Match ends, Blackburn Rovers 1, Cardiff City 1.
BlackburnBlackburn Rovers1CardiffCardiff City1
Grant Hanley claimed a late equaliser for Blackburn Rovers to deny Cardiff.
Cardiff cleared their lines but allowed Rovers to play the ball back into the area and Hanley side-footed home.
Rovers might even have snatched the win but Shane Duffy saw two efforts cleared off the line in a frantic finale.
Joe Mason's early goal had seemed set to give Cardiff victory, as he capitalised on a poor clearance by goalkeeper David Raya that was intercepted by Lee Peltier.
Rovers had good chances to level before half-time, but David Marshall - restored to the Cardiff goal after suspension - made smart saves from Bangaly-Fode Koita and former Bluebird Craig Conway.
Koita did have the ball in the net, glancing home Tommy Spurr's free-kick, but he was ruled offside.
Cardiff were not content to just sit on their lead at Ewood Park and Joe Ralls's skidding low drive had to be shovelled away by Raya, with Hanley completing the clearance.
Rovers continued brightly after the break and Nathan Delfouneso's deflected strike clipped the crossbar after he was played in by Duffy.
Hanley somehow missed with a free header at the back post and then saw his blocked shot fall kindly into Marshall's hands.
But the defender made amends with his side's equaliser to rescue a point for Rovers - although the result leaves both sides still seeking their first league win of the new Championship season.
Blackburn Rovers manager Gary Bowyer: "The captain (Hanley) was magnificent tonight. He could have had a hat-trick. He led by example. We forget that he's only 23.
"I think the response - we peppered their goal just before half-time, and even when we've scored, (David) Marshall's made a save and we've had one cleared off the line.
"So the lads just kept going and had a great spirit and belief about them, which for a team put together in the last week is not bad at all."
Cardiff City manager Russell Slade told BBC Radio Wales: "It is three points lost when you get so close and I was gutted for the players tonight.
"They did have a weapon with that long throw and they've got some height, a threat from a set play, so at some stage the ball might just drop for them and unfortunately it did in the last few minutes.
"I thought we'd just about seen them off; they came at us strong in the second period... it looked like we'd weathered that and might even get one on the counter-attack to wrap the game up."
Line-ups
Blackburn
Formation 4-4-2
- 33Raya
- 2HenleySubstituted forGuthrieat 63'minutes
- 22DuffyBooked at 90mins
- 5Hanley
- 3Spurr
- 32Conway
- 21AkpanBooked at 79mins
- 6Lowe
- 10Marshall
- 7Delfouneso
- 8KoitaSubstituted forBarrowat 45'minutes
Substitutes
- 4Kilgallon
- 14Olsson
- 17Williamson
- 18O'Sullivan
- 23Guthrie
- 30Steele
- 31Barrow
Cardiff
Formation 4-4-2
- 1Marshall
- 2PeltierBooked at 53mins
- 4MorrisonBooked at 61mins
- 16ConnollyBooked at 42mins
- 28Malone
- 13Pilkington
- 7Whittingham
- 15DikgacoiSubstituted forGunnarssonat 74'minutes
- 8Ralls
- 19RevellSubstituted forJonesat 65'minutes
- 10MasonSubstituted forNooneat 86'minutes
Substitutes
- 3da Silva
- 9Jones
- 11Noone
- 17Gunnarsson
- 18Doyle
- 21Moore
- 38Ameobi
- Referee:
- Scott Duncan
- Attendance:
- 12,025
Match Stats
Home TeamBlackburnAway TeamCardiff
- Possession
- Home58%
- Away42%
- Shots
- Home18
- Away7
- Shots on Target
- Home7
- Away2
- Corners
- Home4
- Away4
- Fouls
- Home9
- Away12
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Blackburn Rovers 1, Cardiff City 1.
Post update
Attempt saved. Grant Hanley (Blackburn Rovers) header from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Craig Conway with a cross.
Post update
Corner, Blackburn Rovers. Conceded by Lee Peltier.
Post update
Attempt missed. Craig Noone (Cardiff City) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses the top right corner from a direct free kick.
Booking
Shane Duffy (Blackburn Rovers) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Post update
Foul by Shane Duffy (Blackburn Rovers).
Post update
Craig Noone (Cardiff City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Post update
Foul by Nathan Delfouneso (Blackburn Rovers).
Post update
Kenwyne Jones (Cardiff City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Goal!
Goal! Blackburn Rovers 1, Cardiff City 1. Grant Hanley (Blackburn Rovers) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by Craig Conway with a cross following a corner.
Post update
Corner, Blackburn Rovers. Conceded by Scott Malone.
Substitution
Substitution, Cardiff City. Craig Noone replaces Joe Mason.
Post update
Attempt missed. Ben Marshall (Blackburn Rovers) right footed shot from long range on the left is high and wide to the right.
Post update
Offside, Cardiff City. Anthony Pilkington tries a through ball, but Joe Mason is caught offside.
Post update
Thomas Spurr (Blackburn Rovers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Foul by Sean Morrison (Cardiff City).
Post update
Foul by Craig Conway (Blackburn Rovers).
Post update
Joe Ralls (Cardiff City) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Post update
Offside, Blackburn Rovers. Hope Akpan tries a through ball, but Nathan Delfouneso is caught offside.
