Five-star Rovers on the Rhodes to recovery
BLACKBURN 5 BARNSLEY 2
JORDAN RHODES bagged his first goals of the season as Blackburn struck four times in the first-half to rout Barnsley.
Chris Dagnall had put the Tykes ahead, but a straight red card for Jean-Yves M’voto and a Tom Cairney equaliser from the resulting free-kick turned the tide, and once Scottish striker Rhodes had struck his first on the half hour, the result was never in doubt.
A Rhodes lob nine minutes later and a Josh King tap-in put the game well beyond Barnsley, who conceded again in the second half when Todd Kane got his first in Blackburn colours. Tomasz Cywka’s emphatic strike was of little consolation to Barnsley.
Barnsley took the lead after 13 minutes, when Dagnall was allowed time and space to shoot and his precision strike nestled into a bottom corner.
The pendulum swung right back in the favour of Rovers three minutes later when M’voto brought down Rhodes, leaving the referee with no option but to show a red card. And Cairney delivered retribution with a wonderful free-kick that found the top corner.
The impressive Kane then swung in a deep cross for Rhodes to send a header past Luke Steele, and he put the result beyond doubt nine minutes later with a lob.
Rovers got their fourth after 43 minutes through King and netted a fifth through Kane after 58 minutes.
Barnsley did get a second after 72 minutes when Pedersen’s audacious flick found Cywka who lashed in.