Valerien Ismael described Blackburn’s 4-1 hammering of Millwall as the best his side has played since his arrival as head coach.
Rovers maintained their slim play-off hopes by putting their in-form visitors to the sword.
Dominic Hyam’s 42nd-minute header put Rovers ahead – the first of three goals in five minutes – as Mihailo Ivanovic equalised before Sondre Tronstad registered the first of two spectacular strikes to give Blackburn a half-time lead.
They ruthlessly pulled away thanks to Callum Brittain’s powerful near-post finish, before Tronstad’s thunderbolt on the hour rounded off the scoring.
Rovers need a perfect end to the campaign to have a chance of extending their season but Ismael was pleased with the spirit his players displayed.
He said: “It was a great afternoon especially the way we wanted to play. We kept going in the second half against Sheffield Wednesday… the fighting spirit against Luton last week… and we combined both today.
“From minute one, we were on the front foot, this is what we expected and we see clearly the way the players want to win, reinforce the message, the game plan, the way we want to play. When you get the result, the players start to believe and get more confidence and today is the best performance I’ve seen from the players since I’ve been here.
“You see what happens when you are missing key players, it makes a huge difference. Callum Brittain, his first game back, he lifted the quality in the team. This team needs the best players on the pitch to perform and you see the statistics, much more shots on target, much more penetration.”
Millwall’s own play-off hopes were damaged with defeat. Alex Neil felt his side created chances but pointed to the makeshift backline – including debutant goalkeeper George Evans – as ‘mitigating circumstances’.
He said: “There’s a bit of mitigating circumstances. We have a 19-year-old making his debut in goal, we lose Joe (Bryan) yesterday. We then had to put a right back from right back to left back. Tristan (Crama) is playing his fourth game at centre-back.
“So we have a backline really that’s been cobbled together but I don’t want to, and I haven’t – certainly from the player’s perspective – given us any excuse as to why we should lose the game but I think we’re all fully aware when you change potentially four positions out of your back five, particularly at this stage of the season with the magnitude of the game we needed to win, it’s certainly not helpful.
“It’s not been ideal but having said all that, I still feel as if we had enough opportunities to impact the game today but we didn’t take our opportunities.”
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Arsenal hold meeting with Viktor Gyokeres' agent Liverpool Now "They only brag about their UCLs" lol Joshua couldn't keep up the pressure Senegoal? ThisPlease stay tuned on Daily Laugh. There will be more fun tomorrow!(Credit: Justtoonit, FootballLaughss, NoContextChe1, originaltrollfootball, PL__OOC)...
The former Borussia Dortmund winger is back at Manchester United after Chelsea rejected the chance to make his move permanent.Chelsea have turned down the chance to sign Jadon SanchoManager Ruben Amorim has no plans to integrate Sancho back into his first team - meaning the 25-year-old is searching for a fresh start.And SunSport understands Aston Villa, Tottenham and Newcastle are all monitoring d...
Marseille have reached an agreement in principle to sign England midfielder Angel Gomes, the Ligue 1 club announced Wednesday.Gomes had previously revealed that he would leave Lille when his contract expires this summer.The 24 year-old impressed when earning his first England caps under interim head coach Lee Carsley last year but has yet to feature under current boss Thomas Tuchel.Angel Gomes' pe...
The Premier League champs intend to spend big on another attacker even after they complete a British-transfer record £127million deal for Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz.Bradley Barcola has emerged as a shock target for LiverpoolLiverpool still have hope of signing Alexander IsakFlorian Wirtz is set to move to Anfield in a record £127m dealAnd they are prepared to battle Bayern Munich f...
Marseille land GomesMarseille have completed the signing of England international Angel Gomes on a free transfer.The midfielder is leaving Lille at the end of his contract but has turned down reported Premier League interest to remain in Ligue 1.Newcastle and Chelsea battle for TraffordNewcastle fear Chelsea could hijack their move for Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford, report The Telegraph.The En...
Joao Felix and Sterling left out of Chelsea CWC squadChelsea have included several new signings in their Club World Cup squad, leaving out Raheem Sterling and Joao Felix.New signings Mike Penders, Mamadou Sarr, Dario Essugo, and Liam Delap were included in Enzo Maresca’s squad for the United States.Among those left out are Sterling and Felix, both of whom spent time away from Stamford Bridge...
Quentin Merlin and Portugal's defender Rodrigo Pinheiro vie for the ballGroup C heavy-hitters Portugal and France played out a tense 0-0 draw on matchday one of the 2025 UEFA European U21 Championships, as Rui Jorge’s side avoided a third successive defeat with an assured display in Trencin.In a first meeting between the two heavyweight nations since 2011, it was Portugal who edged a cagey o...
Arsenal star Saka admits fears over hamstring injury recoveryArsenal star Bukayo Saka admits he doubted his fitness after suffering a hamstring injury earlier this season.The 23-year-old came off the bench in England’s 3-1 loss to Senegal and has now opened up about the self-doubts he faced in regaining form, having been a key figure for both club and country.0"It’s about not thinking ...
Premier League clubs increased their spending in the January window to £370 million -- up on the £100m paid out last year -- though Manchester City are chiefly responsible after splashing out £180m of that on their own. We were nowhere near the 2023 record of £815m, but will the summer see a rise in expensive moves?This year, for the first time, the transfer window has been spl...
The 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup kicks off a year today when joint-hosts Mexico get the tournament underway in Mexico City's Azteca Stadium on June 11, 2026.It will be the biggest World Cup, with the format expanding from 32 nations at Qatar 2022 to 48 teams in USA, Mexico and Canada. The result is 104 games across 16 cities in three nations before the new world champion is crowned at New Jersey's Me...
- 1 England player ratings vs Andorra: Cole Palmer disappoints as Kane bails out Tuchel
- 2 Bayer Leverkusen interested in shock move for Jack Grealish
- 3 Bryan Mbeumo 'picks between Man Utd and Tottenham' as transfer agreement struck
- 4 Daily Laugh - Morata : Me again?
- 5 Harvey Elliott opens door to Liverpool exit
- 6 Tottenham players fuming! Spurs facing player revolt as stars left furious by decision to brutally sack Ange Postecoglou after Europa League win
- 7 Transfer news: Jadon Sancho announces move as Liverpool confirm deal
- 8 'We are responsible for the results' - England boss Thomas Tuchel gives verdict on Tottenham's decision to sack Ange Postecoglou despite Europa League glory
- 9 Brazil vs Paraguay Prediction 11 June 2025
- 10 Chelsea offered Mohammed Kudus! Blues enter talks with West Ham over deal to sign winger as Hammers ask about swap deal