Blackburn have no excuses after turgid Huddersfield display

Jon Dahl Tomasson's side didn't turn up on Boxing Day and were second-best throughout the contest. After an initially bright start, they caved under the pressure and failed to win their individual battles across the pitch.

Leopold Wahlstedt was again to blame, after his mistake against Watford, as he allowed Jaheim Headley's tame shot to squirm past him. That put Rovers further on the back foot and gave Huddersfield the encouragement they needed.

Tomasson's side came out for the second half with more intensity but conceded at a terrible time. Delano Burgzorg got in-behind the defence and square for Sorba Thomas to tap in against the side he joined on loan in January.

Rovers never really looked like they'd get back in the match from that point and the third was the nail in the coffin. Callum Brittain was robbed by Jack Rudoni and Huddersfield played the extra pass which gave Burgzorg an easy finish to make it three.

That proved to be the end of the scoring and the contest despite another 25 minutes being played. Rovers never showed any real fight or desire to get back into the match once the third went in and looked resigned to defeat.

Tomasson's paper-thin squad was bolstered by the return of top-scorer Sam Szmodics with Harry Pickering also coming back into the starting line-up after injury. Brittain was the third change, coming in at right-back after suspension.

Scott Wharton missed out after suffering a calf injury whilst Jake Garrett and Lewis Travis dropped to the bench. It was a positive sign to see Dom Hyam and Niall Ennis back in the team for a second consecutive game after their injury issues.

In truth, it was probably the strongest team Rovers could've fielded without their long-term absentees. That made the first-half performance all the more concerning.

After four defeats in five, Rovers needed a reaction. They started brightly enough on the ball, circulating it around the back and into deep midfield areas. They had 85 per cent possession in the first 15 minutes.

The game followed a similar pattern to last Easter though, with Huddersfield posing a threat on the counter-attack. Former Rovers loanee Thomas volleyed over inside the box as a warning that although the hosts might be out of form, they could still pack a punch.

Although Rovers were having plenty of the ball, their possession was safe and in front of Huddersfield. They didn't test them in-behind or break the lines quick enough to find their attacking players.

Niall Ennis stung the palms of Chris Maxwell with a tame strike after a good run in-behind but aside from that, Huddersfield grew in confidence. 

They pressed higher and got their first sight of goal when David Kasumu's cross found Thomas but his flick was well kept out by Wahlstedt at the near post. 

Rovers' laboured performance encouraged Huddersfield onto them and it was no surprise when they took the lead. Headley's shot across goal squirmed under Wahslstedt to add even more pressure on the goalkeeper after his error against Watford on Saturday.

Huddersfield's tails were up, the crowd were behind them and Rovers looked lost for a plan to get themselves back into the game. If you wanted a game plan to face an out-of-confidence, limited team, this was the exact opposite of what to do.

Aside from two curling shots over the bar, via Sigurdsson and Szmodics, Rovers had barely threatened. Instead, they'd retreated as the half wore on and encouraged Huddersfield on to them.

Tomasson replied with a clear message to his team and a double substitution. Captain Travis and Garrett, two of the players that made way, were called in for Andrew Moran and Sondre Tronstad.

Those changes seemed to spark something of a reaction. All of a sudden there was more intensity in Rovers' play, though it would've been hard for that to decrease. 

That counted for little though as Huddersfield caught Rovers on the break and doubled their lead. It was once again too easy for Burgzorg to get behind the defence and he squared for an unmarked Thomas to net against his former club from close range.

There was time to find a response but this was comfortably the worst hour Rovers had turned in this season, especially considering the opposition. Whilst they were poor at Southampton, the quality of opposition and the schedule were mitigating factors.

But the truth is, they were making a very poor Huddersfield team look half-decent. It was the battle of two sub-par teams, one that were winning their duels and playing like they needed a result.

It went from bad to worse for Rovers with 20 minutes of regular time remaining as they conspired to help Huddersfield add a third. Brittain was robbed by Rudoni and Town were then three vs two. They played the extra pass and Burgzorg was able to finish easily past Wahlstedt.

The last 20 minutes went by without much of a sidenote. The best moment was perhaps the gallows humour from the away end with chants of 'we've had a shot' as harmless efforts from range flew over. There were others but we're not allowed to print expletives, so we'll leave that to your imagination.

In all seriousness, this was a deject performance. It's now five defeats in six for Rovers and they are getting worse, not better. 

Let's have it right, this is a very poor Huddersfield team and they took Rovers apart. They won more duels, second balls and bullied them across the pitch. Rovers made individual errors throughout and were quite simply lacklustre.

Any hopes of a play-off tilt are not quite dead and buried but that is more due to the standard needed to sneak sixth, rather than the points tally Rovers have accrued or the performance they're producing.

They now have the second-worst defensive record in the Championship. Only Rotherham United (43) have conceded more than their 40.

It's a quick turnaround for Rovers as they face fellow Yorkshire side Hull City on Friday. They will need to be a damn side better than this to get a result.