John Eustace lauded the “outstanding” Yuki Ohashi after his brace helped Blackburn to a 3-0 Championship victory over Bristol City.
The result never looked in doubt, though the opener was self-inflicted as Max O’Leary’s lackadaisical pass was pounced on by Lewis Travis and – with the goalkeeper in no man’s land – he slotted home his first of the campaign with ease.
Ohashi got in on the act in the second half with two wonderful finishes to take his league tally to four, as Rovers ruthlessly turned the screw on their visitors.
First, Tyrhys Dolan won the ball back before finding Ohashi to curl the ball powerfully into the top right corner and he did so in a defter fashion off his left foot for the third, capping a lightning Blackburn counter.
Rovers sit just one point off the summit after securing a third-straight home league victory for the first time since March 2023 and Eustace praised his outstanding forward, as well the overall performance to keep a clean sheet.
He said: “He’s been outstanding since he’s come to the football club. He’s a real part of the family. The lads love him to bits, his English getting better everyday. He’s a really important member of the squad.
“We have to remember that we recruited him when he was still in season in Japan.
“He was up and running and firing over there. Coming into our group, we’ve given him simple jobs and he’s taken all the messages on board because he’s up to speed, he’s a very intelligent footballer and obviously a very good finisher.
“I said to the boys at half-time, we were fairly dominant that first half but we have to be more clinical in the final third. They all agreed with that and second half we were clinical which was great.
“There was a moment with Pearsy (Aynsley Pears) pulling off a fantastic save, the boys throwing their bodies on the line, defending the box for their lives. They really earned the clean sheet today.”
It was two defeats on the bounce for Bristol City, conceding six goals without reply. They have only won twice away this calendar year and manager Liam Manning apologised to the fans who made their feelings known at the break and full-time.
He said: “Hugely disappointing result and performance. Nowhere near the level we expect or we’re capable of.
“For me, the frustrating bit was, any team you work with, you want to be associated around – the desire, to compete, to run, to win duels, to do the basic side of the game really well, wasn’t where it needed to be today.
“Hugely disappointing because I know we’ve got a group of lads that care and want to do well, so yes, frustrated and disappointed with that.
“The big bit for me is we have to learn from today. We’ll have a tough meeting on Monday, we’ll get back to basics and hard work on Tuesday, Wednesday and we have to be harder to beat.
“Conceding far too many goals and when you look at where a lot of this group were at last year – in terms of the defensive side of the game – we’ve got to get back to that.
“I can only apologise for the performance today.”
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Big GabrielSporting 1-5 Arsenal Who will win this month's Manager of the Month award? What happens when you come up against Saliba and Gabriel... Wayne Rooney, a true legend on and off the pitch. Cristiano Ronaldo in the iconic white and gold jersey brings back so many unforgettable memories! Throwback to THIS Beautiful Moment when Lionel Messi scored his 50th ca...
Bellingham admits 'vibrations' were key to Liverpool snubJude Bellingham has revealed how close he came to joining Liverpool, and the "vibrations" he felt when Real Madrid came calling."It wasn't as close as it was said," Bellingham said ahead of Real's Champions League clash with Liverpool. "There were conversations. There was Dortmund and I did it with several clubs. When Real Madrid call you, t...
Manchester City's Champions League match on Tuesday night was marred by crowd trouble, with Feyenoord fans causing chaos at the Etihad Stadium. The Dutch supporters, escorted by police from the city centre to the stadium, filled all three tiers of the South Stand.After City scored three goals, Feyenoord managed to net one with about 15 minutes left, leading to riot police stepping in to prevent cl...
Liverpool boss Arne Slot insists Mohamed Salah isn't unsettled over his contract situation.After scoring twice in victory at Southampton on Sunday, Salah revealed he had not heard from management about a new deal. His current contract expires in June."The only thing I can say is, if I look at my line-ups, Mo is more in than out," said Slot."I don't think he's distracted at all. I haven't seen that...
Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany said he doesn't fully understand how the new Champions League format worked after his team earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday to improve their chances of reaching the knockout stage.Bayern needed a first-half goal from defender Kim Min-Jae to battle past 10-man PSG and claim a third win in five matches."I don't look at the table...
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. The reason why Man City lost 5 matches in a row Erling Haaland lol Cucuruku Cook that thing… This The Man United cycle. This Please stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: Justtoonit, originaltrollfootball, FootballLaughss, PL__OOC)...
The Portuguese has promised to not sign any Sporting CP stars in the winter window.However, all bets are off in the summer, with A Bola stating that Geovany Quenda is the main target.United are said to be preparing an offer of £50M plus bonuses to secure the young winger.Amorim can use Quenda in either wing-back position, while he is also capable of playing in the front three.Another player U...
The Algerian's contract expires in the summer of 2026 and he is believed to be eyeing a move away from Molineux.Rayan Ait-Nouri is wanted by Man UtdThat has put United are on red alert for a player as Amorim has made signing a left-back a priority.He wants to boost his options give Luke Shaw's injury record.Shaw could also eventually move into the back-three once the former Sporting Lisbon manager...
Mohamed Salah has said he is yet to receive a formal contract offer from Liverpool, adding that he is "more out than in" regarding whether he will stay at the club next season.Salah, whose contract is set to expire next summer, has enjoyed an impressive individual campaign, having scored 12 goals in all competitions this term, including a brace in Liverpool's 3-2 comeback win over Southampton on S...
Real Madrid monitoring Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite🚨👀 #Branthwaite is attracting the attention of 🇪🇺 top clubs.📃 #RealMadrid included the CB in their list of potential January targets, while 🏴 teams continue to monitor him ahead of June.💰 #Everton would like to keep him but are also open to evaluating bids >€70m. 🐓⚽ pic.twitter.com/5lpoomMdyp— Rudy Galetti (@RudyGaletti) Novem...
- 1 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 2 Ex-Prem ace asked Liverpool star for his sister's phone number
- 3 Chelsea make Nkunku sale call amid ManUtd interest
- 4 €60-70m could bring star to Liverpool or Man Utd
- 5 Chloe Kelly sends fans wild in daring outfit at GQ Men of the Year
- 6 Mascherano nears Miami; Martino exits
- 7 Former Premier League star saved his wife and baby from house fire
- 8 Amorim targets Sporting Lisbon's Quenda
- 9 Ruben Amorim ‘could move to Ten Hag or Pogba’s old homes’
- 10 Man Utd considering returning for Branthwaite