PEARSON RAP FOR RAMS AS ROVERS REPLY
DERBY could find themselves bottom of the Championship come Tuesday night and manager Nigel Pearson admits that they would have few complaints if it happens.
Three goals in four second-half minutes secured all three points for Blackburn at The iPro Stadium, with Derby having opened the scoring through Matej Vydra.
It was the Rams’ first home league goal of the season as well as the striker’s first for the club, but Blackburn flipped the game on its head with Marvin Emnes and Danny Graham securing all three points and compounding Pearson’s misery in the process.
“If we were bottom after Tuesday, it is where we would deserve to be,” said Pearson.
“We’re not in form. That sort of performance doesn’t buy us any time for people to stay in a positive frame of mind with us.
“I am not happy with how we are conducting ourselves in games. To only have scored one goal at home in the league it gives you that illustration of fear that transmitted around the whole stadium.
“I know that we’ve got players who are capable but that is different to being able to perform under pressure.”
The best chance of the first half fell to Ben Marshall, but after Emnes was tripped in the box by Richard Keogh the Rovers star’s penalty hit the post and the visitors failed to convert the rebound.
And Blackburn were made to rue that miss when Derby went ahead in the 69th minute through Vydra’s first goal in a Rams shirt.
But Blackburn and Emnes went straight up the other end and his shot deflected off Richard Keogh and flew in past Scott Carson.
And just minutes later the visitors were in the lead. Emnes again was causing problems to a shell-shocked Rams defence and his cute through ball allowed Graham to slide the ball home just four minutes after Vydra’s low finish for the opener.
The home fans were surely aware that Graham played 14 games for Derby on-loan from Middlesbrough in the 2005/06 season and failed to score a single goal.
The hosts created several chances in the second half but found a stern Jason Steele in the Rovers goal. Ikechi Anya sent in an inviting cross for Vydra who powered a header towards goal but Steele impressively tipped over the crossbar.
Cyrus Christie, who was making his 100th appearance for the Rams, also found the head of Vydra with another dangerous cross but this time his header went just over the bar.
It was Blackburn’s second consecutive victory in the league and they will look to continue their improvement against Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday.
“We were certainly worthy of all three points. Our work rate, our application and our quality on the ball was terrific,” said Blackburn manager Owen Coyle.
“We actually felt we should have had a penalty before we did. Scott Carson brought Sam Gallagher down but it wasn’t given. We came in at half-time feeling a bit aggrieved that we should have been in front, but knowing if we performed in the same manner we would get a result and the three points.
“Again we showed we are capable of coming from behind. We don’t want to be doing it every week but we certainly know we have character and spirit.”