EFL Cup: Blackburn 4 Walsall 3 - Report

The Saddlers twice took the lead through Oisin McEntee and Ross Tierney but were pegged back immediately with equalisers from Zak Gilsenan and Niall Ennis.

Blackburn took the lead five minutes into the second half through Jake Garrett, before Buckley extended their lead in the 68th minute.

Ronan Maher scored a stunner to register his first competitive goal for the Saddlers in the 85th minute.

Sadler made six changes from the defeat at Morecambe and handed debuts to Joe Foulkes and Ross Tierney.

McEntee was restored to the defence and Joe Riley pushed into the centre of the park as Walsall set-up in a 3-5-1-1 with Douglas James-Taylor leading the line.

Walsall made a strong start and prevented Blackburn from building any rhythm in their play. Tierney was a livewire in the No. 10 role and played an instrumental role in helping the Saddlers attack tick.

Rovers debutant Joe Hilton was perhaps fortunate not to concede a penalty when he appeared to haul down Tierney inside the box.

The referee waved the penalty claim away but Walsall remained unfazed to open the scoring on 21 minutes.

Tierney swung a corner into the heart of the penalty area and McEntee climbed highest to guide a thumping header into the far top corner.

But Walsall were unable to retain their lead as Zak Gilsenan marked his debut with an equaliser just moments after the Saddlers' opener.

Ellis slotted the ball down the right for Hedges, who was a real danger for Rovers, and he squared for Gilsenan to convert. Ryan Stirk attempted to make a last ditch block but was unable to prevent the ball from crossing the line.

Jackson Smith was twice forced into action by Ellis and Hedges but dealt with both efforts well. He got down low to thwart Ellis from close range and judged Hedges' strike from range to hold with ease.

Tierney followed his debut assist with a maiden goal when he fired Walsall back into lead seven minutes before the break. Daniels unleashed a stunning diagonal ball which was cushioned down nicely by Foulkes.

Foulkes then pulled a low cross back into the box and Tierney fired a first time finish beyond the reach of Hilton.

Blackburn produced an immediate response once again. Hedges cut inside from the right and delivered an inviting cross into the box, which was turned home by another Rovers debutant in the shape of Ellis.

Walsall twice came close to restoring their lead but the Blackburn defence stood firm. Tierney sprayed the ball out to Foulkes on the right, and his cross found its way back to the Irishman, whose swinging volley was blocked.

The loose ball then presented itself to Allen but Blackburn got another body in the way to thwart the Saddlers. After an impressive first half display, Walsall were caught cold five minutes after the restart when Garrett struck Rovers into the lead for the first time.

Buckley threaded a pass into the feet of Garrett, and the 20-year-old shifted the ball onto his left and dispatched an unerring finish into the far bottom corner.

Allen and Stirk drew comfortable saves from Hilton but the intensity shown in the first half appeared to disappear. And Blackburn added a fourth in the 68th minute after Buckley was sent clear by Gilsenan. The midfielder raced away from the Walsall defence and decided to go alone as he applied a clinical finish into the bottom corner.

Sadler switched to a back-four for the final 20 minutes and introduced Aramide Oteh and Danny Johnson.

The pair were immediately involved in the action with Oteh switching the ball out to Tierney on the right. Tierney's low shot was parried by Hilton but Johnson was only able to guide the follow-up over the bar.

Maher also marked his appearance from the bench by pulling one back in the final five minutes. The teenager collected the ball outside the box and scooped a sensational strike into the far top corner.

The fourth official added eight minutes but Walsall were unable to find an equaliser. Despite pushing for a leveller, Blackburn almost found a fifth through both Harry Leonard and Hedges.

Smith misjudged his kick and was closed down by Leonard, but the Walsall goalkeeper was able to claw the ball away just in the nick of time. He then thwarted Hedges at his near post in the final moments of the game, as Walsall ended their journey in the EFL Cup after an eventful 90 minutes.

Teams

Walsall Starting XI (3-5-1-1): J Smith; O McEntee, D Daniels, C Hussey (A Oteh 69); J Foulkes, J Riley (R Maher 77), B Comley, R Stirk, T Allen; R Tierney (I Hutchinson 74); D James-Taylor (D Johnson 69).

Unused subs: O Evans, L Gordon, J Matt, H Williams.

Blackburn (4-3-3): J Hilton; C Brittain, S Barnes (D Hyam 58), S Wharton, J Batty (H Pickering 58); J Buckley, A Wharton (S Tronstad 88), J Garrett; R Hedges, N Ennis (H Leonard 70), Z Gilsenan (D Markanday 88).

Unused Subs: J Eastham, P Gamble, J Edmondson, T Bloxham.

Referee: Benjamin Speedie

Attendance: 6,173 (579)