Blackburn Rovers U21 3 - 4 Under 21 - Match Report

Our under-21s got back to winning ways in Premier League 2 with a 4-3 victory away to Blackburn Rovers on Monday night.

Salah-Eddine Oulad M’Hand opened the scoring 21 minutes into the first half but Harry Leonard reduced the arrears on the brink of half-time.

Salah-Eddine put us ahead again at the start of the second half and goals from Khayon Edwards and Andre-Harriman Annous made the lead more comfortable, before Leonard completed his brace from the penalty spot.

Leonard completed his hat-trick with another penalty in the third minute of added time but we were able to hold onto the three points.

We began the game brightly, winning the ball in the final third and allowing Sebastian Ferdinand to get a shot away, but it was straight at Balazs Toth.

Michal Rosiak then found Nathan Butler-Oyedeji, who tried to go around the goalkeeper but fell to the ground, and the referee didn’t see enough to award a penalty.

Salah-Eddine threaded the ball through to Ferdinand on the right and his cross was converted by Harriman-Annous, but the flag was raised for offside, but there was nothing wrong with our opener moments later.

Blackburn gave the ball away in a dangerous area and Butler-Oyedeji found Salah-Eddine, whose shot had too much power on it for Toth, who couldn’t keep it out.

Rosiak’s long-range free-kick was then beaten away by Toth before Josh Robinson shot wide on the follow up.

Blackburn had their first chance of the game just shy of the half-hour mark with Adam Caddick striking towards goal from distance, but it was pushed away brilliant by Lucas Martin Nygaard, the Dane at full stretch to preserve his clean sheet.

With half-time approaching, Elian Quesada-Thorn’s cross from the left was headed over by Butler-Oyedeji, and Rosiak struck high and wide from a free-kick.

The Oulad M’Hand brothers then combined as Ismail dug out a cross for Salah-Eddine, who in turn pulled it back to Robinson, but his first-time effort was straight at Toth.

Rosiak played a one-two with Salah-Eddine and headed over the bar from close range, before Lewis Baker shot wide at the other end.

We looked set to go into the break with a one-goal lead, but Blackburn found a way through on our goal as Aodhan Doherty laid it off to Harry Leonard, a deflection taking his shot over Martin Nygaard to equalise.

Early in the second half, our second goal followed the same formula as our first, Blackburn giving the ball away to Butler-Oyedeji who provided an assist for Salah-Eddine.

Martin Nygaard kept us ahead as Exauce Mafoumbi M'Badinga crossed for Leonard, whose powerful shot was saved brilliantly by our goalkeeper from close range.

Blackburn gave the ball away to Butler-Oyedeji again in the 64th minute, but on that occasion Toth was equal to the effort from our energetic number nine.

Mehmet Ali made his first changes in the 68th minute as Edwards and Jimi Gower came on for Ferdinand and Ismail Oulad M’Hand.

Butler-Oyedeji drifted in from the left and went for goal, only to see his long-range effort beaten away, before we did manage to create a two-goal cushion.

Will Sweet played the ball forward to substitute Edwards, who finished superbly from a tight angle to make his impact felt.

Butler-Oyedeji then made it a hat-trick of assists as he crossed for Andre Harriman-Annous, who netted his first PL2 goal on his first PL2 start.

Salah-Eddine left the pitch in the 81st minute, replaced by Harrison Dudziak.

Rosiak’s free-kick wasn’t far away of the top right corner as we hunted a fifth goal, before we made one more change as Brayden Clarke came on for Robinson.

Leonard reduced the deficit with his second of the evening after he was brought down in the penalty area by Sweet. The referee pointed to the spot and Leonard smashed the penalty straight down the middle for 4-2.

Brandon Powell crossed for Leonard in the 89th minute and the onrushing forward had a huge chance to complete his hat-trick, but he couldn’t control the delivery and we kept hold of our two-goal lead.

After six minutes were added on at the end of the second half, Sweet conceded another penalty in the 92nd minute, and Leonard made no mistake from the spot, netting his third goal for 4-3.

We’re now sixth in PL2 with five wins from seven games, level on points with West Ham United, Liverpool and Fulham above us and three shy of Manchester City at the top.

We’re on the road again as we travel to the Cherry Red Records Fans’ Stadium to take on Chelsea. It’s a 7pm kick-off in PL2 on Friday night.

Blackburn Rovers XI: Toth, Duru (Doherty 81), McFadzean, Litherland, Powell, Caddick, O’Grady-Macken, Doherty (Willis 63), Baker, Mafoumbi M’Badinga (Leatherbarrow 76), Leonard.

Substitutes (not used): Khan, Care.

Arsenal XI: Martin Nygaard, Robinson (Clarke 83), Monlouis (C), Sweet, Quesada-Thorn, Rosiak, Salah-Eddine Oulad M’Hand (Dudziak 81), Ismail Oulad M’Hand (Gower 68), Ferdinand (Edwards 68), Butler-Oyedeji, Harriman-Annous.

Substitutes (not used): Okonkwo.