Blackburn Rovers continued their unbeaten start to the 2024/25 Championship campaign by holding Burnley to a 1-1 draw, despite playing the final half-hour with ten men. Their resilience is enough to see them crowned The Deck’s Championship Team of The Week after summer signing Makhtar Gueye received a second yellow card just before the hour mark.
Former Birmingham City manager John Eustace’s side took the award from Sunderland, who were the Championship Team of the Week after beating Burnley 1-0 last week.
Burnley 1-1 Blackburn Rovers
This match will be remembered for a stunning strike from Andreas Weimann as the 33-year-old produced a superb half-volley from outside the box to level the game after Lyle Foster had given Scott Parker’s side an early lead. Blackburn Rovers had the better chances throughout and may see this as an opportunity for a big three points missed.
They will have to take credit for their display, though, as Gueye received a second yellow card after being fouled due to his gesture towards the referee to book an opposition player. The 26-year-ol has two goals and three assists in all competitions since arriving from Belgium in the summer but should be disappointed with the nature of his sending-off which may have prevented his side from collecting three points.
Thyrys Dolan was a menace throughout the contest and was unlucky to have an effort ruled out for offside as Blackburn Rovers made it two wins and two draws as they look to bounce back from a poor 19th-place finish in 2023/24. They might struggle to replace the exploits of Sammie Szmodics, who scored 33 times in all competitions last season.
There has been no immediate knock-on effect of selling their top scorer to Ipswich Town as no side has scored higher than Blackburn Rovers’ Championship total of nine. Summer signing Weimann may help to plug some of the gap left by the departed Szmodics if his wonder striker is anything to go by. Manager Eustance sang the praises of his star after the game, telling Rovers TV:
“What a goal that was from Andi Weimann! It dropped down to the right character, the right player, and that is why we brought him to our football club.
“It doesn’t matter how old he is, he’s got quality and he’s got that class. I thought his performance for that first hour or so was very, very good.
“He’s done that over the years and he does what it says on the tin. He’s a top player with a fantastic attitude and that’s why he’s had such a brilliant career.”
Upcoming Fixtures and Future Prospects
Blackburn Rovers proved this weekend that they are a match for any side in the division as the Clarets appear to be one of the strongest sides in the Championship, on paper at least. They have recruited heavily in attacking areas after the sale of Irish international Szmodics with Gueye and Weimann hitting the ground running and Todd Cantwell still to be integrated into the squad.
They still lack a player that can score 15-20 goals and the club will need to keep their attacking players fit if they are to share the goalscoring burden across the attacking elements of the team. The early indications are that this will be a more productive season for Blackburn Rovers and they will host Bristol City after the international break.
Bristol City had been playing well until their heavy defeat at Derby County but after two wins from two at home, John Eustace’s side should be targeting three points to extend their unbeaten run. An away trip to out-of-form Preston North End follows before a home game against Queens Park Rangers.
Judging by performances in the opening weeks, Blackburn Rovers should be targeting results in all three of these games and it would not be out of the question for them to win each fixture. It should be a much better campaign for the club, but they will be without Gueye for their next outing and it will be interesting to see how they cope without their focal point in attack.