Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash between Cardiff City and Blackburn Rovers at the Cardiff City Stadium as Joe Rothwell scored the winner for Tony Mowbray's play-off chasing side
Saturday 15 January 2022 18:26, UK
Joe Rothwell's third goal of the season was enough to guide Blackburn to a 1-0 victory over struggling Cardiff and move them closer to the automatic promotion places.
With league leaders Bournemouth going down 3-2 at Luton it made it an even better day for Tony Mowbray's side, who went down to 10 men when Ryan Nyambe picked up a second yellow card in the 76th minute.
The Championship clash at Cardiff City Stadium lacked fans due to the Welsh Government's COVID restrictions.
When the two teams met in September, Rovers ran out 5-1 winners and headed to the Welsh capital on the back of an eight-match unbeaten league run during which they plundered 21 out of a possible 23 points.
That run pushed them into third place behind Bournemouth and Fulham, while the Bluebirds were looking for their first league win since November 27 and their first at home since three weeks earlier than that.
Cardiff opened promisingly and Curtis Nelson put a header just over the bar from an eighth-minute corner. Mark Harris then used his pace to get to the goalline and send over a cross that was inches away from James Collins on the edge of the six-yard box and a possible opening goal.
Goals have been hard to come by for the Bluebirds at home this season with only nine in 11 games before the visit of Blackburn and the first one on the day went to the visitors.
Rothwell picked up on the edge of the centre circle in the Cardiff half in the 13th minute and it proved to be unlucky for the home side. The Blackburn stalwart drove hard at retreating centre half Aden Flint and then curled his shot inside the right post from 25 yards.
Welsh international midfielder Will Vaulks saw a volley from just outside the box at a corner cleared off the line by Lewis Travis to once again deny Cardiff.
Cardiff pressed higher in the second half and enjoyed more of the ball. Skipper Joe Ralls drove on his side and it was his corner from the left that almost led to an equaliser in the 69th minute.
Nelson was up from the back and hit the target with a bullet header from the edge of the six-yard box. It looked destined for the left corner, but Thomas Kaminski dived to his right to pull off a great save under pressure from James Collins.
Substitute Isaak Davies then hit the post with a cross from wide on the right.
Cardiff's Steve Morison: "We weren't good enough in the final third. We dominated the game but couldn't put the ball in the net. It is another game we should have got something out of, but that's where we are at the minute.
"We went toe-to-toe with Blackburn, but they had that moment of quality which we didn't have. We didn't give up many chances and had triple the amount of shots and final third entries, but I understand that doesn't mean a lot if we don't win the game."
Blackburn's Tony Mowbray: "The fact the game was very bitty played into their hands and allowed them to get the ball into our box from free kicks, corners and throw ins. There was some brilliant resilience from us. I would have preferred us to play as we had done for the first 20 minutes for the rest of the game, but it wasn't to be and we had to dig in.
"I don't get excited because I know how tough this league is. The next game is always there ready to bite you on the backside. The anxiety is there before every game so you have to try to put into the players the belief that the process of how we play means we can win every match. There are 60 points to play for. You can get trapped by looking too far ahead. You have to keep a positive mindset and just try to win the next game. The clean sheets are good at the moment and we have to keep the players fit. You have to win games like today to give yourself confidence."
