Blackburn Rovers suffered their first defeat of the Championship season after a 2-1 reverse against Queens Park Rangers.
After a tight first half, Rovers broke the deadlock through a moment of magic. Ryoya Morishita struck a fantastic volley from the edge of the box to put Tony Mowbray's side ahead.
That lead lasted barely 60 seconds as the visitors equalised instantly. Paul Smyth finished into the near post after Rumarn Burrell's cutback to quieten Ewood Park celebrations.
The visitors then completed the comeback with 15 minutes to go. Jimmy Dunne rose highest from a ball into the box to inflict Rovers' first defeat of the campaign.
Mowbray made two changes from the side that beat Middlesbrough. Adam Forshaw was recalled but Yuri Ribeiro replaced the injured Harry Pickering. Hayden Carter, Dion De Neve, Yuki Ohashi and Mathias Jorgensen were all absent, leaving a youthful-looking bench.
An even first half brought few clear-cut chances. Rovers had some good spells of possession without overly working Pierce Charles in the QPR goal.
Todd Cantwell was the first to get close. He headed over when unmarked from Ryan Alebiosu's cross from the right.
The skipper then volleyed over from the angle of the box after being picked out at the back post. That summed up Rovers' first half with plenty of good approach play but a lack of cutting edge.
At the other end, Balazs Toth had one save to make. Ronnie Edwards had a go from the edge the box but it was a comfortable save by the Rovers goalkeeper.
If the first half was light on action, the second half provided. Barely five minutes had been played and Rovers took the lead.
It was a phenomenal goal which broke the deadlock. Mori controlled a flick-on with his right foot before volleying on his left into the top corner. A phenomenal strike worthy of settling any match.
Sadly, Rovers' advantage lasted barely a minute. QPR levelled instantly through Smyth. Burrell got down the flank and cut it back for the winger, who finished smartly into the near post.
The visitors then completed the comeback with 15 minutes remaining. Tariq Lamptey kept the ball alive from a corner and crossed for Jimmy Dunne to rise highest and head QPR into the lead.
In a game of fine margins, the benches perhaps told. Rovers had few game-changers on account of injuries and squad depth, whereas the visitors had more to offer. In a tight encounter, that makes all the difference.
Referee: Gavin Ward
Attendance: 12,905
Share