Report: Blackburn beat stunned Saints

Leo Scienza’s first goal for the club marked his latest bright display, as Saints took a single-goal lead into the break.

A fraught second half saw Rovers level through Ryan Alebiosu, before Andri Gudjohnsen struck to inflict a second defeat of the week, with the afternoon only made worse by Welington's late dismissal.

Chasing the elusive winning formula, Saints lined up in Lancashire with four changes to the side that started in midweek, as an illness within the camp ruled out Caspar Jander and Flynn Downes from any involvement.

Finn Azaz took the young German’s spot, with Under-21s midfielder Cam Bragg included in the matchday squad alongside striker Nick Oyekunle for the first time.

In a trio of changes in defence, Mads Roerslev returned from injury to take Ryan Fraser’s place, while on the other flank Ryan Manning came in for Welington who picked up a knock at Bristol City.

Completing the alterations, Joshua Quarshie was preferred to Taylor Harwood-Bellis as the visitors looked for a first league win at Ewood Park since 1998.

Looking to end that 26-year wait, Saints were immediately on the front foot, with Cameron Archer spurning a glorious chance just four minutes in.

Nice link-up between Azaz and the in-form Adam Armstrong set the latter clear to the byline, with his drilled cross finding the striker who couldn’t apply a meaningful touch from just a few yards out before Balázs Tóth dived on the ball.

Staying on the offensive, Scienza warned of what was to come when his shot from the left-hand side of the box had Tóth momentarily worried as it flew over the bar, before the hosts announced their arrival as Taylor Gardner-Hickman curled an in-swinging corner onto the crossbar.

Leo Scienza opened his Saints account

A frantic opening 10 minutes wasn’t sustained as the game drifted into something of a non-event, until Saints’ summer signing brought some Brazilian flair to Lancashire.

After the ball squirted into his path, Scienza averted a last-ditch challenge to race into the box, coolly dragging his foot over the ball to compose himself before stroking a shot into the far corner to get off the mark.

Conceding just three minutes after taking the lead at Bristol City on Tuesday night, history almost repeated itself, as just two minutes after the opener, Yuki Ohashi found space 20 yards out to fire in a bouncing shot that Alex McCarthy had to tip around the post.

A Rovers response didn’t materialise before the break, although the visitors’ narrow lead would need attention after the restart if Still’s side were to avoid dropping points after grabbing the opener for a fourth time this season.

Keen to avoid a second home defeat this week, Valérien Ismaël’s side came out with an urgency that was lacking in the opening 45 minutes, somehow failing to equalise within five minutes of the restart.

Dion De Neve’s charging run down the left resulted in a low ball aimed at Ohashi, with the striker’s poked effort at full-stretch well saved by a sprawling McCarthy.

With Saints rocked, miscommunication between Ronnie Edwards and Quarshie, who went for the same ball, allowed Ohashi to nip in and set Ryōra Morishita clear through on goal, only to drag his effort wide of the target with only McCarthy to beat.

Sensing an opportunity, the blue and white shirts continued to flood forward as De Neve led the offensive, this time seeing a cross almost turned into his own net by Edwards but for another McCarthy intervention.

Adam Armstrong hit the post in the second half

As Ewood Park got behind their side, Saints should have struck on the counter from the resulting corner, as a four-on-one situation unfolded.

Goal scorer Scienza sensed the chance to add an assist to his day’s work and played in Armstrong on the right-hand side of the box, but the skipper’s dinked finish was read by Tóth who stood tall to block the shot.

Becoming an increasingly open affair, Blackburn’s wasteful afternoon continued when Ohashi could only scuff a shot at McCarthy from 12 yards, as the hour-mark came and went.

Armstrong, 10 minutes after his first thwarted attempt, was set through on goal again on 66 minutes, this time by Azaz, only for Tóth to come out on top again by diverting the number nine’s low shot onto the post.

Scienza’s first-half effort remained the difference and the Brazilian was replaced by Jack Stephens with a little over 20 minutes remaining, going into midfield alongside Shea Charles as Azaz moved further forward.

Blackburn made a trio of changes themselves, however, and their endeavours finally paid off fortuitously, as Alebiosu cut in from the left before seeing his cross wind up in the back of the net after evading Ryan Hedges in the middle.

A difficult moment was made worse when Charles dropped to the floor with what looked like a hamstring injury, forcing Still to hand Bragg a league debut for the final 10 minutes.

Welington and Jay Robinson were also introduced for the conclusion, but it was a Rovers substitute who was to make the telling difference.

Gudjohnsen saw his first shot from a cross well-saved by McCarthy, but the rebound fell back at the feet of the Icelander who made no mistake second time around to complete the comeback.

Eight minutes of stoppage time gave some late hope for Still’s side, but when Welington saw red for an alleged raised elbow during an aerial challenge with four minutes remaining, hopes of late drama were extinguished.

Blackburn: Tóth, Alebiosu, Miller, Wharton (c), McLoughlin, De Neve (Hedges 67’), Tronstad (Montgomery 67’), Gardner-Hickman, Gudjohnsen, Morishita (Henriksson 67’), Ohashi.

Unused substitutes: Pears, Pickering, Ribeiro, Tavares, Forshaw, Gueye.

Goals: Alebiosu (76’), Gudjohnsen (86’).

Bookings: Gardner-Hickman, Wharton, Tronstad.

Southampton: McCarthy, Roerslev, Edwards (Robinson 81’), Wood, Quarshie, Manning (Welington 81’), Charles (Bragg 80’), Azaz, Armstrong (c), Scienza (Stephens 68’), Archer (Fraser 59’).

Unused substitutes: Bazunu, Harwood-Bellis, Oyekunle, Downs.

Goals: Scienza (23’).

Bookings: Quarshie.

Red card: Welington.

Referee: Robert Madley.