The two teams looked as though they were heading for a 0-0 draw at Ewood Park until Emmanuel Dennis’ red card in the 85th minute handed the visitors a late advantage, with Ante Crnac finding the back of the net just five minutes later.

However, Rovers fought back and equalised in the 96th minute through Andreas Weimann to ensure that their new French manager did not get off to a losing start in front of the home supporters.

Blackburn make the trip to Derby County on Saturday as they look to put one over their former boss, John Eustace, at Pride Park with the Lancashire outfit set to be backed by a sold-out away end.

Yuri Ribeiro named in surprise Blackburn debate

Eustace only left Rovers last month for the Rams, switching a play-off fight for a relegation scrap and he has not had the easiest of starts to life in the East Midlands, losing all three of his first three games in charge.

Ismael has a fantastic opportunity to get his side back into the top six this weekend against a side severely out of form, but he will his players to perform professionally to ensure that they take all three points with them back to the north-west and continue what has been an excellent campaign.

Football League World has asked their Blackburn Fan Pundit, Simon Middlehurst, which player has surprised him the most so far this season, for better or for worse.

He told FLW: “I’ll probably say Yuri Ribeiro, the left-back who we signed in the transfer window.

“He hasn’t really played much football and he was obviously a bit of an unknown coming in, especially when we already had Owen Beck and Harry Pickering, but he’s actually been a really good strong signing.”

Simon continued: “He’s very consistent, he reads the game well, he knows how to pick out a pass. He’s already got a couple of assists as well.

“So, I’m going to say Ribeiro has been the player that surprised me the most. He’s been a really good signing and hopefully we can keep him in the summer and keep him for a long period of time.”

Blackburn have a decision to make with Ribeiro in the coming months

Ribeiro was signed on deadline day from Braga on a permanent deal until the end of the season. Not much was known about him on his arrival, having spent only a couple of years in England with Nottingham Forest in the past.

However, he has been excellent in his first month at Blackburn and a decision has to be made on what to do with him past the summer as he is proving to be a very useful operator at left-back.

Owen Beck is set to return to Liverpool in the summer, and having permanent cover in the position for another couple of years is a must if Rovers are to retain any sort of consistency in the coming seasons.

Yuri Ribeiro Blackburn Rovers 2024/25 stats *
Appearances (starts)	4 (4)
Minutes played	360
Goals (assists)	0 (1)
Pass accuracy	78%
Cross accuracy	15.4%
Tackle success	55.6%
Duel success	56.5%
Aerial duel success	47.1%
*Stats correct as of 04/03/2025

At 28, he has a wealth of experience, while time remains on his side and he has proven to be a very capable Championship defender, and Ismael must push to extend his stay.

Read more on;https://sportupdates.co.uk