An EFL cup night in Lancashire on the 27th September saw Cardiff City make the trip up to face Blackburn Rovers in the third round. A huge game for both sides as a win meant marching onwards towards the 4th round. Lewis Travis made his mark in the game after being subbed on in the 73rd minute for Jake Garrett in a tactical substitution in a bid to preserve the 5-2 lead.

It was a fierce match between two EFL mainstays, with the score hitting a 2-2 deadlock at half time. This changed after Blackburn went back out on top, when Moran immediately found the net in the 49th minute. Cardiff heads seemed to drop after Moran’s goal, allowing him to score again.

Lewis Travis’ introduction to the field was most likely an attempt to help stabilize the midfield defensively, as Blackburn did not find the net after making this change alongside one other. Travis is a reliable midfielder who had spent his youth days at Liverpool FC as a defender, bringing great experience to an already great team.

Markanday’s goal looked like the hint to Tomasson’s men to start defending and make the changes in case Cardiff found their stride.

A missed penalty for Blackburn meant it could have been six goals for the home side. 

Thanks to this win, Blackburn Rovers will meet Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in late October to decide who goes through to the quarter-finals.

Lewis Travis’ Blackburn Rovers currently sit 14th in the table of the EFL Championship after facing two losses on the bounce in their last two matches. While Cardiff City are perched at 7th thanks to their last three games being the polar opposite to Blackburn’s - three wins.  

It seemed like Dimitrious Goutas exclusion from the squad in this match could have been a reason for so many goals conceded for Cardiff, but a squad rotation is visibly needed in a demanding EFL Championship schedule.

Arriving from Sivasspor in the Summer, 1.93m Goutas was a signing to shore up the Bluebird’s backline ahead of a very competitive season and a bid to return to the top flight of the Premier League.

Dimitrious Goutas was most likely rested ahead of Cardiff’s next EFL Championship match against Rotherham on the 30th Saturday.