Blackburn Rovers earned an impressive win over Derby County on Saturday with Ben Brereton Diaz taking the headlines with a brace.

Tony Mowbray wanted to shed some light on his side's defence however when he spoke to RoversTV after the game, quotes provided by the club's website.

He said: "We played without three defensive regulars in the form of Nyambe, Ayala and Pickering.

"I thought we were really impressive defensively in the first half, stepping in when they needed to. JP van Hecke hit the post from a corner, Darragh was causing carnage in their six-yard box."

Mowbray has a very exciting attacking contingent at his disposal and one that with his skill set has been able to mould into an effective unit.

If Rovers' players who are stepping in for the above injured trio can continue to apply themselves then there is no reason Rovers cannot break back into the top six and sustain a push at the top end.

Darragh Lenihan is a huge player at the heart of defence with his leadership qualities equally as crucial.

With the top six in their sights Rovers welcome Fulham and Sheffield United to Ewood Park before the next international break and therefore their defensive resolve will be extensively tested in the next week.

The Verdict

It will be very interesting to see the battle between Lenihan and Aleksandar Mitrovic in midweek.

The Serbian will have his sights firmly set on breaking Ivan Toney's record of 31 goals last term having slammed home 18 already less than a third of the way through the campaign.

Mowbray was under pressure to succeed in the summer after a disappointing second half to the 2020/21 campaign and he has responded brilliantly. The front three of Brereton Diaz, Sam Gallagher and Tyrhys Dolan looks to be clicking, very well supported by Reda Khadra and Ian Poveda from the bench.

We will find out a lot about Rovers' top six credentials next week and their defensive resolve.