Stockport County evidence hints Blackburn Rovers may have solved key issue: View | OneFootball

There was a rarely-used route to goal for Rovers at Stockport on Tuesday

Blackburn Rovers continued their fine start to the season on Tuesday night, with a trip to Stockport County in the Carabao Cup.

Following a 4-2 win over Derby County to open up their Championship campaign on Friday, John Eustace will have been desperate to build on that at Edgeley Park.

Indeed, against the newly-promoted League One side who were forced to field a much-changed side amid a major injury crisis, the visitors were big favourites this one.

As a result, any sort of upset may have threatened to halt the momentum and feel-good factor that had been unlocked at the weekend.

In the end though, this was not a game where any of that would prove to be a problem for Blackburn, who went about their business in an extremely professional manner.

Rovers sweep Hatters aside in their opening cup tie

Unlike their hosts, Eustace was able to name a strong starting XI for this game, and he certainly did that.

First-team regulars such as Sammie Szmodics, Callum Brittain, Harry Pickering, Hayden Carter and Sondre Tronstad were all included from the start.

Meanwhile, summer signings Yuki Ohashi and Andi Weimann were also handed their first starts for Blackburn.

All of that led to a largely comfortable evening for the Lancashire outfit, as they cruised into the second round of the competition with an emphatic 6-1 win.

To have avoided any potential slip-up in such convincing fashion will undoubtedly have been pleasing for Eustace, with the way his side played in dominating the game particularly exciting.

One other thing that arguably ought to have pleased the Rovers boss, is the nature of some of the goals they scored at Edgely Park on Tuesday.

Last season, set-pieces were something of a problem for the Ewood Park club at both ends of the pitch.

In defence, Rovers conceded 15 goals in the league from set-pieces, with QPR and relegated Rotherham United (both 16) letting in more in that way.

By contrast, Blackburn themselves scored only five times from set-pieces during the 2023/24 Championship season, with no team in the division scored fewer goals in that way in that time.

However, Tuesday night suggested that in an attacking sense at least, Eustace may be able to look to set-pieces as more of a route to goal for his side during the rest of the campaign.

Rovers' fourth goal came when Harry Pickering and John Buckley linked up with a short corner routine. The latter then sent a pinpoint ball into the box, where Ohashi glanced a header into the net.

The fifth also came from a corner, Buckley this time sending the first ball into the area, where it was headed in at close range by substitute Makhtar Gueye, his first for Rovers after joining this summer.

So with Blackburn finding not one but two ways to find the back of the net from corners, it may well be the case that this will be an avenue they now feel they can exploit more than they previously did.

Indeed, it is worth noting that both of these goals were ultimately finished off by new signings, in the form of Ohashi and Gueye.

Both showed impressive movement and physical presence to get on the end of those crosses in the box, before applying the finishing touches.

As a result, may suggest Blackburn now have targets to aim for from these situations, in a way that they did not previously had.

After such a promising start to life at Ewood Park, that ought to add to the excitement around the duo, given the extra opportunities this could now bring about in matches as well.

Of course, there is still a concern for Rovers when it comes to defending set-pieces, with all three of the goals they have conceded this season coming from corners.

But when it comes to attacking those same situations, on the evidence of Tuesday night, there may at least be more reasons for Blackburn to be positive, which may help cancel out some of those issues at the back.