Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Blackburn Rovers and Leeds United at Ewood Park on Saturday | Dan James and Crysencio Summerville net in win for Daniel Farke's side.
Saturday 9 December 2023 16:03, UK
Leeds kept up the pressure on the Championship's top two with an impressive 2-0 win at Blackburn.
In a test of their credentials against a vibrant home side, Daniel Farke's men passed with flying colours, and a goal in each half did the damage.
Dan James scored for the third game in succession to fire the visitors into a deserved lead and with Blackburn searching for an equaliser, Crysencio Summerville's dinked finish 15 minutes from time sealed the points.
Even more impressive is that they limited Rovers to precious few chances, with Illan Meslier denying Arnor Sigurdsson late on.
The victory is Leeds' sixth in the last seven. It is a fifth home defeat in seven for Blackburn, who are still well placed for a play-off push but their Ewood form is a concern.
The hosts started brightly without testing Meslier but Leeds were soon into their stride, with Summerville lashing wide when a corner was cleared to him. They went closer in the 18th minute when Joel Piroe's 20-yard free-kick took a wicked deflection but landed just wide of the right post, much to Blackburn's relief.
Leeds spurned a glorious chance when Summerville dispossessed Hayden Carter and the ball found Georginio Rutter six yards out but he clipped the ball wide with the goalkeeper to beat.
He made amends in the 27th minute when he powered forward and shrugged off James Hill before finding James on the right who drilled the ball unerringly into the bottom left corner for his seventh of the season.
James flashed an inviting ball across the face of goal soon after, but Rutter could not get on the end of it, while at the other end, Sammie Szmodics headed over a Hill cross.
Blackburn wanted a penalty just after the restart when Andrew Moran's cross struck Pascal Struijk's arm but Bobby Madley waved the protests away. From the resulting corner, Szmodics fired wide when the ball felt to him 25 yards out.
But Leeds carried an almighty threat on the break and Wilfried Gnonto was denied a 73rd-minute goal thanks to an outstanding piece of goalkeeping from Leo Wahlstedt who brilliantly tipped his powerful strike over after it took a deflection.
The reprieve was brief as Leeds sealed victory in the 75th minute with a flowing move that saw Archie Gray exchange passes with Rutter before his first-time ball found Summerville in the area and he was coolness personified, lifting the ball over Wahlstedt.
Meslier made a tremendous save moments later, tipping Sigurdsson's header over, but Leeds comfortably saw the game out, sending the 7,500 travelling fans home happy.
Blackburn's Jon Dahl Tomasson:
"We're extremely disappointed to lose the game. I think overall it was an excellent performance from my team against a very good squad, a Premier League squad with a lot of good players. We all know how good Leeds are in transitions. They scored two goals in transitions.
"I think the difference with the two teams was the clinical things. We probably got into better areas than the opponent, but played against a very good side. I think my players did a good job.
"We shouldn't forget that of course this is a very good side. I said it before the game, I think they will get automatically promoted. They should as well. We know how difficult it is to cope with those transition moments and the quality which they have. But still I thought we were in the game for a long time. Second half actually, I think we were the much better side."
Leeds' Daniel Farke:
"Two really good possession sides played against each other and you have to accept that both sides will have their spells where they dominate the game in possession, but also to be especially switched on in the moments when you win the ball to be there and use quick counter attacks and this is what we did more or less for both goals.
"Good winning of the ball before the first goal, Sam Byram, before the second Ethan Ampadu and then to play two times, really good football, really good counter attacks, especially the second goal was a great, great team goal, and also ice-cold finishes from James and Summerville. I'm pretty happy with this."
