Blackburn Rovers boss Tony Mowbray has admitted that he was angry at his side's performance in the Carabao Cup first round against Oldham Athletic.

Rovers secured a dramatic 3-2 victory over their League Two opponents to set up a meeting with Premier League side Sheffield United on August 27th.

A poor start to Tuesday's clash at Ewood Park by Blackburn resulted in Oldham taking a 1-0 lead through Gevaro Nepomuceno, who fired in from 20 yards.

However, after bringing on Bradley Dack and Joe Rothwell in the second-half, Rovers' fortunes looked to have changed as the former of the two players equalised in 70th minute.

Yet the Championship side were left with it all to do once again after Mohammed Maouche curled in a wonderful effort for the visitors.

Facing the real possibility of being dumped out of the Carabao Cup, Blackburn were saved by Stewart Downing who levelled proceedings in the 92nd minute, before Rothwell combined with Dack to clinch victory in the dying embers of the clash.

Although his Rovers side recorded their first win of the 2019/20 campaign, Mowbray was less than impressed.

Speaking to the club's official website, the 55-year-old said: “I was very angry at half time.

"You have pictures of how quickly you move the ball and how your team has to move it wide against a team that plays a 4-1-4-1 formation.

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"It was so slow, so pedantic, so many silly passes, giving it away and letting them break on us.

"I would have said if we had not have won that people should blame me because I pick the team, but I think rotation is the right thing to do in the cup competitions.

"If you can’t play against Oldham at home then you shouldn’t be at Blackburn Rovers, in my opinion, whatever team we put out.

"Whilst it was a frustrating and disappointing night for me watching it, because I wanted them to go out there, move the ball around and score some goals, it never really materialised."

The Verdict

Despite getting off the mark for the year against Oldham, it is not at all surprising that Mowbray was left dismayed by Blackburn's performance as his side rode their luck at times on Tuesday.

Whereas making eleven changes to his side was always going to carry an element of risk, the fact that those drafted in by the Rovers boss were extremely underwhelming will do nothing to alleviate the fears of the club's supporters.

With their side currently 24th in the Championship standings, the Ewood Park faithful will be wary about the possibility of Blackburn being dragged into a relegation battle this season.

Therefore, it is paramount that Rovers deliver a response to their lacklustre showing against Oldham on Saturday when they host Middlesbrough in the Championship.