Jon Dahl Tomasson felt lacklustre defending was the key factor behind the 3-2 defeat at Hull as Blackburn slipped to a fourth consecutive defeat in the Sky Bet Championship.
Rovers were twice sloppy early in the game when Liam Delap and Aaron Connolly gave the hosts a commanding lead.
Sammie Szmodics and Harry Pickering thrust the visitors back into the match by half-time but Alfie Jones scrambled home a 63rd-minute winner to condemn Blackburn to another loss.
Tomasson, whose plight was not helped by Dominic Hyam’s 74th-minute dismissal, said: “We are very disappointed to lose the game.
“We knew it would be difficult against a very good side and we should not forget that this is a very young team.
“But we are very disappointed with the goals we conceded. The first two were nothing to do with shape – we had extra players and it’s not like they were in one-on-one situations – but we should have done much better.
“I must give the players credit to make it 2-2 as we showed great togetherness and resilience. We looked very good at that time and of course we should go for the game.
“It was a very equal game in the second half and then we conceded a goal from a corner.
“We are very disappointed with those moments.”
Blackburn, who have now conceded 12 goals in their last four games, were always up against it when Delap scored at Leopold Wahlstedt’s near post after 11 minutes.
Aaron Connolly doubled Hull’s advantage seven minutes later but Rovers made it 2-1 when Sammie Szmodics lobbed Matt Ingram to claim a 15th goal of the season.
Harry Pickering, on his 25th birthday and 100th start for the club, equalised in first-half injury-time, but Jones cashed in on some poor defending with the winner off Tyler Morton’s corner.
Tomasson said: “We have players that are not used to playing three games in a week and that is something that we need to develop.
“Our structure is not risky at all – we had spare players in every situation – but we just need to be in control of situations.
“The team played some great stuff – even with 10 men.
“I also thought we played excellent in the first half – it was only with those moments when we should have done much better.”
Liam Rosenior felt defeat of Blackburn could be a season-defining victory as Hull moved back into the play-offs.
He said: “I’m so happy we don’t have to play Blackburn again – they are a credit to Jon. I thought there were outstanding and they made for a really good football match.
“The first half kind of sums up our season: we were in control and then we shoot ourselves in the foot.
“We were still in control of the game but we lose possession and then it’s 2-2.
“There were a lot of frustrated players at half-time but credit to them – they went out and did it and I’m really proud of them.
“It’s the biggest win of the season by far in terms of momentum.”
Rosenior added: “We had to manage the game in a different way, I felt.
“Second half, we got the press better but we had to be patient. We also scored from a set-play, which we are getting better at, so I’m delighted.
“It’s massive for the club (to end the year in the play-offs). It doesn’t mean anything now but I want it to mean something in May.
“That was a character-mentality game and I think the players showed that in bucket-loads.
“It’s about staying calm and consistent but we are in a good place.”
Seattle Sounders v LA Galaxy: Sluggish starts frustrating Vanney
LA Galaxy coach Greg Vanney has urged his team to start sharply when they take on the Seattle Sounders on Sunday.
The Galaxy went down 2-0 to Austin FC last time out, and will look to get back to winning ways when they head up the West Coast to face the Sounders, who they beat 1-0 in March.
Vanney’s side found themselves 2-0 down after just 19 minutes against Austin, though, and the Galaxy coach is growing increasingly frustrated with his team’s sloppy starts.
In quotes reported by The Galactic Tribune, Vanney said: “We've got to do a better job of not starting slow and getting ourselves behind the game one and two goals because then it certainly incentivises the opposition to sit a little bit lower and really kind of protect the face of the goal.”
Vanney also pointed out that sluggishness in the final third is proving equally as costly.
He added: “The speed of our final actions when we are in possession and we do find those moments that we need to break, with the timing of things, needs to be sharper. I feel like we weren't so sharp on that side of things so that we can get to the necessary spots.”
For experienced defender Maya Yoshida, there were few excuses after the Austin loss.
“We were not enough. I don't deserve anything for my performance,” he said. “We deserved to lose. We are very disappointed. We have to learn from this defeat.”
The Galaxy went into the weekend second in the Western Conference, 10 places and nine points above the Sounders.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Seattle Sounders – Raul Ruidiaz
Ruidiaz and team-mate Jordan Morris have each scored nine goals against the Galaxy in their MLS careers. Since 2016, the only players with more goals against a single opponent are Carlos Vela (10 vs. Galaxy), Jeremy Ebobisse (10 vs. Galaxy) and Kei Kamara (10 vs. Montreal).
