Blackburn Rovers send clear message to Championship rivals with West Brom win.

Blackburn Rovers sent the ideal message to the Championship, defeating play-off opponents West Brom 2-0 in their first encounter without John Eustace.

While the soon-to-be-departed head coach is still officially a Blackburn Rovers employee, David Lowe led from the dugout as Rovers triumphed at The Hawthorns.

After a dull first half in which Rovers sat in and frustrated West Brom, they delivered the ideal second half. Torbjorn Heggem’s header off the post was the closest either team came in the first half.

After the interval, Rovers regrouped and attacked with fresh zest. Makhtar Gueye had a penalty claim knocked down before acrobatically turning Dom Hyam’s header into the goal to put them ahead.

From that point forward, it was all about Gueye. The number nine banged the underside of the crossbar as the ball bounced away from the goal.

But he was not to be denied for long, scoring seven goals in all competitions this season. Lewis Travis deserves credit for his efforts, as he got the ball back, drove at the opposition, and found Andi Weimann. His attempt found Gueye’s path, and he took his time finishing in the corner.

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Rovers resumed life without Eustace with Lowe in the dugout, assisted by Damien Johnson and the rest of the club’s customary backroom staff. Though the head coach stayed in charge on a technicality, this marked the beginning of a new era.

The issue before kickoff was whether Blackburn Rovers, who had been trounced, would fight or flee. Despite the bad public relations and negative headlines generated this week, the squad has given itself a shot at the top six with 15 games to go before kick-off, and their reaction will be telling.

Unsurprisingly, it was a very Eustace-like lineup. One change from the loss to Queens Park Rangers and seven from the cup exit. Yuri Ribeiro made his league debut in place of the injured Owen Beck, who had a minor hamstring injury.

That left plenty of options on the bench to affect the game if Rovers can keep it close by the hour. Amario Cozier-Duberry, Augustus Kargbo, and Emmanuel Dennis provided pace and agility to alter the dynamic.

Regardless of Eustace, the game was overflowing with story. Tony Mowbray in the dugout, Adam Armstrong leading the line; those superstitious Rovers supporters were already worried.

Early indications from the away end showed that both sides were to blame in the Eustace-Rovers divorce. Chants against ownership were immediately followed by those against Steve Waggott and Eustace. They cannot be repeated in print, but let us assume they are unpopular personalities.

There wasn’t much amusement on the pitch. Rovers performed an excellent job of limiting West Brom to very little. They sat in the middle of the block and chose to absorb pressure, which contributed little to the show.

When the hosts appeared most menacing, it was from a large region. Isaac Price delivered from a recycled corner, which was received by Heggem but bounced against the post’s outside.

Rovers were troubling West Brom, but they lacked counter-attacking power. Having decided to leave the speed on the bench, there was little out ball or quality possession to pose a serious danger.

Tyrhys Dolan’s shot from the edge of the box was their finest effort before halftime. His shot drove Joe Wildsmith into an easy but necessary save.

The only significant downside at halftime was Danny Batth’s injury, which occurred immediately before the break. Fortunately, with Hayden Carter nearby and Dion Sanderson available to deputise, Rovers now have some deputies in the region.

Within minutes of the second half, Rovers offered a greater danger than the previous half. Gueye ran past the defenders shortly after the restart and was pulled down, but the referee dismissed the protests.

From the subsequent corner, Hyam headed down John Buckley’s delivery, which he completed acrobatically. His sixth of the season in all competition was too powerful for Wildsmith to handle.

Whatever was stated during halftime had the desired effect. Rovers were instantly flooding forward, and as cries of ‘Are you watching John Eustace’ rang out from the away end, Gueye slammed the underside of the bar with a tremendous shot. Sadly for Rovers, it did not cross the line because it was hooked to safety.

Armstrong then had the ball in the net, but it was ruled out due to an apparent shove as the corner kick was whipped in. Substitute Will Lankshear soon followed suit, but this time the offside flag caught him.

Those good judgments were critical as Rovers scored their second goal to seal the victory. Travis launched a superb counter-attack by winning the ball and driving up the pitch.

His back-post cross reached Weimann, who scuffed his shot into the path of Gueye. The attacker took his time before scoring into the corner from 12 yards out, sending the away end into a frenzy.

Rovers did not have to face a particularly severe storm. West Brom controlled the majority of the possession, but they never threatened to overturn Blackburn’s advantage. Instead, they were annoyed by their tendency to overhit passes and long-range attempts.

It turned out to be the ideal away day for a bunch of supporters who deserved nothing more. A challenging few days were followed by renewed optimism and confidence that this season may yet be memorable.

Nobody knows who will be in the dugout in May, but this win demonstrated that Blackburn Rovers are larger than the efforts of one man.