Although Blackburn Rovers’ goalkeeper Aynsley Pears was excellent against Leeds United the previous game, he had two poor plays that led to two goals against Sheffield Wednesday today.
The Whites are primarily to blame for their own recent decline in performance during the international break; they will probably need to win two of their final three games in order to receive automatic promotion.
The Championship is a very tough place to be consistent, as Leeds and the teams that have recently defeated them have shown.Blackburn loses to Sheffield on Wednesday following an incredible performance at Elland Road.
Blackburn’s victory at Elland Road was crucial to both their survival attempt and breaking the Whites’ home unbeaten streak this season. It also allowed them to close the gap with the bottom three.
Goalie Aynsley Pears was crucial to that performance against Leeds; he earned the title of Man of the Match on Sky Sports by making six outstanding saves and assisting in setting up Sammie Szmodics’ winning goal with just ten minutes remaining.
Blackburn supporters probably believed that if they played as well against Sheffield Wednesday this afternoon, they would easily win and go home.
With two games remaining, they are just three above the drop zone after a 3-1 home loss to the Owls drops them back into the muck.
Leeds vs. Middlesbrough predictions
Following the Leeds masterclass, Aynsley Pears had another howler for Blackburn.
Leeds supporters were likely curious to see ‘keeper Pears’ progress after becoming a controversial character at Elland Road due to his time-wasting tactics from the start as well as his ability to preserve a clean sheet.
This occurred just a few weeks after a horrifying incident involving Leeds’ rivals Ipswich Town, in which a meek Conor Chaplin shot crawled past Pears’ hand and into the bottom corner, giving the Tractor Boys a crucial 1-0 victory that, given the balance of play, their performance didn’t entirely deserve.
Nevertheless, Wednesday and Josh Windass, who were well outside of his penalty area when Wednesday’s headed pass in the sixth minute was latched upon, left him with an egg on his face as they calmly lofted the ball above him and into the empty net to give Danny Rohl’s team the lead:
With his most recent goal, Szmodics helped Pears out once more, bringing his total to 31 goals across all competitions, but it wasn’t enough to deliver them the outcome they required.
Before an incredible play by Pears made it 3-1 to the visitors, Marvin Johnson gave the Owls their lead back. Pears attempted to clear a pass back to him in his six-yard box, but instead sliced it back into his goal as he assisted in bundling it over the line:
Daniel Farke has also hinted at the notion that certain players and teams step up their game for a trip to LS11, a belief that is shared by Leeds supporters and almost every fandom in the nation.
The Whites’ ardent supporters of this kind of conspiracy won’t be deterred by the events at Ewood Park.
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