Blackburn moved to within two points of the play-offs with a 2-1 win over Bristol City.
Jon Dahl Tomasson’s men halted a two-game losing streak thanks to Arnor Sigurdsson’s fifth of the campaign in the 35th minute before Scott Wharton’s towering header early in the second half doubled their advantage.
However, they were made to work for the points thanks to a spirited response from the Robins who pulled a goal back in the 60th minute through Mark Sykes’ close-range finish and from there, the visitors were the much better side.
Liam Manning’s side could easily have come away with a share of the spoils but found Blackburn goalkeeper Leo Wahlstedt in inspired form and he made a hat-trick of late saves to thwart Jason Knight.
Rovers remain well placed for a top-six push but while City have only won one of six under Manning, they can take heart from a performance that so nearly produced a fightback.
The Robins frustrated the hosts early on and created the best chances, though Sam Bell’s 10th-minute effort sailed wide of the upright. Tommy Conway almost profited from sloppy play from Adam Wharton but his ferocious effort was too high.
Blackburn were uncharacteristically loose in possession but found their feet and after Sammie Szmodics curled a free-kick just wide, they took the lead 10 minutes before the break with their first flowing move of the game when Adam Wharton’s pass was flicked by Szmodics into Sigurdsson whose touch took him into the area and he casually lifted the ball into the left corner.
It boosted the hosts who finished the half strongly and doubled their advantage in the 52nd minute when Adam Wharton’s deep corner found his brother Scott who rose powerfully to head home at the back post.
The visitors fought back admirably with Conway flashing one just wide soon after before they halved the deficit on the hour.
Taylor Gardner-Hickman pounced on a loose ball before Jason Knight cleverly fed Sykes on the right to slot home from 12 yards for his fourth goal of the season.
It completely changed the complexion of the game and Knight was thwarted three times by Wahlstedt.
First, his low 25-yard drive was parried behind by the sprawling keeper, before a lung-busting Sykes run and cross found the midfielder who swivelled and shot but Wahlstedt was down smartly again to deny him.
Knight went close again with 10 minutes remaining but could only direct his header straight at Sykes and though they kept pressing, City could not force the elusive equaliser.
Van Dijk welcomes Slot arrival as Liverpool captain commits to Reds future
Virgil van Dijk insists his future remains solely with Liverpool as the Reds captain welcomed incoming Dutch compatriot Arne Slot.
Slot will replace Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager, with the Dutchman expected to take charge at Anfield from Saturday after sealing his switch from Feyenoord.
The soon-to-be Liverpool boss leaves the Netherlands after three highly successful seasons with Feyenoord, having led them to the league title in 2023.
Slot will be welcomed by two fellow countrymen on the red side of Merseyside, with Van Dijk and Ryan Gravenberch eager to link-up with their new manager.
As Netherlands began their Euro 2024 training camp on Monday, Van Dijk told a news conference: "I still have a year left on my contract.
"I am club captain and I have made it clear I am there for the new coach and enthusiastic over the next season.
"Obviously, there will be a lot of changes but I am confident we will make a big success of it.
"I congratulated [Slot] of course and I'm really pleased for him and his family. We spoke about the team and the future but now my focus is fully on the national team."
Slot's reign ended with six straight league wins and Feyenoord did not lose any of his final 20 Eredivisie matches at the helm, their last defeat coming against PSV on December 3.
The 45-year-old oversaw exactly 150 games in charge of Feyenoord across all competitions, winning 98 of those contests (65.33 per cent).
Slot also won the KNVB Cup glory in April, overseeing a 1-0 win over NEC Nijmegen in the final of that competition, and Gravenberch believes that success has earnt his Liverpool move.
"I think he can be good for my career, he's a coach who wants to play good football," added Gravenberch.
UEFA and FIFA warned to halt Super League opposition by Spanish court
FIFA and UEFA have been told to stop their opposition against the European Super League (ESL), with a Spanish court ruling warning of anti-competitive behaviour and abuse of a dominant position.
Madrid's commercial court said on Monday the European and world governing bodies violated competition law by banning and punishing clubs from participating in a proposed new tournament.
FIFA and UEFA were told to reverse any anticompetitive actions committed in the past after A22 Sports Management, the company behind the plan to create the ESL, brought the case to Spanish court.
"It's an important step towards a truly competitive and sustainable club football landscape in Europe," A22 CEO Bernd Reichart said in a statement after the ruling.
"For too long UEFA has been allowed to control and dominate club football at European level."
Reichart added that UEFA's position on the ESL has "stifled innovation for decades", though celebrated "the era of the monopoly [as] definitively over".
The case was also brought against LaLiga and the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), though that pair and UEFA insisted the court ruling did not explicitly support the creation of the Super League.
"The court has not given the green light to, nor has it approved, projects like the Super League," UEFA said in a follow-up statement.
"In fact, the judge has asserted that the Super League project has long been abandoned and that she cannot be expected to rule on any abstract projects.
"In short, the judgment does not give third parties the right to develop competitions without authorisation and does not concern any future project or indeed any modified version of an existing project."
English football's so-called 'big six' – Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham – were founding members of the original Super League project in April 2021.
Yet those Premier League clubs quickly withdrew amid fan protests and pressure from the football authorities, with Milan, Inter and Atletico Madrid following a similar suit.
UEFA has since changed its rules around new competitions following the collapse of the ESL proposal in April 2021 and the court says those new rules are unaffected by Monday's ruling.
"The court also confirmed that the current version of UEFA's authorisation rules [as adopted in June 2022] is not affected by today's ruling," the European governing body added.
Bonmati named Women's Champions League Player of Season for second straight campaign
Aitana Bonmati secured the Women's Champions League Player of the Season for a second straight campaign after guiding Barcelona to European glory.
The Spain international scored in Saturday's 2-0 victory over Lyon in the final, helping Jonatan Giraldez's side clinch an unprecedented quadruple.
Fellow Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas produced the other goal in that victory, but Bonmati was named Player of the Match after another eye-catching performance.
With six goals and six assists, the 26-year-old managed more goal contributions than any other player in this season's Champions League, and that earned Bonmati further individual recognition.
"She influenced the game all over the pitch in and out of possession. High progressive passes, high ball recoveries and scored a great goal," UEFA's technical observer panel said in a statement.
Bonmati also scored eight goals in Barcelona's victorious Liga F campaign this season, helping the Spanish giants win the competition for a fifth consecutive time.
Having already won the Ballon d'Or and FIFA's best women's player award for 2023, this UEFA award caps a fine season for the impressive Bonmati.
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