THREE IRISH PLAYERS were on target in the Championship tonight, as Blackburn Rovers, West Brom, QPR, Bournemouth, and Derby County all recorded wins.
Darragh Lenihan‘s late winner condemned Nottingham Forest to a third straight Championship defeat as Blackburn claimed a 2-1 win at the City Ground.
Philip Zinckernagel looked to have earned Chris Hughton’s side a point when he hammered Forest level in the 69th minute, to cancel out Daniel Ayala’s goal, which had come two minutes into the second half.
But Hughton finds himself under pressure after Lenihan’s 86th-minute header piled on the misery, which was only added to when Jordan Gabriel collected a second yellow card in the 90th minute.
West Brom continued their unbeaten start to the season with a one-sided 4-0 win at The Hawthorns against fellow relegated side Sheffield United, whose goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale is poised to join Arsenal (Ramsdale’s starting place went to Michael Verrips, who endured a torrid time).
Dara O’Shea and Callum Robinson were on target for leaders West Brom, while there was disappointment for Blades Irish duo David McGoldrick and John Egan.
Valerien Ismael’s side continued their bright early form and had the ball in the net twice in the first 16 minutes, but both efforts from former Robinson, a former Sheffield United forward, were ruled out.
Robinson prodded over the line after 64 seconds when Matt Clarke flicked on a long throw-in by Darnell Furlong, but Robinson was judged to be offside and the ball hit him on the arm. Then, he volleyed home after a Furlong flick-on but this time there was a foul in the build-up.
West Brom’s pressure eventually told with a goal that did count, in the 26th minute.
Yet another long throw-in from Furlong saw a cluster of players from both sides rise on the edge of the six-yard box and the ball flew in off the unfortunate head of United left-back Jack Robinson.
Almost immediately, United should have equalised but McGoldrick sidefooted wide with only goalkeeper Sam Johnstone to beat.
West Brom killed the game off with three goals in 12 minutes before the hour-mark.
They doubled their lead in the 47th minute – and it was one poor Verrips will want to forget. The 24-year-old Dutchman first flapped with one hand then allowed Alex Mowatt’s corner to squirm through both hands, with O’Shea gleefully poking home through a crowd of players.
Six minutes later, it was 3-0 as Albion sliced through United with consummate ease.
Mowatt started and finished the move. He won the ball in the air, finding Robinson and raced for the return off Karlon Grant before coolly sidefooting past Verrips.
Robinson finally got his name on the scoresheet in the 59th minute, controlling and volleying home from close range after another Furlong throw-in was flicked on by Kyle Bartley, with Verrips conspicuous by his absence.
Dara O'Shea & Callum Robinson goals tonight. pic.twitter.com/RMhK0Dox7N
— Paul Nealon (@paulnealon90) August 18, 2021
There was joy for Bournemouth’s Irish duo Mark Travers and Gavin Kilkenny as they saw off Birmingham City 2-0.
Dominic Solanke and Jaidon Anthony showed Bournemouth boss Scott Parker there is life without want-away striker Arnaut Danjuma after hitting crucial late away goals.
With last season’s fellow joint top Cherries scorer Danjuma reportedly on the verge of sealing a move to Europa League winners Villarreal, Solanke’s classy 77th-minute finish put the Cherries ahead.
Former Arsenal trainee Anthony, 21, sealed the points by hooking home Bournemouth’s second after 87 minutes for his first professional goal.
Defeat was harsh on Birmingham, who had looked set for a fourth successive clean sheet and, indeed, created the better chances before Bournemouth’s late rally.
Scott Hogan came off the bench for the Blues in the 78th minute, with the other pair going the distance.
Elsewhere, QPR continued their unbeaten start to the season with a 3-2 win at Middlesbrough – despite falling behind and being reduced to 10 men.
Moses Odubajo was shown a second yellow card in the 50th minute, with Jimmy Dunne coming on for QPR in the closing stages.
That red card formed part of a dramatic second half which started with Middlesbrough captain Jonny Howson turning Lee Wallace’s cross into his own net to cancel out Uche Ikpeazu’s seventh-minute penalty.
Six minutes after Odubajo was sent off, QPR took the lead when striker Lyndon Dykes hammered the ball low and through former team-mate Joe Lumley’s legs.
It looked like Middlesbrough would still make the extra man count when Matt Crooks’ cool finish levelled things up again after 72 minutes.
But less than four minutes later Chris Willock, who set up QPR’s second, found the net himself with a calm finish into the bottom corner to give his side seven points from nine.
And debutante Sam Baldock ended Derby’s nine-game run without a Championship victory by securing a 1-0 triumph at Hull.
The 32-year-old forward, who did not manage to find the net in any of his 23 outings for Reading last season, settled the contest with a predatory 57th-minute finish.
Baldock was one of two new signings who were thrown straight into the team at the MKM Stadium by Rams boss Wayne Rooney, with 39-year-old veteran Phil Jagielka marshalling the visitors’ defence to a clean sheet at the other end.
For Hull, the defeat represented a fifth loss in their last six meetings with Derby.
Louie Watson was on the Derby bench, with the injured Jason Knight sidelined.
Looking further afield to the MLS, Derrick Williams popped up with an assist for his LA Galaxy side, but they fell to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Colorado Rapids.
Tonight’s championship results
Birmingham City 0-2 Bournemouth
Hull City 0-1 Derby County
Middlesbrough 2-3 QPR
Nottingham Forest 1-2 Blackburn
West Bromwich Albion 4-0 Sheffield United.