LA Galaxy – Riqui Puig
Puig had a fine campaign last year and the former Barcelona midfielder has picked up where he left off, scoring three goals and creating two more so far this season.
MATCH PREDICTION: SEATTLE SOUNDERS WIN
The Galaxy’s loss to Austin ended a run of 18 straight matches with at least one goal in all competitions, scoring 41 total times during that run (2.3 goals per match). It was the Galaxy’s longest run of games with a goal in all competitions since a 21-match run in 2014.
The Sounders won their second match of the season on Tuesday, a 3-2 victory in Philadelphia. Seattle have scored eight goals in their two wins this year (5-0 vs. CF Montreal in April) and six goals in their other eight matches (D3 L5).
The Galaxy beat Seattle at home on March 30, ending an 11-match MLS winless run against the Sounders (D4 L7). The Galaxy last won consecutive MLS matches against Seattle in April-August 2015.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Seattle Sounders – 53.9%
LA Galaxy – 20.1%
Draw – 26%
Haaland pinpoints collective Man City quality after four-goal blitz of Wolves
Erling Haaland blasted four goals past Wolves in a one-man Premier League show but the Manchester City forward says it would not be possible without manager Pep Guardiola or his team-mates.
The City talisman took his top-flight tally to 25 for this season, moving five clear of his nearest challenger in the Premier League Golden Boot race, after Saturday's 5-1 thrashing of Wolves.
Haaland was twice on target from the penalty spot as part of his first-half hat-trick, adding another after the interval with an arrowed strike into the top-left corner.
It was the first time the Norway star has managed four goals in one Premier League game, with his quartet of strikes coming in 54 minutes. Only Gabriel Jesus has scored as many earlier in one match, doing so in 53 minutes against Watford in April 2022.
Haaland also became the third player to score multiple first-half hat-tricks in Premier League history (also against Nottingham Forest last season), along with Andrew Cole and Michael Owen (two each).
Yet the superstar attacker says his exploits would not be possible without his City colleagues or boss Guardiola.
"I've got a not-too-bad manager who pushes me and look at the players around me," Haaland told Sky Sports when asked about his motivations.
"Without them, it would not be possible. Look ahead, look to next one – four finals left for the season. We're going to go for it and focus on Fulham."
It was Haaland's sixth Premier League hat-trick for City, with only seven players netting more in the competition’s history. All six of those trebles have been at the Etihad, only three have more at a single venue.
Haaland's second strike came from a towering header following Rodri's right-wing centre, which he suggested would delight his father Alfie.
"That's a beautiful goal," the Norwegian said of his headed finish. "My father is going to be happy with that one.
"A nice celebration, I enjoyed that one. I'm scoring more headers, I try to develop and keep going."
City are within a point of Premier League leaders Arsenal and Guardiola's side still have a game in hand against Tottenham on May 14.
Despite the thrashing of Wolves, Haaland insists Guardiola remains intent on winning the remaining games, rather than calculating the probabilities needed on goal difference.
"First of all it's about winning the games but, of course, you want to have the best possible goal difference," he added. "Let's not think about that. Think about Fulham."
Mallorca 0-1 Atletico Madrid: Early Riquelme strike earns narrow win
Atletico Madrid closed in on a Champions League spot after winger Rodrigo Riquelme's early strike earned his side a 1-0 win at Mallorca in LaLiga on Saturday.
With four games remaining, Diego Simeone's side are fourth in the standings on 67 points, six ahead of fifth-placed Athletic Bilbao, who beat Getafe on Friday.
There was an end-of-the-season feel at a half-empty Son Moix stadium with both teams lacking urgency in a lacklustre match, with the only standout moment being Riquelme's fine individual effort in the fifth minute, which ultimately secured the win for the visitors.
Riquelme pounced on a loose ball in the edge of the box and cleared two defenders before unleashing an unstoppable strike just inside the right post.
Data Debrief: Mallorca's blunt attack easily stopped
Mallorca mustered an expected goals of just 0.24 in this game, and they have now failed to score in 15 of their 34 league games this season. Only Cadiz (17) have failed to score more often in the competition this term.
That is despite the hosts having attempted 526 passes in this game, their highest total in a single league match this season.
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