City best Blackburn to stay top of PL2 table | OneFootball

City’s Elite Development Squad returned to winning ways on Saturday afternoon after a 3-1 win over Blackburn Rovers.

Defender Matty Henderson-Hall, who was positioned higher up the pitch in Ben Wilkinson’s side in our latest league test, nudged City ahead with a close-range finish on 30 minutes.

Emilio Lawrence doubled City’s lead with a clinical right-footed finish half way through the second half.

Substitute Matty Warhurst added his name to the scoresheet after just three minutes on the pitch, converting Seb Naylor's initial effort.

The hosts pulled one goal back on the brink of full-time but it proved to be just a consolation.

The composed performance means Ben Wilkinson's team stay at the PL2 summit and move one step closer to confirming our place in the league's knockout stage.

WHAT HAPPENED

Blackburn Rovers’ training facility, Brockhall, played host to our latest league assignment with City fully focused on returning to a positive performance ahead of our UEFA Youth League trip next week.

Heskey forced an early save from Nicolas Michalski after a quick break down the left by Lawrence saw him slot in his team-mate inside the opening two minutes.

Clinical, overwhelming build-up play by City then saw Oboavwoduo’s first-time strike, after Heskey’s flicked header, denied by a brilliant reactionary save by Michalski a few minutes later.

Wilkinson’s side looked full of energy and already had Blackburn pinned back in their own half after the opening 10 minutes.

Any time the hosts tried to counter Jahmai Simpson-Pusey and Max Alleyne were strong and dominating with their defensive duties, making it difficult for Blackburn to string passes together inside City’s half.

Max Hudson wasn’t tested until the 22nd minute after Rovers enjoyed a brief five-minute spell of possession but the ‘keeper caught the warning shot comfortably.

As time went on the hosts did begin to grow into the game slightly with a tough midfield battle playing out.

Both sides would continue to carve out half chances, teasing play around both boxes but neither could find that decisive strike.

But Henderson-Hall, in a more forward role than we are used to seeing, finally put City ahead on the half-hour mark.

A perfectly weighted through ball by Naylor to Lawrence let the latter fire a dangerous, low ball into the Blackburn box.

Despite a sea of blue and white shirts, Henderson-Hall got the last, vital touch to put Wilkinson’s side ahead from the edge of the six-yard box.

In an almost identical effort, Henderson-Hall almost made it two from the back post five minutes before the break as City attempted to give ourselves a more comfortable lead.

We did managed to maintain our advantage when referee Stephen Copeland blew the half-time whistle thanks to brilliant one-on-one defending by Alleyne on a handful of occasions as Blackburn tried to claw back an equaliser.

City’s objective was clear at the start of the second half, score the next goal. Oboavwoduo and Michael Okeke saw chances blocked or fire just wide inside the opening 10 minutes.

Zack Stritch’s dangerous run inside from the left gave him space to shoot with a vital deflection helping see the ball fly away from the City goal on 54 minutes and arguably Blackburn’s best chance of the match.

City were next to carve out a goalscoring opportunity. Naylor played a fantastic, floated diagonal cross to the back post where Henderson-Hall jumped to head the ball but watched his effort rattle the crossbar on the hour-mark.

Three minutes later Naylor put another ball in from the left to the back post. Full-back Lakyle Samuel sprinted to get a first-time finish away but unfortunately saw his strike blocked off the line.

Lawrence’s relentless persistence in testing Blackburn’s back line eventually paid dividends after he doubled City’s lead on 70 minutes.

The winger picked the ball up on the left-hand side of the box and cut in on to his right foot and his powerful strike was too much for Michalski to keep out. A goal we’re familiar with seeing from the 19-year-old.

City’s objective was clear at the start of the second half, score the next goal. Oboavwoduo and Michael Okeke saw chances blocked or fire just wide inside the opening 10 minutes.

Zack Stritch’s dangerous run inside from the left gave him space to shoot with a vital deflection helping see the ball fly away from the City goal on 54 minutes and arguably Blackburn’s best chance of the match.

City were next to carve out a goalscoring opportunity. Naylor played a fantastic, floated diagonal cross to the back post where Henderson-Hall jumped to head the ball but watched his effort rattle the crossbar on the hour-mark.

Three minutes later Naylor put another ball in from the left to the back post. Full-back Lakyle Samuel sprinted to get a first-time finish away but unfortunately saw his strike blocked off the line.

Lawrence’s relentless persistence in testing Blackburn’s back line eventually paid dividends after he doubled City’s lead on 70 minutes.

The winger picked the ball up on the left-hand side of the box and cut in on to his right foot and his powerful strike was too much for Michalski to keep out. A goal we’re familiar with seeing from the 19-year-old.

The winger picked the ball up on the left-hand side of the box and cut in on to his right foot and his powerful strike was too much for Michalski to keep out. A goal we’re familiar with seeing from the 19-year-old.

Super substitute Warhurst tapped home the loose ball after Naylor’s fantastic curling effort smashed off the crossbar, helping put City firmly in the driving seat with 10 minutes left to play.

Blackburn bagged a late consolation in the final minute but it was only a consolation for the hosts with City taking all three points back to Manchester.

HOW WE LINED UP

In goal, Max Hudson was tasked with keeping Blackburn out alongside a back four of Lakyle Samuel, Max Alleyne, Jahmai Simpson-Pusey and Seb Naylor.

Charlie Gray, Jaden Heskey and Michael Okeke ran City’s engine room and looked to link up with our attacking line.

And that front three was led by Justin Oboavwoduo with Emilio Lawrence and Matty Henderson-Hall providing an attacking threat on each flank.

BLACKBURN ROVERS XI | Michalski, Doherty, Powell, Pratt, Gamble, Dunn, Stritch (Sargeant 73’), Edmondson (O’Grady Macken  67’), Baker (Boggan 61’), Montgomery, Doherty (Litherland 73’)

UNUSED SUBS | Khan.

CITY XI | Hudson, Samuel, Alleyne, Simpson-Pusey, Naylor, Gray (Mukasa 82’), Henderson-Hall, J. Heskey, Oboavwoduo (Warhurst 77’), Okeke, Lawrence.

UNUSED SUBS | McAidoo, McFarlane, Noble.

WHAT IT MEANS

City stay top of the Premier League 2 table, moving three points clear of Fulham who have one game in hand.

UP NEXT

Our attention turns to the UEFA Youth League with a trip to Denmark on the horizon.

We travel to FC Midtjylland on Wednesday 12 February, with kick-off scheduled for 13:00 (UK).

The match will be available to watch live on CITY+ with a detailed match report and post-match reaction to follow the full-time whistle.