Cardiff City put in a shambolic defensive display against Blackburn Rovers as Ben Brereton Diaz netted a hat-trick in the hosts' 5-1 demolition up at Ewood Park.

Cardiff waved in three first-half goals, two from Brereton Diaz and the other from Sam Gallagher, before Tyrhys Dolan made sure of the win not long after the restart.

Sean Morrison scored Cardiff's consolation goal, but it was far too little too late. When Dillon Phillips hauled down Reda Khadra in the 90th minute, Brereton Diaz calmly slotted home for his third of the afternoon.

It means Cardiff have now lost three on the spin and and four in their last five in the league, a run of results which has seen them freefall to mid-table after a decent start to the campaign.

The utterly abject defending, coupled with the Bluebirds' lack of attacking thrust and goal threat, is becoming a real concern and the hammering at Ewood Park will do nothing to allay fans' fears.

The hugely frustrating aspect of all this is that Cardiff actually started OK.

In fact, they had the best of the early chances when Aden Flint's headed effort from a long throw-in was saved at point-blank range by Thomas Kaminski, only for Morrison to head the rebound and have it cleared off the line.

After that early chance, though, the Bluebirds looked utterly devoid of invention in the final third and Blackburn gained in confidence.

That's when the floodgates opened.

It was an all-too-familiar story for the hosts' first goal. A simple ball over the top was plucked out of the sky by Gallagher and he took one touch before expertly slotting past Philips to put Cardiff straight on the back foot.

Just eight minutes later, the Bluebirds' net bulged again when Dolan sent in a tremendous, arcing ball over the top of Morrison before Brereton Diaz lashed home a stunning volleyed effort from just yards out.

After that, Cardiff were completely out of the game. Blackburn's tails were up and the visitors couldn't even get out of their own half.

Kieffer Moore just could not get in the game and Leandro Bacuna barely touched the ball. Cardiff were getting run ragged in midfield and couldn't stem the tide of Rovers' attack.

There was a sense that if Cardiff could get to half-time with the deficit at just two then there was hope for a second-half turnaround, but the most comical goal on the stroke of the break put paid to that.

An awful mix up between Will Vaulks and Morrison saw the ball bobble into Brereton Diaz's path. Morrison tried to get back at him and dispossess him, but somehow the ball squirted out towards Phillips and squeezed underneath him. The Rovers striker simply ran around the goalkeeper and poked it into the net for Rovers' third.

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Cardiff left the pitch to some boos from some of the thousand or so travelling supporters at the break.

A few changes were made at half-time, but that seemed to make little difference when the same old defensive frailties allowed Rovers to net their fourth.

A simple ball to the back post saw Gallagher rise above Joel Bagan and nod the ball in towards the penalty spot. Dolan raced on to it, took a touch and poked it past Phillips. As easy as you like.

The only encouraging sign was that Ryan Giles looked break after his introduction and it was no surprise that the Wolves loanee was responsible for Morrison's goal.

Giles sent in a lovely corner and Morrison beat his man to head home well and reduce the deficit to three.

Cardiff piled forward late on and actually had a couple of decent chances. Mark Harris latched on to a Giles cross and forced Kaminski into a top save before Bagan fluffed his lines on a couple of half-decent opportunities, too.

But make no mistake, this game was lost before the break. Brereton Diaz's last-minute goal was just the icing on the cake for the hosts, because the damage was already done.

Sluggish starts are proving far too costly and it isn't good enough at either end of the pitch at the minute.

Blackburn Rovers XI: Kaminski; Nyambe, Lenihan (Carter 56), Ayala, Pickering; Travis, Rothwell (Edun 83), Buckley; Dolan (Khadra 66), Brereton-Diaz, Gallagher.

Subs: Pears, Butterworth, Clarkson, Poveda.

Cardiff City XI: Phillips; Morrison, Flint, Nelson; Ng, Vaulks (Giles 45), Pack, Bagan; Bacuna (Harris 45), Colwill (Collins 81), Moore.

Subs: Smithies, McGuinness, Sang, Bowen.

Attendance: 11,670 (1,063)

FULL-TIME! Blackburn Rovers 5-1 Cardiff City

And that is that. Dreadful display.

