Blackburn 2-1 Barnsley: Armstrong strikes as Blackburn hold off Barnsley
- Published
The Championship's leading marksman Adam Armstrong scored his 13th goal of the season
Blackburn overcame a nervy finish to stretch their unbeaten run to five games with victory over Barnsley.
Championship top scorer Adam Armstrong gave them the lead a minute before half-time with an emphatic finish from Ryan Nyambe's cross.
Sam Gallagher looked to have made the points safe with 12 minutes remaining when he doubled the lead from 18 yards.
Barnsley, who had 23 shots, eventually made one count but Romal Palmer's 90th-minute goal proved only a consolation.
Rovers went into the game in good form but found themselves up against a dangerous Tykes outfit who had won three out their last five.
Mads Andersen headed Barnsley's first opening over the bar, before Conor Chaplin saw a shot saved by Thomas Kaminski in the Rovers goal.
The hosts were enjoying plenty of possession but did not find their cutting edge until the 44th minute and the identity of the goalscorer was no surprise.
The league's leading marksman Armstrong made no mistake from Nyambe's cross, giving Jack Walton no chance with a well-struck effort to give Rovers the lead.
Barnsley kept probing in the early stages of the second half but Cauley Woodrow, Callum Styles and Callum Brittain could not take their chances and were made to pay for it.
Substitute Gallagher stretched the Blackburn lead with a sweetly-struck low shot past Walton.
Palmer's volleyed strike was the least Barnsley deserved for their efforts, but for all their endeavour, the defeat makes it back-to-back losses
Blackburn's win takes them up to ninth, with the visitors falling two places to 16th.
Rovers boss Tony Mowbray told BBC Radio Lancashire:
"The game panned out as I thought. Their front three are basically a pressing machine and we found it very hard to get behind them. They made life really difficult for us.
"We found a way to win and ultimately I think we deserved the win. I was disappointed with the goal we conceded at the end which made the last couple of minutes a bit chaotic.
"The one time we got Nyambe into space he drove past his man, cut it back and Adam did what he does and it was a great goal. We look forward to Wednesday and will try to keep the winning run going."
Tykes boss Valerien Ismael:
"The performance was exactly what we wanted. But you lose the game with 23 attempts, 11 corners, and we scored once. It's not enough. We have to learn the killer mentality.
"In such a game when you are good in shape, you have to punish your opponent, you have to score, and have more confidence for the game.
"This is the Championship, this is the quality. We can build off this performance for sure. We have consistency in our performance. But you need a result, you need a reward."