Blackburn Rovers 1 Leeds United 2: Whites bag third successive league win

Following Championship victories against Bolton Wanderers and Cardiff City, Sol Bamba smashed home from Alex Mowatt’s 34th-minute corner to put United 1-0 up at the break.

From a Rovers corner, Mirco Antenucci then clinically finished a 69th-minute counter attack to net his fourth goal in three games.

Rovers then set up a grandstand finale when Simeon Jackson netted with two minutes left, before the annnouncement of six minutes of injury time, but Leeds had already done enough to seal all three points.

Head coach Steve Evans was also able to welcome back striker Chris Wood as an 85th-minute substitute for Souleymane Doukara.

Leeds were extremely unlucky not to take a 16th-minute lead when Alex Mowatt’s beautiful 20-yard free-kick was brilliantly tipped wide by Rovers ‘keeper Jason Steele.

Blackburn then went close when Danny Graham raced clear one-on-one, only to be denied by a solid low save from Marco Silvestri.

And it was Leeds who made breakthrough after 35 minutes when Mowatt’s fine corner found an unmarked Sol Bamba who gleefully slammed the ball home into the roof of the net.

The strike sparked wild celebrations in the away end as a yellow and blue flare made its way on the pitch and Rovers offered a very limited response as United comfortably led at the interval.

Rovers again offered little threat after the interval and United doubled their lead from a brilliant 69th-minute counter which all stemmed from a Rovers corner.

Marco Silvestri flapped at a danegrous delivery but United cleared their lines and Antenucci ran some 50 yards before dinking a precise finish over Steele into the bottom right corner.

Blackburn almost pulled a goal back with ten minutes left when Craig Conway’s cross skimmed off Giuseppe Bellusci and went inches wide of Silvestri’s post.

Rovers then set up a nervy finale when Jackson slammed home an 89th-minute corner but United survived a nervy period of injury time which in the end extended to eight minutes.

Leeds United: Silvestri, Berardi, Bamba, Bellusci, Taylor, Diagouraga (Murphy 90), Bridcutt, Mowatt (Dallas 73), Cook, Antenucci, Doukara (Wood 85). Subs not used: Grimes, Wootton, Murphy, Carayol, Botaka

Blackburn Rovers: Steele, Marshall, Duffy, Hanley, Spurr, Lenihan (Grimes 75), Akpan, J. Gomez (Conway 70), Bennett, Watt (Jackson 63), Graham. Subs not used: Raya, Brown, Ward, Evans.

Referee: Keith Stroud.

Attendance: 16, 071 (3,344 Leeds).