Blackburn Rovers 2-1 Middlesbrough: Match Report, Goals, Stats and Ratings
Championship Matchday 2 · Saturday 22 August 2026 · Ewood Park, Blackburn · referee T. Reeves · full time
Full time: Blackburn Rovers 2-1 Middlesbrough
Blackburn Rovers won 2-1 at home to Middlesbrough in Championship Matchday 2 on Saturday 22 August 2026. The goals: Jeremy Sarmiento 12', Andri Gudjohnsen 49', Todd Cantwell 55'.
How Blackburn Rovers won it
Middlesbrough struck first through Jeremy Sarmiento in the 12th minute, set up by Morgan Whittaker. Blackburn Rovers levelled at 1-1 in the 49th minute through Andri Gudjohnsen, set up by Harry Pickering. Blackburn Rovers turned it round: Todd Cantwell made it 2-1 in the 55th minute, set up by Ryan Alebiosu.
It was 0-1 at half-time, and the second half turned the match the other way.
The lead changed hands once.
The referee, T. Reeves, showed 5 yellow cards: 4 to Blackburn Rovers and 1 to Middlesbrough.
Blackburn Rovers: T. Mowbray, 4-2-3-1 · Middlesbrough: K. Hellberg, 4-4-2.
Moneyball's prediction against the result
Moneyball did not publish a pre-match estimate for this match, so there is nothing to mark it against.
Why it went this way
On the day the expected goals were 1.49 for Blackburn Rovers and 0.92 for Middlesbrough.
Blackburn Rovers had 5 shots on target, Middlesbrough 3.
Middlesbrough had 71% of the ball, but Blackburn Rovers took the points.
Where the two sides stood before this match
Blackburn Rovers came into it with 12 Championship matches played, scoring 1.6 and conceding 1.3 a match, with 1.04 expected goals for and 1.79 against, and had won 42% of their matches.
Middlesbrough came into it with 12 Championship matches played, scoring 2.3 and conceding 1.4 a match, with 2.10 expected goals for and 1.07 against, and had won 58% of their matches.
Blackburn Rovers vs Middlesbrough: the match in numbers
| Blackburn Rovers | Match statistics | Middlesbrough |
|---|---|---|
| 29% | Ball possession | 71% |
| 1.49 | Expected goals (xG) | 0.92 |
| 6 | Total shots | 22 |
| 5 | Shots on target | 3 |
| 3 | Big chances | 2 |
| 272 | Total passes | 647 |
| 74% | Pass accuracy | 90% |
| 2 | Corners | 10 |
| 10 | Fouls | 10 |
| 3 | Offsides | 3 |
| 13 | Tackles | 14 |
| 2 | Saves | 2 |
| 4 | Yellow cards | 1 |
Team statistics from Sportmonks.
Player ratings and man of the match
Man of the match: Morgan Whittaker (Middlesbrough), rated 8.0 by Sportmonks, with 1 assist.
Blackburn Rovers
- Andri Gudjohnsen 7.7 1 goal
- Todd Cantwell 7.5
- Harry Pickering 7.1 1 assist
- Kristi Montgomery 6.9
- Tom Atcheson 6.9
Middlesbrough
- Morgan Whittaker 8.0 1 assist
- Luke Ayling 7.9
- Aidan Morris 7.4
- Jeremy Sarmiento 7.4 1 goal
- Max Arfsten 7.0
The lowest-rated starter was Adilson Malanda at 6.4. Ratings run from 0 to 10; around 7.0 is a solid match.
What comes next
- Blackburn Rovers: Swansea City vs Blackburn Rovers Saturday 31 October 2026 · Championship
- Middlesbrough: Middlesbrough vs Charlton Athletic Saturday 31 October 2026 · Championship
Each preview has Moneyball's estimate for the next match, published before kick-off and marked against the result afterwards, as this one is.
Questions about Blackburn Rovers vs Middlesbrough
What was the score in Blackburn Rovers vs Middlesbrough?
Blackburn Rovers 2-1 Middlesbrough (half-time 0-1), Championship, Saturday 22 August 2026.
Who scored in Blackburn Rovers vs Middlesbrough?
Jeremy Sarmiento 12', Andri Gudjohnsen 49', Todd Cantwell 55'.
Did Moneyball predict Blackburn Rovers vs Middlesbrough correctly?
Moneyball did not publish a pre-match estimate for this match, so there is nothing to mark it against.
Who was man of the match in Blackburn Rovers vs Middlesbrough?
Morgan Whittaker, rated 8.0 by Sportmonks.
Who refereed Blackburn Rovers vs Middlesbrough?
T. Reeves.
Every match, before and after
Moneyball Odds writes a preview with its estimate before every match of Europe's top five leagues and the European cups, then marks it against the result, hits and misses alike.
Moneyball Odds is a statistical analysis site, not a bookmaker. No model predicts football reliably. For readers aged 18 and over.