Ince gets first home win of the season, thanks to Derbyshire
BLACKBURN: Matt Derbyshire’s late winner gave Paul Ince his first home win as Blackburn manager and bragging rights over his Fulham counterpart Roy Hodgson, once his boss at Inter Milan.
Derbyshire was only involved for the final quarter hour of a well-balanced contest.
But the local hero made the difference six minutes from the end with a goal that was very much a South American production.
Chilean Carlos Villanueva, making his first Premier League appearance as a substitute, delivered a superb through ball that Paraguayan striker Roque Santa Cruz flicked on for Derby shire to claim his third goal of the season.
Fulham, who only escaped relegation on the final day of last season, have been a relevation since the start of this campaign and Hodgson’s men arrived at Ewood Park looking for a third straight win.
They very nearly got off to a perfect start when summer signing Andy Johnson drew a superb save from for mer England goalkeeper Paul Ro bin son, who somehow palmed the striker’s close-range shot over the bar.
Keith Andrews then shot into the side-netting for Blackburn and it took a fine save from Mark Schwarzer to keep out Santa Cruz’s drive as the home side responded.
Andrews picked up a deserved booking midway through the opening period after hacking down Jimmy Bullard, who was also on the receiving end of a brutish challenge from Brett Emerton, who followed his team-mate into the referee’s book.
From the resulting free-kick, Danny Murphy found Bobby Zamora, who headed over.
Santa Cruz responded for Blackburn by breaking clear of the Fulham back four but his shot was directed straight at Schwarzer.
Emerton came closest to breaking the deadlock before the interval, cutting in from the left and unleashing a curling shot that beat his fellow Australia international Schwarzer but came back off the post.
That was to be as close as the home side came until Derbyshire secured the win that lifts Blackburn clear of the relegation zone |
發表於 2008-9-22 07:46 PM
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