Blackburn Rovers find a new star as run continue in dominant Luton Town victory

Blackburn Rovers recorded their sixth-successive Championship win as they beat 10-man Luton Town at Ewood Park.

Amario Cozier-Duberry was the star of the first half as he marked his first senior start with the opening goal. He swivelled inside the box after Gueye's pass to fire into the bottom corner.

That gave Rovers the lead that their control had merited, though Aynsley Pears had to be down quickly to deny Elijah Adebayo and Tahith Chong in quick succession.

Luton, on the back of six away defeats in which they had conceded 20 goals, looked brittle and Rovers punished them. Makhtar Gueye somehow didn't convert Yuki Ohashi's cross from close range but the ball fell kindly to Owen Beck to double the lead.

On the back of four clean sheets in a row, Luton knew they were up against it to try and find a way back into the game. Carlton Morris came closest but was denied by Danny Batth on the line.

Liam Walsh was then sent off to all but confirm the destination of the points as he caught Ohashi late having only come on mid-way through the second 45.

For Rovers, this is their best run of form for three years, equalling the six-game winning run under Tony Mowbray in December 2021. To make this more impressive, they have done so with five shutouts in a row.

Eustace opted to freshen up his forward line for a third game in a week, handing a first senior start to Cozier-Duberry. Gueye was also recalled after his midweek heroics alongside Ohashi, with Todd Cantwell suspended.

Rovers fans have had to wait to get a real look at Cozier-Duberry but the early signs were promising. He was involved early on as he linked up with Lewis Travis and saw a shot deflected just wide.

Moments later he was central again as Ohashi nodded over Joe Rankin-Costello's header. Luton looked vulnerable to his pace and direct running and it proved their undoing.

It was little surprise when he notched the opener and the first of his career. Gueye beat his man rolled it into his path and after a quick swivel, he fired the ball low into the corner on his weaker side.

That put Rovers in the driving seat but the visitors made an instant effort at levelling. Pears had to be sharp to deny first Adebayo and then Chong with a double save.

However, Rovers soon got the second goal their dominance had merited. Gueye will still be wondering how it wasn't him who scored as he somehow miss-kicked Ohashi's cross from two yards. Fortunately, it fell to Beck who finished confidently into the corner.

Luton came out with their tails up after the restart but didn't create many clear-cut chances. Morris' header had to be cleared off the line by Batth then the Luton captain shot just wide from inside the box.

But the Hatters' task was made near impossible when, with 20 minutes to go, Walsh was sent off a very late challenge on Ohashi. The second-half substitute dived in and caught the Rovers man and was dismissed.

Rovers saw out the remaining time with minimal fuss and they almost added a third in stoppage time. Substitute Harry Leonard was denied as he poked a ball goalwards on the stretch but former Rover Thomas Kaminski denied him.

Ahead of two tricky-looking fixtures, this was the perfect result for Rovers and one they deserved.

The first half was domination and exciting, attacking football. In the second, they sat in and controlled in a different way. The Eustace blueprint.