Ellie Leek netted a dramatic late winner as Blackburn Rovers defeated Coventry United 3-2 in an enthralling encounter at the Sir Tom Finney Stadium.
Rovers led 2-0 thanks to goals from Saffron Jordan and Farah Crompton but goals from Rio Hardy and Katie Wilkinson pegged them back. The game looked set the end level until Leek scored the winner deep in added time at the end of the second half.
The hosts came into the game having suffered three straight defeats on the bounce whereas visitors Coventry United hadn’t won all season in the league.
Rovers started well and an early Annabel Blanchard free-kick was tipped round the post by Olivia Clark.
The hosts continued their early push for a goal and when Megan Hornby was fouled in the box, Jordan stepped up to convert from the penalty spot as she gave Rovers an early lead.
It could have been two soon after when Crompton broke through the Coventry United backline and was one-on-one with Clark but the Welsh international keeper got down low and denied Rovers a second goal.
The visitors took a while to warm to the challenge but they tested home keeper Alex Brooks with a swerving cross from the right which had to be pushed to safety while Jordan continued her pursuit of a second goal at the other end but a low shot from 12 yards caused no problem for Clark. A free-kick from Blanchard was then parried by the Coventry United keeper into the path of Jordan who blazed wide of the mark.
The hosts continued the second half with the same dominance and they grabbed their second goal when another Blanchard shot was parried by Clark and Crompton slid home her first goal for the club.
Blanchard then saw another shot pushed away by Clark before the Coventry United keeper denied Jordan a second goal, saving her shot well from inside the box.
Brooks in the Rovers goal had rarely been tested all afternoon but she was required to pull off a good save from a Hardy effort.
Hardy then got a goal back for The Red and Greens, she was on-hand to poke the ball into the net following a cross from the left to make it 2-1.
Coventry United almost levelled from a corner with Grace Riglar’s header being saved by Brooks before Katie Wilkinson headed home from a cross to make it 2-2.
The visitors looked to have done enough to earn a share of the spoils but they soon found themselves behind again when a cross from right was fumbled by Clark straight into Leek’s path and she struck to give Rovers all three points.
Blackburn Rovers next travel to Liverpool in the FA Women’s Championship while Coventry United host Bristol City.
By Matthew Ward