Blackburn Rovers are showing a very promising John Eustace trend, Burnley draw proved it - View | OneFootball

Rovers' draw at Turf Moor came as no real shock to some, considering how Eustace and his team have fought against adversity before.

The Championship served up a treat for the Saturday lunchtime kick-off, with Burnley hosting Lancashire rivals Blackburn Rovers.

Coming into the game, the Clarets were probably the favourites to secure all three points, even with a number of key players departing Turf Moor in recent weeks.

And they took the lead early on, with Lyle Taylor meeting a cross to put the hosts 1-0 up.

Aynsley Pears had no chance of getting to it - and after that goal - it could have turned into a very long afternoon for John Eustace's side.

However, Rovers were able to equalise midway through the first half, with Andi Weimann's exceptional strike beating James Trafford.

The hosts were unable to retake the lead before the break - and Blackburn would have been the happier of the two teams at that point - as the away side and the underdogs despite their decent start to the 2024/25 campaign.

During the early stages of the second half, Tyrhys Dolan had the opportunity to put Rovers 2-1 up, but Trafford saved well from close range and did well just seconds after that to ensure the ball didn't go into the back of the net.

But a key event just before the hour mark could have changed everything.

Makhtar Gueye's red card could have been a crucial moment in Burnley v Blackburn Rovers clash

In the 57th minute, Maxime Esteve pulled Makhtar Gueye down as he was looking to turn and break for Rovers.

The latter gestured towards the referee to ask for a yellow card for Esteve, something the striker was always likely to pick up a booking for.

With the forward already on a yellow, the referee booked him for a second time and he was forced to head down the tunnel for an early bath, something that could have been so costly for Rovers.

The game was in the balance at the time and considering how well he started the season, registering two goals and three assists in six appearances for Rovers since his arrival, his dismissal could have been so costly.

Not only is he a goalscoring threat, but he was also a much-needed figure up front against a tough side, and from that point, it looked as though the Clarets would have a real chance of picking up all three points.

John Eustace and Blackburn Rovers are continuing to fight against the odds

Rovers managed to hold out for a point in the end, even though they were a man down.

Gueye could have been a useful figure to hold the ball up during the latter stages of the match, but the visitors were able to cope without him in the end.

The home side had some very talented attacking players on the pitch, including Luca Koloesho, but Owen Beck was a great match for him and Scott Parker's men didn't do enough to test Pears anywhere near enough.

Rovers even came close to winning the game deep into stoppage time through Lewis Travis, with the away team breaking forward well.

But a draw was still a magnificent achievement and this isn't the first time that Eustace has fought against the odds during his tenure at Ewood Park.

Securing unlikely away wins at Leeds United and Leicester City during the latter stages of last season, those results were crucial in keeping the club up.

Sammie Szmodics played a big part in those victories, but it was a team effort and Eustace definitely played his part as well.

Some people also expected Blackburn to struggle this term, after only just securing survival at the end of 2023/24, but they are doing extremely well at this stage.

Sitting in the play-off places, Eustace can be extremely happy with his team's start to the campaign and it will be interesting to see whether they can build on this after the international break.