Sydie Peck completes comeback as Blades beat Blackburn with ruthless finishing

All goals came in a first half that Rovers dominated and deservedly took the lead in through Kristi Montgomery’s first goal for the club on 20 minutes.

The Blades were blunted without a shot in anger for the first 34 minutes but they turned the game on its head with goals from their only two shots of the half as Tom Cannon stroked home a second on this ground in two weeks in the 35th minute.

And Sydie Peck rifled home his first of the season a minute before the break to complete the turnaround.

Hamza Choudhury’s sensational goalline block preserved the lead in the second half, along with two smart Michael Cooper saves. But it was the spell of clinical finishing that made the difference as Chris Wilder’s men moved to within two points of the league summit.

Blackburn’s encouraging start was rewarded in the 20th minute when Montgomery dispossessed Peck and whipped the ball emphatically into the top right corner from 20 yards out.

They went close to doubling the advantage six minutes later when Jayden Fevrier, on his first Rovers start, broke forward for the hosts and released Dapo Afolayan on the left whose strike whistled just beyond the far post.

Cantwell had the ball in the net in the 35th minute when Mike Cooper could only parry Afolayan’s fierce strike but the offside flag saved his blushes.

It proved vital as the Blades were level within a minute with their first effort of any note when Peck atoned for his part in the Blackburn goal by threading an inch perfect ball for Cannon on the left who calmy slotted under Aynsley Pears into the bottom right corner.

Peck had his pocket picked again minutes later after Romelle Donovan played him into trouble but Fevrier’s low drive was deflected just wide of the right-hand post.

But Rovers fell behind in the 44th minute when Peck collected Joe Rothwell’s pass and brilliantly flicked over Tom Atcheson before hammering into the bottom left corner.

Blackburn’s best chance came in the 57th minute when the visitors failed to clear and the ball fell to Afolayan six yards out with just Choudhury to beat but the defender remarkably blocked.

Ryan Alebiosu directed a shot just wide midway through the half when set clear before Yuri Rubeiro kept Rovers in the game in the 72nd minute, clearing off the line after Sam McCallum’s shot squired under Pears.

Cooper made a smart stop low to his right to deny Fevrier with eight minutes to go and Blades held on to condemn Rovers to consecutive defeats.