made a brilliant save from Curtis Nelson’s header.
But for the most part, the real quality came from Blackburn in the opening period, during which Rothwell (above) ran at a retreating City defence in the 14th minute and casually fired home without appearing to break stride.
Rovers boss Tony Mowbray said: “Joe is a Premier Leaguequality player in possession.
“I’m not sure there are many players of his quality who can do what he can do, even in the Premier League.
“He can break the lines with his speed and passing and the way he finished the goal at such high speed was amazing.”
Even before the loss of Nyambe, Blackburn seemed to have decided one goal would have to do and Mowbray added: “I would have preferred us to play as we had done for the first 20 minutes for the rest of the game. But we had to dig in.”
Cardiff boss Steve Morison said: “We need to get better in the final third. We have to.
“Ultimately, the players who get paid the most are up front and they need to go out and do the business, otherwise we will have to get others in who can.” CARDIFF CITY: Smithies 6; Ng 6, McGuinness 6, Flint 5, Nelson 6, Drameh 6 (Colwill 78); Wintle 6, Vaulks 6 (Pack 66, 5), Ralls 6; Collins 6, Harris 5 (Davies 66, 6). Subs not used: Phillips, Morrison, Bagan, Sang. BLACKBURN ROVERS: Kaminski 7; Nyambe 5, Lenihan 7, Van Hecke 6, Wharton 7, Edun 7; Travis 7 (Johnson 85), Rothwell 8, Buckley 7; Brereton Diaz 6 (Ayala 78), Khadra 7 (Gallagher 66, 7).
Subs not used: Pears, Rankin-Costello, Davenport, Butterworth.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Joe Rothwell. Classy goal and dictated the midfield tempo even when down to 10 men. REFEREE: Matt Donohue 6.