Tony Mowbray calls Nottingham Forest loanee Ben Brereton from the bench, who replaces Corry Evans.

It means Elliott Bennett has joined Richie Smallwood in the deep part of Blackburn's midfield, and that change was probably for the best given the combative Evans could easily have sleepwalked into a second yellow in a game that's contained as many bruising challenges as this one.

Image source, Rex Features

Norwich ended Middlesbrough's unbeaten start to the Championship season with a 1-0 win at Carrow Road.

Canaries boss Daniel Farke was ecstatic with how his side played.

"It was a brilliant performance today. Middlesbrough had been on fire, with five straight clean sheets and we are the first team to beat them," he told BBC Radio Norfolk.

"Our pressing was synchronised and structured. It's important when you play against Middlesbrough that you have the ball because they are too strong on set pieces."

He added: "We decided to play Teemu in the striker position today because he was a little tired and it seems like the decision was not too bad!"

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Quite weird to think Albert Adomah was just a breath away from a move to Middlesbrough a few weeks ago, given his performance in this half so far.

He's taunting the Blackburn defence, dipping and ducking his way through to thread a cross that the hosts just about clear.

Steve Bruce's side are dominating things now, and it's hard to believe this is the same Rovers side that had Villa on the ropes in the first half.

Ahmed Elmohamady is the one to watch in this half, sending a delicious cross right onto the head of Tammy Abraham.

The Chelsea loanee rises highest, but nods wide.

He'll have to wait to open his Championship account for Villa this season.

Villa's Tammy Abraham goes for goal but David Raya scoops up the tame shot with ease.

That's not important, though - Jack Grealish has been floored by Darragh Lenihan, and after playing advantage the referee puts Lenihan into the book.

You should have seen that. Lenihan was airborne and knocked Grealish down like a Jenga Tower, Grealish tumbling like a house of cards swiped at by a ruthless toddler. Let him know you're there and that...

The tasty battles of earlier are re-commencing, with Villa's Mile Jedinak flooring Bradley Dack before Rovers midfielder Corry Evans goes into the book for a tug on John McGinn.

James Chester directs a looping header miles over from a subsequent Villa free-kick, as Ahmed Elmohamady looks for Tammy Abraham from the restart but watches his cross drift languidly away.

Villa get the ball back in, but Albert Adomah can't quite get his feet in order and makes fleeting contact.

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Stoke were held to a 2-2 draw at Sheffield Wednesday after letting a two-goal lead slip at Hillsborough.

Potters boss Gary Rowett felt his team played closer to the level that he wants them to play at.

"There are mixed emotions today," he told BBC Radio Stoke.

"We've got caught on the two occasions we've switched off but I think we've taken a massive step forward today in terms of the performance.

"We created lots of opportunities where we should have done better so yes, I'm disappointed to have dropped the two points."

We're back under way at Ewood Park, with no changes for either side.

Things have been cagey here. Despite Blackburn's (relative) dominance, they've managed just one shot on target - the same number as their opponents.

Blackburn have just about dominated possession - they've enjoyed 53% of it - but Villa's undoing has been their tendency to give away needless free-kicks.

It's been weird to watch them dive into rash challenges, and Bradley Dack and Darragh Lenihan will probably have a few bruises to show off to their team-mates at full-time.

It's been a lively day of action in the Championship...

• Leeds came from a goal behind to clinch a 1-1 draw against Millwall, Jack Harrison the hero with his first Leeds goal.
• Middlesbrough have dropped down to fourth following a 1-0 defeat at Norwich.
• Frank Lampard was sent to the stands as Derby lost 1-0 to Rotherham.
• Brentford hammered Wigan 2-0 to take Boro's place in second, while Reading moved off the bottom spot with a late winner at Deepdale, beating Preston 3-2 to send Ipswich to the foot of the division.

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Winless Ipswich Town fell to a 2-0 defeat at Hull City and slipped to bottom of the Championship table.

Ipswich boss Paul Hurst felt his side were punished for individual errors.

"We didn't start well enough and it took us until the last 10 minutes of the first half for us to play anything like what we'd have wanted," he told BBC Radio Suffolk.

"The basics of football, winning headers and second balls, we were second best at.

"At times some of the stuff between the boxes is good but it's what happens at either end that matters and we're not good enough there at the moment."

He added: "We're being punished for individual mistakes. I'm struggling to think of any what I'd call 'good' goals we've conceded.

"It's certainly the worst run I've endured as a manager and we've got to try to change that."

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Blackburn have probably had the edge in this one, but Villa have had their moments in an entertaining half.

You'd probably hesitate to call it completely end-to-end given Blackburn's early dominance, but it's lapsed into that as the half's worn on and only wasteful finishing or premature deliveries have ensured this remains goalless.

Albert Adomah blocks Bradley Dack's path as Villa build from deep, Alan Hutton meandering unopposed into enemy territory.

His cross is too deep for Adomah to reach, but Villa come again as Ahmed Elmohamady delivers a cross into a sparsely populated Blackburn box.

The hosts clear with ease, but the Villa backline have tightened up and are showing Dack little mercy now.

You can halve their rent now.

Alan Hutton invites Richie Smallwood inside with so much willingness he might as well have put the kettle on for him and apologised for being out of his favourite biscuits.

But let's not undersell Villa's spell of dominance: they've looked brighter at the other end of late, with John McGinn biting back with equal guile.

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Sheffield United lost 1-0 at fellow play-off hopefuls Bristol City to end their run of four successive victories.

Blades boss Chris Wilder felt his side had done enough to win the match.

"I thought it was a very good away performance without the most important bit, winning," he told BBC Radio Sheffield.

"I thought we played really well first half but we should have come in a goal up, possibly two.

"The first goal in this division is so important and they got it and it changed the whole dynamics of the game.

"We've played well and lost and that is possibly the hardest thing to take as a manager."

Bradley Dack taunts Mile Jedinak as he dances down the left flank, and the Australia international must bide his time before leaping in to avert the danger with a well-timed challenge.

Villa are entering a better spell but Blackburn's midfield have really looked impressive as they've pulled all the strings when on the break.

If this Villa backline spend any longer in Darragh Lenihan and Bradley Dack's back pockets then all four of them will have to start forking out for rent and bills there.

Tammy Abraham almost has it in the back of the net as Villa head into their first real dominant spell.

He rises at the far post to nod John McGinn's cross goalward, but David Raya rises on his tiptoes and collects comfortably to keep the score level.

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Yikes - looks like both teams will be complaining to the referee at full-time.

Richie Smallwood catches John McGinn, on the brink of ghosting past the Villa man and slotting home from inside the six yard box, to send the Villa man tumbling down.

The referee had a clear view of that, so not sure why he's not given a penalty - looked nailed on.

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An almost goal for Blackburn and an early let-off for Villa.

Charlie Mulgrew's pinpoint free-kick lands on the head of Bradley Dack, who has it in the net before the flag flies up. It's a contentious one - Alan Hutton looks to be a little deeper than the rest of them - and Blackburn have a right to feel aggrieved.

Adam Armstrong finds himself one-on-one with Orjan Nyland and strokes it just wide - but he's offside again.

Villa have a lot to thank the flags for.

Darragh Lenihan's childhood footballing hero, by the way, is Roy Keane - which might explain why it took Blackburn so long to convince him to have a bash at being a centre half.

Keane is here, by the way, and it's unclear if Lenihan knows his Cork hero is watching from the stands.

Should we let him know? Via WhatsApp, maybe?

Too soon. I'm sorry.