Blackburn vs 25.08.26 18:451 – 2Full Time
Sheffield Utd — League Cup: stats, lineups & analysis
Match report
Sheffield Utd edge past Blackburn in League Cup round of 64
Sheffield Utd came from behind on the scoreboard to beat Blackburn 2-1 in a League Cup round of 64 tie at Ewood Park, having trailed only briefly after Oladapo Afolayan's equaliser before a late strike settled the contest.
AI-assisted match report written from official match data.
Thomas Cannon put the visitors ahead after 20 minutes, and that lead held through half-time with Sheffield Utd 1-0 up at the break. Blackburn responded early in the second half as Afolayan converted a Ryoya Morishita assist in the 55th minute to level the score at 1-1.
The decisive moment came in the 81st minute when Romelle Donovan restored Sheffield Utd's advantage, making it 2-1 and securing victory for Chris Wilder's side. Blackburn had more of the ball, with 51 per cent possession, but Sheffield Utd were the more direct side in front of goal, firing 16 shots to the hosts' nine despite both teams managing five on target.
Thomas Cannon scored the opener and finished with a rating of 7.2, playing a key role in Sheffield Utd's win, while Sean McLoughlin was rated highest overall at 7.3 for Blackburn.
Sheffield Utd nearly doubled Blackburn's shot count, firing 16 attempts to the hosts' nine despite having less of the ball.
Sheffield Utd won 2–1 away against Blackburn (half-time 0–1).
Blackburn met Sheffield Utd in the League Cup (Round of 64). Kick-off was Tuesday, 25 August 2026, 18:45 UTC at Ewood Park. Referee: David Webb.
Team pages: Blackburn · Sheffield Utd · League Cup
Key moments
- 20' Goal: Thomas Cannon — 0–1 · Watch Thomas Cannon's goal video (20')
- 55' Goal: Oladapo Afolayan (assist: Ryoya Morishita) — 1–1 · Watch Oladapo Afolayan's goal video (55')
- 81' Goal: Romelle Donovan — 1–2 · Watch Romelle Donovan's goal video (81')
Starting line-ups
Blackburn (4-2-3-1)
- 1 Aynsley Pears
- 3 Harry Pickering
- 15 Sean McLoughlin (c)
- 17 Hayden Carter
- 47 L. Houghton
- 30 Jake Garrett
- 8 Sam Morsy
- 14 Dion De Neve
- 25 Ryoya Morishita
- 11 Jayden Fevrier
- 23 Yuki Ohashi
Sheffield Utd (4-4-2)
Pre-match read
Over 1.5 Goals. League base rate: 82% over 1.5 goals On the other hand: Team over/under identity — Blackburn have gone over 1.5 in 68% of their last 38 matches and Sheffield Utd in 82% of their last 38, against a
Under 3.5 Goals. League base rate: 30% over 3.5 goals On the other hand: Team over/under identity — Blackburn have gone over 3.5 in 16% of their last 38 matches and Sheffield Utd in 29% of their last 38, against a
Under 2.5 Goals. League base rate: 55% over 2.5 goals On the other hand: Class gap (52 Elo points, visitors stronger) — Matches with this rating gap ran −2.6pp vs their league norm across 8,526 measured games.
Both Teams to Score. League base rate: 52% both teams score
Blackburn to Score. League base rate: 74% home sides score On the other hand: Class edge (the hosts rated 52 Elo points below their opponents) — Sides with this class edge scored −3.8pp vs their league norm across 8,52
Blackburn in stronger form — 1.6 vs 1.0 ppg (n=5) Home on 3 days rest; Away on 3
Model-generated pre-match read. Not betting advice.
About this match
On this page: the Blackburn vs Sheffield Utd final score and result, goal highlights and video clips of every goal, who scored, starting lineups, match stats and the full match report from this League Cup fixture.
- Who scored and when — a goal-by-goal timeline of the match.
- Match stats — possession, shots, expected goals (xG), corners and cards.
- Starting lineups and player ratings for both teams.
- Head-to-head record and recent form for both sides.
- Watch Thomas Cannon's goal against Blackburn (20').
- Watch Oladapo Afolayan's goal against Sheffield Utd (55').
- Watch Romelle Donovan's goal against Blackburn (81').
Watch the goals: goal highlights and video clips of every goal from Blackburn 1–2 Sheffield Utd. Explore more on the Blackburn and Sheffield Utd team pages or the League Cup page.
Quick answers
›What was the final score of Blackburn vs Sheffield Utd?
Sheffield Utd won 2–1 away against Blackburn (half-time 0–1).
›Who scored in Blackburn vs Sheffield Utd?
Thomas Cannon (20') for Sheffield Utd; Oladapo Afolayan (55') for Blackburn; Romelle Donovan (81') for Sheffield Utd.
›Where can I watch Blackburn vs Sheffield Utd highlights?
Goal highlights and video clips from Blackburn 1–2 Sheffield Utd are on this page — open the videos tab to watch every goal.
›What is the head-to-head record between Blackburn and Sheffield Utd?
Blackburn and Sheffield Utd have met 10 times — 3 wins for Blackburn, 6 wins for Sheffield Utd and 1 draw.