Bristol City player ratings - dead-ball specialist Scott Twine stands out to Robins' boost promotion hopes

Dead-ball specialist Scott Twine was the star of the show at Ashton Gate as he helped Bristol City secure a potentially invaluable 2-1 win over fellow promotion challengers Blackburn Rovers.

The Robins playmaker showed why he is so important to City boss with a stunning first-half free-kick as he played a key role in making sure City overcame their play-off rivals in a hard-fought win.

Former City star Andreas Weimann came back to haunt his old club with the equaliser before the break only for veteran striker Nahki Wells to have the final say with a late winner to send the Gate wild.

Now the dust has settled on a potentially crucial victory, our man Cathal Loughlin runs the rule over the individuals who invigorated City’s promotion challenge and made sure the fans’ Premier League dreams remain well and truly alive.

Player ratings

Max O’Leary: Couldn't do much about the goal but did give the ball straight to Weimann but thankfully he was offside which earned the goalie a reprieve. 6

George Tanner: Quiet first half and was trying to get involved in attack but was really finding space or opportunity. Subbed for Sykes after 59 mins. 6

Rob Dickie: An exciting battle against the Makhtar Gueye to which he had great success throughout the game against Blackburns number nine. 7

Zak Vyner: A quiet but solid performance from City’s number 14 as he didn’t have a whole lot of defending to do with most of it being the other side of the pitch but his keeping of possession was crucial for City. 7

Luke McNally: The centre-half struggled early on against the pace and trickery of Tyrhys Dolan but grew into the game as he found his feet. 6

Haydon Roberts: Usual story for Roberts in which he struggled defensively but looked lively going forward, especially when linking up well with Mehmeti in the first half. 6

Max Bird: After a quiet first half it was a lot better in the second and he nearly grabbed himself an assist but Wells’ shot was cleared of the line 7

Jason Knight: Cities captain was once again an engine in the midfield leaving no gaps, winning the ball back and getting the game moving. 7

Anis Mehmeti: quiet performance by Mehmeti’s high standards but there were moments of brilliance that would have impressed former Manchester city full back and current Albania assistant head coach Pablo Zabaleta. Subbed for Earthy after 75 mins 6

Scott Twine: Trademark free kick from the former Burnley playmaker, always looking to receive the ball and make something happen. Took a bit of a kicking in the process. 9

Sinclair Armstrong: Put himself about nicely with runs down the line and into the box but just couldn't get the right contact on the ball to put it in the net. Subbed for Wells after 59 mins. 6

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Mark Sykes: came on for a system change and looked to constantly beat his man and get a cross into the box just like he did midweek against Sheffield Wednesday. 6

Nahki Wells: Although it was a deflection that took his shot past Pears it was a brilliant run to create the space. 8

George Earthy: Subdued for the first 15 minutes but his stoppage time performance was crucial in securing the win with playing keep ball with wells and twine late in the game. 7

Joe Williams: On his return from injury he played a crucial ball into wells for the winner. Other than that it was not the usual swashbuckling performance that city fans are used to seeing from there number eight. 8

Ross McCrorie: A late arrival who helped City negotiate an anxious finale. 6