Hull City 3-2 Blackburn Rovers: Alfie Jones scores winner in five-goal thriller

Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Hull City and Blackburn Rovers at the MKM Stadium on Friday | Alfie Jones scores winner for the Tigers in five-goal thriller.

Friday 29 December 2023 22:57, UK

Blackburn lost a fourth game in a row as Hull moved back into the Sky Bet Championship play-offs with a 3-2 victory at the MKM Stadium.

Rovers were always up against it after Liam Delap and Aaron Connolly scored early in the first half.

Sammie Szmodics and Harry Pickering - on his 25th birthday and 100th start for the club - made it 2-2 at the break but Alfie Jones' winner after 63 minutes condemned Jon Dahl Tomasson to another damaging loss.

Blackburn were reduced to 10 men when Dominic Hyam was sent off for a second bookable offence after 74 minutes.

Delap capitalised on some poor defending to open the scoring after 11 minutes, skipping past Pickering before charging into the penalty area. Hyam then failed to stop Delap thumping the ball in at Leopold Wahlstedt's near post.

Blackburn nearly equalised moments later when Dilan Markanday teed up Semir Telalovic on the edge of the box. The German's strike was unimpressive but took a jolting deflection off Jones on to the base of the left post.

The visitors were once again not at their best at the back after 18 minutes, with Hyam and James Hill outdone by a routine long ball, from which Connolly controlled well before cushioning a half-volley home.

The visitors reduced the deficit on 33 minutes when Arnor Sigurdsson's speculative punt through the middle bisected Jones and Jacob Greaves. Szmodics had the nous to spot Matt Ingram off his line before expertly chipping home for his 15th goal of the season.

Pickering then restored parity deep into first-half injury time when he was played into the penalty area on the overlap. Ingram might have done better but a slight deflection skewed the ball from his grasp.

Hull were back ahead as Rovers failed to clear Tyler Morton's corner from the left and Jones scraped the ball into the net from three yards.

Hyam was handed a second booking for a foul on Ozan Tufan and while Blackburn had plenty of possession thereafter, Ingram was never seriously tested.

The managers

Hull's Liam Rosenior:

"I'm so happy we don't have to play Blackburn again - they are a credit to Jon. I thought there were outstanding and they made for a really good football match.

"The first half kind of sums up our season: we were in control and then we shoot ourselves in the foot.

"We were still in control of the game but we lose possession and then it's 2-2.

"There were a lot of frustrated players at half-time but credit to them - they went out and did it and I'm really proud of them.

"It's the biggest win of the season by far in terms of momentum."

Blackburn's Jon Dahl Tomasson:

"We are very disappointed to lose the game.

"We knew it would be difficult against a very good side and we should not forget that this is a very young team.

"But we are very disappointed with the goals we conceded. The first two were nothing to do with shape - we had extra players and it's not like they were in one-on-one situations - but we should have done much better.

"I must give the players credit to make it 2-2 as we showed great togetherness and resilience. We looked very good at that time and of course we should go for the game.

"It was a very equal game in the second half and then we conceded a goal from a corner.

"We are very disappointed with those moments."