Blackburn 2-2 Birmingham: Blues rally to earn point

Birmingham scored twice in three minutes late on to snatch an unlikely 2-2 draw at Blackburn.

The hosts looked well on their way to a fourth victory in five home games after Danny Graham's ninth of the season put them ahead in the first half, with Adam Armstrong making it two within seconds of the restart.

That looked to be that, but a penalty out of nowhere allowed Craig Gardner to pull one back.

And incredibly, the Blues were level moments later as Che Adams slotted home from close range, giving them a point that their performance for the majority of the game barely merited.

Rovers are unbeaten in three outings but, in a game they controlled, the draw will feel like a defeat.

Blackburn welcomed back Darragh Lenihan in place of Paul Downing at the heart of defence, while Derrick Williams was replaced by Amari'i Bell.

Blues skipper Michael Morrison missed out through injury, so Marc Roberts deputised.

The opening exchanges were a slog, with wet conditions and injuries disrupting any hope of flow.

But Rovers went ahead in the 19th minute with their first shot when Harrison Reed floated in the perfect free-kick for Graham, who expertly directed his header beyond Lee Camp from 12 yards.

The hosts were in the ascendancy at this point and Bradley Dack had a sight of goal, but lashed wide.

Connor Mahoney was booed at every touch but the former Rover almost delivered the perfect riposte eight minutes from the break when he cut in from the right and let fly with a wonderful curling effort that went just wide.

Birmingham finished the half strongest though, with Adams denied by a timely block, before Lukas Jutkiewicz's delicate touch set up a shooting opportunity inside the area that David Raya saved.

Rovers made them pay immediately after the restart through Armstrong, who received the ball thanks to a deft Dack touch, before firing a left-foot shot into the right corner for his fifth goal this season.

It would have been a third minutes later when Reed was played through on the right but his low drive was brilliantly tipped over by Camp.

The game seemed to be petering to a natural end but Raya gave the visitors hope by needlessly chopping down Maxime Colin in the area 12 minutes from time. Craig Gardner hammered home the unstoppable penalty.

And the Blues completed a highly improbable comeback two minutes later when Jutkiewicz squared for the unmarked Adams to convert for his 10th of the season.

It set up a frantic finish but neither side could fashion a winner.

The managers

Tony Mowbray: "It's quite amazing to think we threw away two points having worked so hard to get in to a 2-0 lead in difficult conditions for football.

"There was a swirling wind, rain for 90 minutes and it wasn't a great game because the conditions didn't allow for getting the ball down and playing too much football. Yet to get yourselves 2-0 up going in to the final 15 minutes, we manufactured our way to drop two points. We have to accept it, be frustrated by it, but know we have to be better."

Garry Monk: "It's an excellent point for us and a fantastic response to being two down. We knew it was poor from us in the first half, especially. I think it was just a case of the conditions and everything that comes with that, but they did the basics much better. We didn't in that first half.

"We came in a goal down and talked about it at half time, and to go out in the second half and concede again straight away, it doesn't make it any easier. To be two down, you need character, you need attitude, you need to be able to show a response, and we did that."

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