HULL City boss Nigel Adkins said he warned his players of Rovers' strengths before the game but admitted his side were unable to combat them.

Rovers eased to a 3-0 win over the Tigers to leapfrog them in the table and climb to eighth, within three points of the play-offs.

Goals from Adam Armstrong and Jack Rodwell put Tony Mowbray's men in control and Harrison Reed completed the scoring in the second half.

Adkins felt his side were below par in the opening period but credited Rovers for their performance.

"We knew the threat that Blackburn would possess and the first goal is a classic Blackburn goal," said the Hull boss. "One diagonal ball up from the centre half to (Danny) Graham, (Bradley) Dack picking up the pieces and threading through (Adam) Armstrong to go and score.

"We highlighted it before the game but you have still got to do something about it but Blackburn are a good side.

"The second goal is a set piece where individual markers have got to mark a player. The header goes on goal, we have a player who is designated to be on the line in that are where the ball goes and for whatever reason he drifts away from that position.

"Two nil down makes it challenging but we were uncharacteristic in our performance and Blackburn's tails were up.

"It was about making sure we stayed in the game, we changed it round in the second half and were much better.

"But when the third goal goes in on the counter attack it takes the game away from us."

Hull possessed two of the in form Championship players heading into the game but neither Kamil Grosicki or Jarrod Bowen, who went off late on with a knee injury, were able to get into the game.

"Both of them had a quiet afternoon and that is a credit to Blackburn," said Adkins.

On his team's performance, the Hull boss added: "I smelt that one coming. Sometimes you get that feeling and you smell it coming.

"Before the players had gone out of the warm-up you could smell it and I said you've got to be bang up for this one and concentrate. I went through everybody. We started poorly and they pressed us."