Jon Dahl Tomasson hails Blackburn’s ‘team spirit’ and ‘PlayStation goals’

Jon Dahl Tomasson praised Blackburn’s “tremendous” performance “under difficult circumstances” as his side maintained their 100 per cent start with a 2-1 win over West Brom.

The Championship leaders clinically dispatched their only shots on target as Ben Brereton Diaz brilliantly curled home the opener just before half-time for his second goal in as many games before releasing Sam Gallagher to emphatically double the advantage in the 47th minute.

Rovers held on to register a third successive league win, despite Grady Diangana’s deflected reply.

Blackburn’s victory was all the more impressive given their depleted defence. Tomasson handed a debut to 17-year-old Ashley Phillips and Rovers finished the game with a midfielder at right-back and a left-back in the centre of defence.

And Tomasson was delighted with how his team coped.

He said: “It was a fantastic result against one of the better sides in the league. It was a great performance.

“We knew with those good players they would ask a lot of questions regarding how to cope with different situations.

“But the players did a tremendous job, they stick together under difficult circumstances. Not only because of the weather, but changes before the game and during the game. But you could see the team spirit.

“We scored two great goals. I would call them PlayStation goals, FIFA goals, if you can say that. One or two touches, lovely to see. Great finishing.

“When we conceded a goal, I thought it’s going to be tough, because West Brom is a good side. It was tough, but I’m happy to see how hard the boys work for the club.

“We are of course proud of winning again, but we’ll work hard to become better.”

After losing their first game this season, Steve Bruce urged his side to be more clinical.

He said: “I think we’re like everyone else, we’re a little bit scratching our heads, thinking how the hell have we lost that. We’ve had our chances.

“However, the way we’ve played, I’ve got no complaints. On another day we could have been worthy winners.

“The only thing we have to be better on really, since I’ve arrived at the club, we’ve said too many times, we’re relying too much on Granty (Karlan Grant) to score us a goal. We have to start taking our chances from elsewhere too.

“It’s something we have to improve on.

“But the way the performance was, anybody neutral would have come away and thought how the hell have Blackburn won that. Football at times, that’s why it’s the game we love.

“The way we’ve played, I couldn’t have asked for anything more. We just need to take the chances. We have to be a bit more clinical, that’s my only criticism.”