Match report

Blackburn Defeats Watford 2-1 in Championship Clash

Blackburn
Blackburn
2–1
FT
Watford
Watford
Apr 26, 2025

Blackburn secured a hard-fought 2–1 win over Watford at Ewood Park. The game was marked by numerous yellow cards and key substitutions that shaped its outcome. Blackburn's goals came from Tom Cantwell and Tommy Dolan, while Matthew Pollock scored for Watford.

Key Facts

  • • Blackburn 2–1 Watford (Championship)
  • • Matthew Pollock scored the only goal for Watford at minute 47
  • • Tom Cantwell and Tommy Dolan each netted a goal for Blackburn
  • • Watford had multiple yellow cards including I. Louza, J. Abankwah, James Morris, M. Doumbia, E. Kayembe

Lineups

Blackburn

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Starting XI

  • 12 B. Tóth (G)
  • 2 C. Brittain (D)
  • 5 D. Hyam (D)
  • 15 D. Batth (D)
  • 4 Yuri Ribeiro (D)
  • 6 S. Tronstad (M)
  • 27 L. Travis (M)
  • 10 T. Dolan (M)
  • 8 T. Cantwell (M)
  • 19 R. Hedges (M)
  • 23 Y. Ohashi (F)

Substitutes

  • 28 A. Forshaw
  • 31 D. Sanderson
  • 42 E. Dennis
  • 47 A. Kargbo
  • 32 I. Tyjon
  • 3 H. Pickering
  • 45 C. Woodrow
  • 1 A. Pears
  • 51 K. Montgomery

Watford

Formation: 3-4-3

Starting XI

  • 33 E. Selvik (G)
  • 25 J. Abankwah (D)
  • 6 M. Pollock (D)
  • 22 J. Morris (D)
  • 2 J. Ngakia (M)
  • 10 I. Louza (M)
  • 24 T. Dele-Bashiru (M)
  • 26 C. Wiley (M)
  • 39 E. Kayembe (F)
  • 20 M. Doumbia (F)
  • 11 R. Vata (F)

Substitutes

  • 3 F. Sierralta
  • 14 P. Dwomoh
  • 47 Z. Massiah-Edwards
  • 19 V. Bayo
  • 45 R. Andrews
  • 41 A. Marriott
  • 52 L. Ramirez-Espain
  • 59 T. Akomeah
  • 7 T. Ince

Timeline

  1. Watford
    16' Watford Card · Yellow Card
    I. Louza

    Foul

  2. Watford
    24' Watford Card · Yellow Card
    J. Abankwah

    Foul

  3. Blackburn
    34' Blackburn Card · Yellow Card
    R. Hedges

    Foul

  4. Blackburn
    44' Blackburn Card · Yellow Card
    T. Dolan

    Foul

  5. Watford
    45'+1 Watford Card · Yellow Card
    James Morris

    Foul

  6. Watford
    47' Watford Goal · Normal Goal
    Matthew Pollock · Assist: I. Louza
  7. Watford
    55' Watford subst · Substitution 1
    Off: James Morris · On: Francisco Sierralta
  8. Blackburn
    59' Blackburn Goal · Normal Goal
    T. Cantwell · Assist: Y. Ohashi
  9. Watford
    65' Watford Card · Yellow Card
    M. Doumbia

    Foul

  10. Watford
    71' Watford subst · Substitution 2
    Off: I. Louza · On: P. Dwomoh
  11. Blackburn
    74' Blackburn Goal · Normal Goal
    T. Dolan · Assist: T. Cantwell
  12. Blackburn
    78' Blackburn subst · Substitution 1
    Off: T. Cantwell · On: A. Forshaw
  13. Blackburn
    78' Blackburn subst · Substitution 2
    Off: R. Hedges · On: D. Sanderson
  14. Watford
    82' Watford subst · Substitution 3
    Off: J. Abankwah · On: Z. Massiah-Edwards
  15. Watford
    82' Watford subst · Substitution 4
    Off: M. Doumbia · On: V. Bayo
  16. Watford
    82' Watford subst · Substitution 5
    Off: Jeremy Ngakia · On: R. Andrews
  17. Watford
    85' Watford Card · Yellow Card
    E. Kayembe

    Off the ball foul

  18. Blackburn
    86' Blackburn subst · Substitution 3
    Off: Y. Ohashi · On: Emmanuel Dennis
  19. Blackburn
    86' Blackburn subst · Substitution 4
    Off: T. Dolan · On: A. Kargbo
  20. Blackburn
    90'+3 Blackburn Card · Yellow Card
    Emmanuel Dennis

    Foul

Match Stats

Stat Blackburn Watford
Fouls 12 14
Pass Accuracy 74% 72%
Offsides 2 4
Red Cards — —
Total Shots 10 9
Corners 4 6
Total Passes 413 341
Yellow Cards 5 5
Blocked Shots 1 3
Shots on Target 4 2
xG 1.02 0.35
Shots off Target 5 4
Possession 55% 45%
Goals Prevented 0 0
Accurate Passes 305 247
Shots Inside Box 7 5
Saves 1 2
Shots Outside Box 3 4

Key Match Notes

  • ▸ The game shifted in Blackburn's favor when Tom Cantwell equalized for them at minute 59, reversing Watford’s lead.
  • ▸ Tommy Dolan's goal at minute 74 secured the victory for Blackburn and marked a turning point in momentum.