Hull City 3-2 Blackburn Rovers: Alfie Jones grabs winner for Tigers

Alfie Jones scored Hull City’s winner against Blackburn Rovers midway through the second halfBlackburn slumped to a sixth defeat in seven games, losing 3-2 at Hull as their freefall out of the Championship play-off race continued.

Rovers had fought back after Liam Delap and Aaron Connolly put Hull two up inside 18 minutes, with Sammie Szmodics and Harry Pickering levelling before half-time.

Jon Dahl Tomasson’s team has been leaking goals lately and after Alfie Jones had netted his first of the season to restore the Tigers’ lead, Rovers’ fate was sealed when Dominic Hyam was sent off for a second yellow card.

Hull were also desperate for a win to stay in the top six reckoning after losing four of their previous six, and the win means they have completed the league double over Blackburn for the first time in history, at the 31st attempt.

Relive Friday’s Championship actionBlackburn have now conceded 12 goals in losing four successive games, with Tomasson demanding a defensive improvement after their dismal 3-0 defeat at Huddersfield on Tuesday.

They came up against a Hull side in the midst of a decline in form which was only marginally less severe, and were hit by two quick counter-attacks in the opening phase of the game.

Manchester City loanee Delap netted his seventh of the season, chasing down Jones’ long ball, neatly turning away from Hyam to hit the byline before cutting inside Pickering and lashing his shot past Leo Wahlstedt.

The Rovers defence failed to cover itself in glory again 11 minutes later as another long ball, this time from Jacob Greaves, saw James Hill and Hyam hesitate.

Connolly took full advantage with a clever prodded volley that found the far corner for his eighth goal of the season. Three of them have come against Blackburn, as he scored both goals in the 2-1 win at Ewood Park in August.

Sammie Szmodics scored Blackburn’s first goal at Hull as they came from 2-0 down to level at 2-2As bad as Blackburn were at the back, they caused problems at the other end and they were back in the game when Arnor Sigurdsson’s long ball evaded Jones, and the Championship’s leading scorer Szmodics darted in ahead of Greaves to lob in his 15th of the campaign.

Both sides were looking suspect at the back and in first-half added time Rovers built an attack which they switched to the left, with Sigurdsson playing in Pickering whose shot took a deflection that deceived Matt Ingram and squeezed inside his near post.

Having got back into the game, Rovers failed continue to that momentum in the second half and Hull looked the more likely to score, Delap powering a good chance over the bar and then Adama Traore forcing a fine one-handed save from Wahlstedt.

From the resulting corner, Delap’s flick caused confusion and Jones managed to fire the ball home from close range.

Rovers struggled to force a way back into contention and on 74 minutes Hyam, booked 15 minutes earlier for a foul, gave Ozan Tufan a little tug as the Hull man sought to run away from him on halfway, and was shown a second yellow card and subsequent red.

Hull manager Liam Rosenior told BBC Radio Humberside:

“I think it’s our biggest win of the season, in terms of where we are and in terms of a response from a difficult week of losing games we shouldn’t have lost.

“I felt like we had to win the game in a different way. We changed our shape, working with a diamond rather than out-and-out wingers.

“Blackburn are a really good team and I’m so happy we don’t have to play them again this season. Some of their football was magnificent, even with 10 men, but the spaces in transition against them were actually behind their back line so we went with Liam (Delap) and Aaron (Connolly) as two split strikers.

“The first half sums up our season – we find a way, when we’re in control of a game, to shoot ourselves in the foot, but then the second half also sums up our season with the resilience of the group and we controlled them so much better.”

Blackburn manager Jon Dahl Tomasson:

“We knew it would be difficult against a very good side and we should not forget that this is a very young team.

“But we are very disappointed with the goals we conceded. The first two were nothing to do with shape – we had extra players and it’s not like they were in one-on-one situations – but we should have done much better.

“I must give the players credit to make it 2-2 as we showed great togetherness and resilience. We looked very good at that time and of course we should go for the game.

“It was a very equal game in the second half and then we conceded a goal from a corner.

“We are very disappointed with those moments.”

Line-upsHullFormation 4-2-3-1

1Ingram2Coyle5Jones4Greaves27Slater15MortonBooked at 81mins24SeriBooked at 72mins20DelapSubstituted forSayyadmaneshat 88’minutes7TufanBooked at 5minsSubstituted forChristieat 88’minutes10TraoréSubstituted forTwineat 77’minutes44ConnollySubstituted forDochertyat 81’minutesSubstitutes6McLoughlin8Docherty9Sayyadmanesh14Vaughan22Lokilo29Jacob30Twine32Lo-Tutala33ChristieBlackburnFormation 4-2-3-1

12Wahlstedt2Brittain4HillBooked at 37mins5HyamBooked at 74mins3Pickering6TronstadBooked at 52mins30GarrettBooked at 29minsSubstituted forA Whartonat 67’minutes18MarkandaySubstituted forMoranat 67’minutes8Szmodics7SigurdssonSubstituted forCarterat 77’minutes33TelalovicSubstituted forEnnisat 68’minutesSubstitutes14Ennis15Gamble17Carter20Leonard22Gilsenan23A Wharton24Moran27Travis34HiltonReferee:Matt Donohue

Attendance:21,876

Match StatsLive TextMatch ends, Hull City 3, Blackburn Rovers 2.

Second Half ends, Hull City 3, Blackburn Rovers 2.

Corner, Hull City. Conceded by Harry Pickering.

Hand ball by Jean Michaël Seri (Hull City).

Foul by Adam Wharton (Blackburn Rovers).

Allahyar Sayyadmanesh (Hull City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

Attempt missed. Greg Docherty (Hull City) right footed shot from the right side of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Scott Twine.

Substitution, Hull City. Allahyar Sayyadmanesh replaces Liam Delap.

Substitution, Hull City. Cyrus Christie replaces Ozan Tufan.

Attempt blocked. Liam Delap (Hull City) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.

Attempt saved. Adam Wharton (Blackburn Rovers) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Andrew Moran.

Substitution, Hull City. Greg Docherty replaces Aaron Connolly.

Tyler Morton (Hull City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

Niall Ennis (Blackburn Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

Foul by Tyler Morton (Hull City).

Niall Ennis (Blackburn Rovers) wins a free kick on the left wing.

Foul by Alfie Jones (Hull City).

Attempt blocked. Andrew Moran (Blackburn Rovers) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Niall Ennis.

Substitution, Hull City. Scott Twine replaces Adama Traoré.

Substitution, Blackburn Rovers. Hayden Carter replaces Arnór Sigurdsson.