Tony Mowbray admitted Sunderland had to be at their best to beat a 'very good' Blackburn Rovers side.

The former Rovers boss tasted victory on his second return to Ewood Park as his side showed their clinical edge in front of goal. Blackburn wasted huge opportunities whilst Mowbray's men needed no second invitation to take theirs.

Jack Clarke netted from the penalty spot and although Harry Leonard levelled the game, strikes from Dan Neil and a second from Clarke were decisive. Although Rovers pushed in the second half, they couldn't find a way through and were caught on the counter-attack.

Mowbray was full of praise for Rovers and the problem they caused his team. He felt Sunderland's second-half display was far better and the game suited them on the counter-attack.

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"I'd like to put on record I think they're an amazingly talented football team, very well coached and they gave us lots of problems," Mowbray said.

"Getting the intensity right on the back of a 5-0 and 3-1 win, with a young team it's difficult to get them to the level and I was trying to make them aware that they're playing a really talented football team who will overload centrally and they will get it through and get to your box. And they did that for half an hour or so and caused us plenty of problems.

"We scored at good times. We were really disappointed with their goal. We were down to 10 men and I don't know whether you've seen it but the linesman is nowhere near looking across the line. I don't know whether he's slipped but he's a good 10 yards behind the play. He's guessing. But it's irrelevant now.

"We sorted a few things out at half-time. We needed to play at more intensity really. They wanted to play through the middle of the pitch and we needed to be more aggressive. 

"We looked like a real threat and we looked like we'd score goals on transition when we won it back and broke into spaces they left.But in possession, they're a very good football team. We found a way.
 
"The only thing I talked about at half-time was the intensity. If you sit off good football teams they pass around you. I say it every day to the team. You can't stand two yards off good players because they pass around you.

"We played against a good team with good rotations and good patterns of play. If you sit off them and you're not aggressive and make the feel your intensity, they'll play through you like a knife through butter. Second half I felt we were a real threat."