Home comforts boost Blackburn as they see off Millwall

Blackburn registered just their second home victory of the season as they saw off Millwall 2-0 to ease their relegation concerns.

Without a win in five and with only six points at Ewood all season, Valerien Ismael’s side needed a fast start that has evaded them on their own patch all season.

But they got it here, scoring twice before the break to double their goal output in the first half all season at home.

Andri Gudjohnsen set them on their way, lashing in his seventh of the campaign in the third minute, before Yuki Ohashi matched that tally in the 45th-minute when profiting from a mix-up in the Millwall defence.

And they held on with ease after that, though it was a day to forget for Alex Neil’s side who should have done better for both goals as they saw their winless run stretch to three.

Blackburn’s issue of failing to score first-half goals was rectified within three minutes when Ryoya Morishita laid the ball into the path of Matty Litherland whose low strike was fumbled by Max Crocombe and Gudjohnsen reacted quickest to hammer into the roof of the net.

Litherland went close to marking his first senior start with a dream goal moments later when Ohashi’s cross ricocheted into his path and the 20-year-old’s fierce shot stung Crocombe’s palms who stood firm to repel.

The Millwall threat had been non-existent but they sounded two warnings midway through the half when Aidomo Emakhu’s inviting centre was directed wide by Camiel Neghli, before a hopeful long ball gave Mihailo Ivanovic a sight of goal but his low, left-footed effort was straight at Aynsley Pears.

Rovers tightened their grip on the stroke of half-time through a calamitous mix-up in the Millwall defence when Danny McNamara headed the ball back to Crocombe who had rushed out to collect and missed it completely, leaving Ohashi with the simple task of tucking into the empty net.

Neil reacted with a triple substitution and Jake Cooper headed a corner just over soon after the restart, but Blackburn’s threat remained and a glancing Ohashi header sailed narrowly wide.

Ivanovic almost conjured up something special in the 57th minute when a piece of ingenuity saw him delicately lift the ball over a defender but his cross-cum-shot was turned behind.

From the resulting corner, Caleb Taylor planted a free header wide of the far post.

That was as good as it got for Millwall and Liam Miller could have added a third late on but his low shot was wayward.