Derby 4-2

Andi Weimann and Yuki Ohashi both scored on debut as Blackburn opened their Sky Bet Championship campaign with a 4-2 win over newly promoted Derby.

John Eustace’s men were rewarded for their quick start, taking the lead in the 19th minute through Tyrhys Dolan’s close-range shot after some well-planned play.

Rovers had control of the game in the first half, but Derby fought back after the break and Curtis Nelson’s powerful header in the 67th minute brought the game back to parity.

But the task ahead of the promoted Rams was laid bare by Blackburn’s triple substitution just before the equaliser, which saw Rovers bring on Weimann, Ohashi and Sammie Szmodics as they stunned the visitors with three goals in the space of 12 minutes.

First, Weimann headed home from close range in the 72nd minute against his former club, after some great work from Hayden Carter.

Szmodics, who has been linked with a move to the Premier League, confidently struck four minutes later to make it 3-1, before turning in an assist for Ohashi, who added the fourth six minutes from time.

Kane Wilson headed Derby’s consolation goal in the dying minutes, but it was a sobering return to the Championship after a two-year absence.

Blackburn’s new signing Makhtar Gueye had a shot straight at goal early on, but Rovers were in front thanks to a flowing move that saw the Senegal striker’s low cross find Dolan six yards out, who fired first-time into the top corner.

After a disappointing first half, Derby came close to equalising early in the second when Nathaniel Mendez-Laing’s corner went close to the net but Aynsley Pears made a masterful save.

Gueye missed another golden opportunity when he shot straight at Derby goalkeeper Josh Vickers in the 52nd minute and County capitalised when Mendez-Laing’s cross was met by Nelson’s powerful header which crashed into the net.

The tie lasted just five minutes, when Weimann made his debut with a goal that owed much to the calm of Carter who, in an attacking position on the right, feinted to cross and made two Derby players sit down before lifting the ball onto the head of the Austrian who headed in from close range, unmarked.

Blackburn put the game on the line in the 76th minute after more good work down the right flank, with Callum Brittain’s low pass finding Szmodics 12 yards out and the eagerly awaited striker making no mistake, slotting the ball home with ease.

At this point the hosts let loose and broke away to score the fourth goal, when Szmodics freed Ohashi, who struck the ball with a sumptuous strike past Vickers.

A set piece gifted Derby their second goal in the 88th minute, when the lively Wilson headed Mendez-Laing’s corner clear at the near post, but that did little to dampen the spirits of the Blackburn faithful.

The managers

John Eustace of Blackburn:

“I thought the lads were excellent. We had four or five lads who hadn’t played in preseason.

“Derby are a physical team and would always put pressure on us. The character they showed was really pleasing.”

On Szmodics and potential new signings…

“Listen, he’s a special player. When he’s in those areas, there’s only one place he can go. We knew that bringing him would lift the place, the fans love him.

“I just want good characters. I want to build something special and to do that, you have to keep your best players. That’s the plan and hopefully we can bring three or four more quality players into the group.”

Derby’s Paul Warne:

“I thought we were going to 1-1. I’m going away knowing we have a good group, but you can’t give away four and expect to go home with something. Their substitutions had an impact on the game and I delayed mine because I thought we were leading.

“When I see it again, I will realize that we were slower. I apologized to the dressing room because I should have made some changes. I was happy that the boys scored another goal and continued, the character was impeccable.

“We gave a good account of ourselves. We are not 100 percent fit for the match. I am disappointed with the result and we need to resolve this quickly.”