Blackburn turned Derby’s return to the Championship into a memorable 4-2 loss, while Sheffield United started their battle to return to the Premier League with a 2-0 victory at Preston on Friday.
One of the three Premier League teams that saw their promotion last season go straight back to the lower division was the Blades.
However, they got off to a strong start as Oliver Arblaster’s deflected goal on minute twelve put them ahead.
The points were then secured in the second half when Gustavo Hamer capitalized on a mistake made by Preston goalkeeper Freddie Woodman.
Although Blackburn was too strong for Derby, they barely avoided relegation to League One in the previous season.
With the Irish international a target for Ipswich upon their return to the Premier League, Rovers benched Sammie Szmodics.
Despite this, Szmodics, who led the Championship in goals scored the previous year, continued to have an impact in the second half with a goal and an assist.
Tyrhys Dolan had opened the score, and Blackburn’s new signings Andreas Weimann and Yuki Ohashi also opened the score.
For the Rams, who were promoted from League One the previous season, Curtis Nelson and Kane Wilson hit their marks. The Rams had a rough start to life in the second division.
