Blackburn Rovers Vs Bristol City: Robins win 2-1 as Atkinson faces scan

In a tight Ewood Park contest, blackburn rovers vs bristol city finished 2-1 as Bristol City came from behind to claim a hard-fought victory and halt Blackburn's mini-revival. The result left Bristol City relieved to take three points while manager Gerhard Struber dealt with an ankle concern to defender Rob Atkinson.

Goals and decisive moments at Ewood Park

The match saw Yuki Ohashi give Blackburn the lead before Emil Riis and Scott Twine struck for Bristol City, with Riis and Twine each scoring their ninth league goal of the campaign. City came from behind in the first half and then held on despite sustained Blackburn pressure in the second half, the victory described as a hard-fought one that ended Rovers' mini-revival.

Rob Atkinson leaves with ankle injury and manager cautious

Rob Atkinson was forced off after receiving lengthy treatment following a heavy challenge late in the first half and did not return after the break, with Neto Borges replacing him on the left side of the backline. Gerhard Struber said the defender "looks not so good, " adding he thinks Atkinson over-rolled his ankle and that the club will probably get a scan the next day. Struber said he did not have "such a big hope for the Friday game" with Atkinson at the moment, while also saying he was "really happy" with his side's overall performance at Ewood Park.

Second-half pressure, saves and missed chances

Blackburn piled on pressure after the interval, registering 16 attempts with six on target, but failed to find a way through. Radek Vítek produced crucial saves, including a brilliant stop deep into second-half stoppage time to deny Moussa Baradji, and George Tanner made an important intervention to deny substitute Andri Gudjohnsen. Yuki Ohashi both opened the scoring for Blackburn and later missed a chance, smashing a shot into the ground and wide from the centre of the box. Morishita's hopeful delivery also lacked the precision needed to break down Bristol City's defence.

Substitutions, stoppage time and late tension

Substitutions featured Max Bird coming on for Tomi Horvat for Bristol City and Oladapo Afolayan replacing Kristi Montgomery for Blackburn. As the fourth official signalled five minutes of added time, a late free-kick for City raised the tension and Blackburn pressed for one last chance to equalise, but the Rovers' chances went unconverted.

Season context: O'Neill's start, past results and squad issues

The result intersected with wider season narratives. Michael O'Neill, who balances his role with the Northern Ireland national team, had overseen an encouraging run: Rovers had won both of their first two matches under O'Neill and had secured a third victory in four matches that boosted survival hopes. Earlier, O'Neill marked his first home game in charge with a dramatic 95th-minute strike from Yuki Ohashi that sealed three points against Preston North End and moved Blackburn five points clear of the relegation zone with 13 matches remaining. Blackburn parted ways with Valerien Ismael after a run of just 11 wins in nearly a year, and injuries have continued to plague the squad; they have scored 31 Championship goals for the season, a figure described as the third-lowest in the division. Bristol City have suffered inconsistency too: coverage places them both as having climbed to eighth in the table, four points adrift of the play-off places, and elsewhere as sitting 12th after slipping to a narrow 1-0 defeat in South Wales to Swansea City by a Zan Vipotnik strike. The Robins had failed to win on two recent trips to Wales and have struggled to build consistent momentum since the turn of the year, including suffering a damaging 5-0 home defeat earlier in the campaign.

Match reporting notes and commentary

Match reporting made use of AI to help summarise radio commentary, with all posts checked by a journalist. Former Sunderland and Bristol City midfielder Gary Owers commented that City showed quality in the first half and a different, combative side in the second, and praised a goalkeeper save from a strong attempt by Tommy Horvath as a notable intervention that helped preserve the result.

The fixture adds another chapter to both clubs' seasons: Blackburn will regroup after what is set to be their first defeat under Michael O'Neill, while Bristol City take a valuable three points despite worrying injury news over Atkinson.