Blackburn Rovers saw their perfect start to the Championship season come to an emphatic end on Wednesday, as they were beaten 3-0 by Reading.

Goals from Tom McIntyre, Junior Hoilett and Lucas Joao were enough to claim all three points for the Royals, and hand Jon Dahl Tomasson's side a first defeat of the campaign.

While they remain top of the Championship table despite that defeat, events on Wednesday will inevitably have given Tomasson plenty to think about going forward.

So with that in mind, we've taken a look at three things we learned about Blackburn from that defeat to Reading, right here.

Pressure to sign centre backs continues to build 

Despite a raft of departures and injuries at centre back this summer, Blackburn have yet to sign any players in that position in the transfer window, and it showed at Reading.

In the absence of any alternative options, Tomasson was once again forced to field Daniel Ayala and 17-year-old Ash Phillips at centre back, despite the fact both have had little game time prior to this season for one reason or another, and the fact that both had had just two days to recover after being left out on their feet after a dogged rear-guard action in victory over West Brom on Sunday.

As a result, the pair, and by extent Rovers' defence, were on something of a hiding to nothing here, and with the frequency with which matches come at this level, that means the need for centre backs is rapidly increasing for the club, if they are to avoid a repeat of this going forward.

They need another centre forward, even if Brereton-Diaz stays

While the focus for Blackburn in this transfer window has been on replacing the five key players to have departed since the end of last season - Nyambe, van Hecke, Khadra, Lenihan and Rothwehll - it is worth noting that they are yet to replace one key player from 2020/21: Adam Armstrong.

That meant that with Tomasson electing to rest Sam Gallagher at Reading, it was 21-year-old Jack Vale - whose game time last season mainly came through 14 appearances and three goals on loan with National League Halifax - who was tasked with leading the line on Wednesday.

But just as was the case on the opening day against QPR, the Welsh youth international struggled considerably when attempting to impose himself against more Championship defenders, or impose himself on the game at all, meaning that if Rovers are to remain competitive throughout the season, they are surely going to have to add to their attacking options this summer, even with what they already have.

Tomasson must avoid the same mistake Mowbray made

Given the struggles he endured during the first half, it was perhaps no surprise to see Vale among those taken off at the break, with Sam Gallagher one of those to come on. What was more surprising, was that Gallagher started after the break on the right-wing, with another substitute, Ryan Hedges, playing central.

It is a role that Gallagher was often used in under Tomasson's predecessor Tony Mowbray, and one that rarely brought the best out of him, something which also generated a fair amount of frustration among the club's fanbase.

Versatility within his squad is something that Tomasson has looked to exploit during his short time in charge of Rovers, but Gallagher does not feel like the player to do that with - especially when considering the fact that his goal and assist in the win over West Brom on Sunday came from a central area - and the fact that he is one of the few in this side who has the attributes required for that centre forward role.