Yuki Ohashi has made a superb start to his Blackburn career
Yuki Ohashi kept up his remarkable start to his Blackburn career with two goals as his side maintained their unbeaten start to the Championship season by beating Bristol City.
The Japanese striker produced two fabulous finishes in the second half to make it five goals from five games since his move from Sanfrecce Hiroshima.
Rovers, who have now won all three home games this term, led at half-time through Lewis Travis’ first goal for more than two years, gifted by a bad mistake from Robins goalkeeper Max O’Leary.
Aynsley Pears produced two important saves to keep the lead intact in the second half, but the Robins now have just one away win in their past 10 league games.
The last time Rovers began the season by going five unbeaten was under Tony Mowbray in 2018-19.
They were handed the initiative by O’Leary 17 minutes into the game.
Under little pressure, he passed the ball straight to Travis, who had the simple task of slotting it back past him to give his side the lead.
It was the Rovers captain’s first goal since he scored in consecutive games at the start of the 2022-23 season, and was just his seventh in 233 career appearances.
The rarity of Travis goals was matched only by the scarcity of the Robins’ attacking intent in the first 45 minutes, and they survived another scare just before half-time when Ohashi had a shot blocked and then neither he nor Lewis Baker, making his full debut for Blackburn, could force home the rebound.
City manager Liam Manning sent on striker Sinclair Armstrong for the second half but it was Blackburn who remained on the front foot, with the excellent Haydem Carter, playing at right-back, seeing a shot deflect narrowly over the bar when a corner fell at his feet.
Ten minutes into the half Rovers were two up as Tyrhys Dolan won the ball on halfway and drove at the heart of the visitors’ defence. He delayed his pass, then slipped it to his left, where Ohashi, without breaking stride, swept it into the far corner.
Finally, the Robins roused themselves, but Scott Twine had a shot well saved by Pears and then saw Carter hurl himself in front of his follow-up effort, moments before a Haydon Roberts shot deflected off a defender and clipped the outside of the Blackburn post.
Ohashi removed any doubt with 20 minutes still to play, this time popping up on the right-hand side and cutting in to curl an exquisite shot into the other top corner.
Again the away team tried to react but Pears was quick off his line to deny Armstrong, before Twine flashed a free kick inches wide of his post.
Post-match reaction
Blackburn manager John Eustace told BBC Radio Lancashire:
“It was a really good performance from the squad, which is the most important thing - great to get a clean sheet and nice to win at home.
“I told the boys at half-time we were fairly dominant but had to be more clinical in the final third and they agreed with that.
“There was a moment where Pearsy pulled off a fantastic save and we had the boys throwing their bodies on the line, defending the box for their lives, so they really earned the clean sheet.”
Bristol City coach Liam Manning told BBC Radio Bristol:
“It wasn’t good enough. We didn’t start the game with the intensity and the buzz I expect of us.
“I hadn’t expected it as the lads have been terrific in training, but you then have to step on the pitch when you’ve got an opposition that are well-organised and set up to try to stop you.
“The big bit for me is about the basics of the game and we didn’t do that well enough - we didn’t win enough duels, didn’t land on enough seconds and didn’t work hard enough as a team to stick together in tough moments.
“From the first three games, in terms of how we performed, you know it’s in the lads, then you wonder why we didn’t replicate it today.”
Liam Manning speaks to Ed Hadwin after Bristol City lost 3-0 at Ewood Park