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GOAL! Blackburn Rovers 5-1 Cardiff City (Brereton Diaz 90)

He slots home from the spot.

Awful day for Cardiff.

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PENALTY BLACKBURN

Phillips hauls down Khadra. Penalty.

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87

Another Giles cross, another defender heading over the bar for a corner.

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86

Save!

Blackburn break and Brereton Diaz hammers a half-volley from a tight angle, but Phillips palms over the bar.

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81

Collins on for Colwill.

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79

Bagan ghosts into the box but pulls his shot wide.

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75

Bagan blasts over!

Flint wins the header and it rebounds into Bagan's path, but he snatches at it and it flies over the bar.

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74

Giles whips in another dangerous one and Ayala is stumbling backwards, but manages to head over the bar and it's another City corner.

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68

Close!

Lovely work again from Ryan Giles. He fizzes in a low cross and Harris ducks down to head it goalward and it takes a fine save from Kaminski to keep it out.

Corner again.

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66

Dolan off, Khadra on.

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65

Another lovely cross from Giles, but Harris just can't get his head on it and the ball is cleared.

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GOAL! Blackburn Rovers 4-1 Cardiff City (Morrison 58)

Morrison scores! He heads home from Giles' corner.

The skipper rose highest and powered home. That's one back.

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58

Good from Giles. He flies past his marker on the right wing and makes it into the box, but his cross is deflected for a corner.

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GOAL! Blackburn Rovers 4-0 Cardiff City (Dolan 54)

Dolan scores!

A cross is stood up to the back post and Gallagher beats Bagan to it before nodding it towards the penalty spot.

Dolan races on to it, takes a touch and pokes past Phillips. This is getting ugly.

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53

Bagan hits a cross into Nelson, but he heads over the bar.

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49

Big handball shout from Flint after his flick into the box appeared to strike a Rovers arm.

Nothing doing, though.

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46

Back underway!

Harris and Giles on for Ng and Vaulks.

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HALF-TIME! Blackburn Rovers 3-0 Cardiff City

Ouch.

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GOAL! Blackburn Rovers 3-0 Cardiff City (Brereton Diaz 45)

And a third, Brereton Diaz again.

That is utterly shocking defending from Cardiff City. Vaulks and Morrison mix-up allows Brereton Diaz in behind, ball somehow squeezes through Phillips' legs and the striker just pokes home. 3-0

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45

Three minutes added.

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42

Should be three.

Joe Rothwell flies through the Cardiff defence, gliding past two or three of them before pulling it back to Brereton Diaz, but he doesn;t get enough contact on the shot, which is only about three or four yards out.

Cardiff need to get to half-time here.

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38

Dillon Phillips mishits a goal kick straight out of play for a Rovers throw-in. Just about sums up Cardiff so far.

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36

Buckley hits a low cross, looking for Brereton Diaz at the back post, and Ng is scrambling but manages to get it away.

Tough times for City, this.

Gallagher then hits one from 20 yards and it deflects off Morrison and looks to be heading over Phillips, but the keeper manages to gather.

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GOAL! Blackburn Rovers 2-0 Cardiff City (Brereton Diaz 32)

And another! Brereton Diaz this time.

A Rovers break sees Dolan receive the ball on the right and he sends in a brilliant, arcing ball over the top and Brereton Diaz latches on to it and volleys home emphatically from inside the box.

A top, top finish, that.

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31

Bar!

Daniel Ayala rises highest from the corner and sends his header towards goal, but it strikes the bar and rebounds into the dangerzone before the refereee awards a free-kick to Cardiff.

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29

Flint does well to track the tricky Dolan. The Rovers man hits the byline and tries to put in a cross, but Flint deflects out for a corner.

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GOAL! Blackburn Rovers 1-0 Cardiff City (Gallagher 24)

Goal! Gallagher slots home.

An easy ball over the top is taken by Gallagher and as Cardiff's defenders scream for offside, the striker takes a touch and slots it past Phillips.

How many times have we seen that ball through or over the defence be Cardiff's undoing this season?

Too easy.

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22

Bagan snatches at a cross after a quick Cardiff break and it goes behind for a goal kick.

McCarthy and Vaulks encourage him to lift his head up after that one.

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21

It ends up at Moore's feet at the back post, but his shot is once again deflected into the arms of the keeper.

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