Blackburn Rovers vs. Portsmouth

Pompey were looking to build on their 4-0 thrashing of Wigan last weekend, and Jamie O'Hara gave them the perfect start at Ewood Park with the opening goal after 15 minutes from Aruna Dindane's pass.

But Jason Roberts got Rovers back on level terms after 53 minutes, poking home a header from Ryan Nelson, who then headed the hosts in front in the 73rd minute.

Roberts then put the result to bed with a left-footed strike four minutes from time.

The win was Blackburn's first in three league matches and it moves them up to 13th, yet for long periods it seemed as though they would be plunging further towards the relegation zone.

For Pompey, however, the late drama provided a jolt back down to earth following their emphatic 4-0 win over Wigan last week - which hinted their appalling start might have been a thing of the past.

ounes Kaboul and O'Hara's low shots dribbled wide for the visitors - while Anthony Vanden Borre messed up a half-chance after being fed in the box by Kevin-Prince Boateng.

But Pompey's lead came out of nowhere when Dindane fed O'Hara in the centre of midfield. The on-loan Spurs man found a way past Robinson with a low left-foot shot from 30 yards.

Diouf got behind the Pompey defence on the half-hour only to be let down by a woeful final ball which was cleared by Kaboul, as the visitors' rearguard held firm.

Rovers' woes were summed up in the 33rd minute when, having won a free-kick 30 yards from goal, the recalled Pedersen lofted a pitiful set-piece attempt high and wide.

Allardyce responded to his team's inept first-half display by replacing the ineffective Pedersen and El-Hadji Diouf with Roberts and McCarthy.

Roberts almost squeezed between Wilson and Tal Ben Haim to get a foot to a McCarthy pass in front of goal - but O'Hara remained a danger and hit another long-range effort into Robinson's arms.

Suddenly the Blackburn supporters were re-energised and the players responded by laying siege to the Portsmouth goal.

Now full of confidence and determination, they began to flood forward in search of a second goal and it duly arrived when Nelsen met another Dunn corner with a thumping header.

Nelsen's superb 73rd-minute header from Dunn's corner put the home side in front in what was only the second goal scored by the New Zealand captain in almost five years at the club.

Roberts wrapped up the points five minutes from time when he stole into the box to put the finishing touches to a left-wing cross from McCarthy.