Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash between Blackburn Rovers and Oxford United at Ewood Park on Saturday | Arnor Sigurdsson scores the winner after John Eustace’s side earn comeback win.
Arnor Sigurdsson scored his first goal of the season as Blackburn came from behind to beat Oxford 2-1 in the Championship.
John Eustace’s men showed their character and quality to recover from a goal of the season contender from Mark Harris who volleyed the U’s into a 44th-minute lead.
The hosts still went in level after Joe Rankin-Costello’s smart turn and shot in stoppage time before Iceland international Sigurdsson curled in a classy 83rd-minute winner, just seven minutes after his introduction off the bench.
It was a second successive agonising away defeat for Des Buckingham’s side, who shaded the first half and ought to have scored earlier than they did but Idris El Mizouni planted a free header wide.
But Blackburn’s strength off the bench showed as Sigurdsson and Makhtar Gueye combined for the winning goal as Rovers secured back-to-back home league wins for the first time since March 2023.
Mark Harris scored an incredible 35-yard volley for Oxford against Blackburn in the Championship.
Oxford settled into the game well and went close in the seventh minute when Tyler Goodrham released Matt Phillips on the right, who cut inside before seeing his low effort parried safe by Aynsley Pears.
But the visitors were indebted to goalkeeper Jamie Cumming soon after as he thwarted Yuki Ohashi from a narrow angle before producing a flying save to tip Ryan Hedges’ header behind.
The visitors missed a glorious chance just after the half hour when Phillips whipped in a perfect right-wing cross on to the head of the unmarked El Mizouni but he completely misdirected his header off target from six yards.
Goodrham curled wide soon after but Oxford got the goal they had been threatening and it was well worth the wait as Phillips chested down for Harris who volleyed spectacularly from around 30 yards over Pears into the top corner for his third of the season.
Blackburn’s response was immediate, equalising in first-half stoppage time when Oxford failed to clear the ball and it fell to Rankin-Costello who brilliantly swivelled and struck an effort into the bottom right corner.
Goodrham’s first-time shot from a well-worked corner was spilled by Pears two minutes after the interval as the visitors threatened again but Rovers upped the intensity and began to take a stranglehold on the game as Tyrhys Dolan saw a goal-bound shot deflected over on the hour.
They could not have gone much closer to a second in the 68th minute when Callum Brittain lifted a free-kick into the area that Andreas Weimann glanced agonisingly beyond the far post.
Although they did not create many chances, Rovers had the quality when it mattered through Sigurdsson who held off his marker on the left of the area before curling into the far corner via the post.
The managers
Blackburn’s John Eustace:
“Siggy’s had a really frustrating time. He got injured at the end of last season, missed a good part of that.
“He’s come back in preseason, only had a couple of preseason games and he’s had to be patient.
“He’s trained very well, he did well at Stockport in the cup. He’s proven that he can score at this level. I think his numbers of five goals and four assists last year was impressive so I’m delighted he’s come on and scored the winner today.
“We know he can be a matchwinner for us. Siggy’s a really good lad, a nice professional, a nice lad to work with and that moment today was magnificent and he deserves all the plaudits. It was a great finish.
“I thought it was a difficult Championship game. Typical Championship game. Oxford are well coached, they’re very difficult to play against and I was delighted to get three points in the end.”
Oxford’s Des Buckingham:
“It’s disappointing because you feel you’ve done enough to go in at half-time with a lead, and I think you can approach the second half a little bit differently whether it be with your changes or how you want to set up.
“As easy as it is to say don’t let it affect you, obviously it does take the stuffing out of you a little bit, especially when it’s the last moment of the first half.
“Again, just watching it back now, it possibly could and should have been stopped. But it wasn’t so we need to get on with it.
“I think, on fair reflection, a draw is probably a fair result. I thought both teams really had a good go, tried to play some good football.
“I’ve just said to them in there, we’ve got a way we want to do it. I think a draw is a fair result, two good teams trying to play. But those key moments make a difference.”