Richard Keogh ‘proud’ of Blackpool’s cup scalp at Blackburn

Posted Wednesday, August 28, 2024 by PA

Richard Keogh said pride was his overriding emotion after League One Blackpool beat Blackburn 2-1 in the Carabao Cup.

The Championship outfit turned early dominance into a lead when Makhtar Gueye’s 21st-minute penalty put Rovers ahead.

But the Seasiders, winless in League One this season, turned the game on its head with quickfire goals through Jake Beesley’s close-range finish and Hayden Coulson’s assured strike after creating the 77th-minute chance himself.

Blackpool’s interim head coach Keogh praised “incredible” togetherness, saying: “I think the first emotion is pride of how the team performed to come here against a great team, unbeaten so far in their season.

“To come here and go a goal down and play like we did, yes, just proud. Proud of how the players performed, how they worked hard for each other, the togetherness was incredible.

“Proud of the effort the lads put in, running back for each other. That was the biggest thing for me. It’s powerful to watch.”

Blackburn head coach John Eustace said the visitors “wanted it a bit more”.

He said: “Disappointing performance. We didn’t get out of first gear really.

“Without them really hurting us, we controlled the game, scored a good goal. We just didn’t grasp the game by the standards we have up to now.

“Second half, still controlling it, had to make five changes due to a couple of injuries. That certainly disrupted us.

“Fair play to Blackpool, I thought they were excellent. They just wanted it a bit more than us.”