Mowbray rocked by ‘cruel’ loss
TONY Mowbray called his Blackburn side’s defeat “cruel” as Bristol City keeper Dan Bentley produced an inspired display.
Blackburn had a series of glorious chances, but Bentley saved a second-half penalty from the returning Bradley Dack, as well as thwarting Darragh Lenihan and Reda Khadra, who also rattled the woodwork.
They paid a painful price through Andreas Weimann’s 92nd-minute volley – his 17th strike of the season – which leaves Blackburn with just one goal in nine and one victory in that time.
Their frustration boiled over after the winning goal, as the hosts’ goalkeeping coach Ben Benson saw red.
“The lateness of the goal, the stuff went on before, the chances we had, obviously missed a penalty kick, again, second time in a couple of weeks,” said Mowbray. “It feels like a cruel game, it’s hard on the group really, you can see the drive in that team in the last half hour or so, the desperation to score a goal and yes, it feels pretty cruel.
“I’m not sure they deserved to score, but there you go, they got one and good luck to them.”
City move up a place after a victory that is hard to fathom – their first on the road this year.
There’s been little wrong with City going forward this season and Antoine Semenyo showed their intent in the first couple of minutes, twisting Jan Paul Van Hecke inside out before firing wide.
But they needed heroics from Bentley in the 14th minute, who produced a stunning low save to parry away Darragh Lenihan’s towering header from a Joe Rothwell corner, before palming a Reda Khadra cross to safety.
But the best chance of the half fell to Semenyo in the 35th minute when Chris Martin’s intelligent cushioned header found his strike partner in acres of space 12 yards out, but the forward scuffed his effort and it was easy for Thomas Kaminski.
Rovers set out the second half on a mission and Bentley had to repel an angled Khadra shot, before he blocked the German’s shot in the 55th minute.
Khadra finally beat Bentley in the 72nd minute with an overhit cross, but it cannoned off the bar. The pressure seemed to have told seven minutes from time when Van Hecke was hauled down in the area, but Bentley guessed correctly to deny Dack a fairytale return, diving low to his left to save the penalty.
Rovers were hit by a 92ndminute sucker punch when Joe Williams found Weimann, who expertly volleyed in his 17th of the season.
Nigel Pearson praised his City side’s discipline to stay in the game. “The thing I’m pleased about today is, even if we’d have lost that game, the characteristics that we need to be a better team were there on show,” he said.
“It was always going to be a tight game and I thought we showed a lot of discipline. Whether we’re lucky or not is irrelevant.”