BLACKBURN Rovers are up to seventh in the Premier League table after a Gabriel Tamas own goal and a stunner from Junior Hoilett gave them victory over West Bromwich Albion this afternoon.
Romanian central defender Tamas headed David Dunn’s cross past his own keeper four minutes before half time to break the deadlock.
Paul Robinson had to save from Peter Odemwingie and Jerome Thomas early on as the visitors started brightly, but West Brom keeper Boaz Myhill was required to keep out efforts from Martin Olsson and Chris Samba.
Roque Santa Cruz then tested Myhill after Tamas’ own goal had put Rovers ahead.
But the second goal did arrive only two minutes into the second half as Hoilett darted past Tamas and unleashed a powerful 25-yard effort that swerved past Myhill and into the net.
David Hoilett
It was the Canadian’s first Premier League goal and it may be some time before he scores a better one.
Having made a good impression on his debut, Jermaine Jones almost blotted his copybook by conceding a penalty in the 68th minute for a lunge on Odemwingie, only for referee Mark Clattenburg to award a free-kick instead.
Thomas forced a good save from Robinson as West Brom tried to pull a goal back, but Rovers were able to record their third consecutive home win to move into the European places.
Rovers: Paul Robinson, Michel Salgado (Grant Hanley 76), Chris Samba, Gael Givet, Martin Olsson, Junior Hoilett, David Dunn (Steven Nzonzi 63), Jermaine Jones, Morten Gamst Pedersen, Niko Kalinic (Jason Roberts 63), Roque Santa Cruz. Subs not used: Mark Bunn, El-Hadji Diouf, Mame Biram Diouf, Benjani.
West Brom: Boaz Myhill, Gonzalo Jara, Jonas Olsson, Gabriel Tamas, Marek Cech, Chris Brunt, Paul Scharner, Youssouf Mulumbu (Somen Tchoyi 57), James Morrison (Roman Bednar 76), Jerome Thomas, Peter Odemwingie. Subs not used: Scott Carson, Pablo, Gianni Zuiverloon, Nicky Shorey, Simon Cox.
Referee: Mark Clattenburg.
Attendance: 24,057.
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West Bromwich Albion’s Romanian defender Gabriel Tamas will not have particularly fond memories of playing against Blackburn this season. Sent off in the 3-1 defeat at The Hawthorns last month, Tamas’s contribution yesterday was an unstoppably headed own goal that set Rovers on their way to a victory that elevated them into seventh place in the Premier League.
“I’m pleased with that,” said the Blackburn manager, Steve Kean. “We played some nice stuff. Paul Robinson kept us in the game at times, but we deserved the three points.”
For his first match since signing a new long-term contract to keep him at the club until 2013, Kean was able to bring in two significant reinforcements. Roque Santa Cruz made his home debut on his return from 18 months at Manchester City and the dual German and United States international Jermaine Jones – also on a six-month loan – made his first appearance for Blackburn.
That should have been a considerable boost for a side already boasting an impressive home record this season and that was ultimately the case. Despite looking understandably rusty, Santa Cruz showed plenty of the touches that endeared him to Ewood Park first time around, while Jones’s industrious effort as the holding midfielder won him the home man-of-the-match award. “He’s not even fully fit, but he’s got everything,” Kean said of Jones.
The new men and their colleagues started, however, like a veritable team of strangers. Inside the first minute, Morten Gamst Pedersen gave the ball away to Albion striker Peter Odemwingie and Robinson had to make a good save before he was properly warmed up. Still in the opening minute, Jones fouled James Morrison unnecessarily in an inviting position for a free-kick, but Chris Brunt fired it into the wall.
It was almost half-an-hour before Blackburn began to pose a threat to Boaz Myhill, again preferred to Scott Carson in the West Brom goal, Martin Olsson forcing a save when the defence failed to clear Pedersen’s throw. Christopher Samba was then allowed the turning circle of an oil tanker before calling Myhill into action again.
After both Santa Cruz and Samba had further chances, Myhill’s defence undermined him even more blatantly. There was no particular danger in David Dunn’s cross from the right, but Tamas got in front of Nikola Kalinic to head it past Myhill when it would have been far easier to clear it.
“He just mistimed his jump and finished up facing the wrong way,” the West Brom manager Roberto di Matteo said as he surveyed the damage that mistake did to his team’s chances.
There was less direct, but still important, assistance for the second Blackburn goal after the restart. Again, there seemed little threat when Junior Hoilett took the ball, but his sinuous turn took him right away from Paul Scharner and his shot into the roof of the net was ferocious. It was the first Premier League goal for the highly promising young midfielder and one he might have to wait some time before improving upon.
It also summed up one side of Albion’s personality – mixed Baggies as ever. Always capable of creative attacking play, they are just too frail in defence to inspire any real confidence in their Premier League survival now that they are down to 15th in the table.
With Robinson in commanding form, all their good footballing instincts came to nothing yesterday, although they should have been give the opportunity to fight back via a penalty midway through the second half. Martin Olsson clearly brought down Odemwingie but referee Mark Clattenburg mysteriously ruled that it was outside the area.
“Apart from the referee, everybody else thought we should have had a penalty,” Di Matteo said. “It was quite clear from where I was that the ball was inside.”
A free-kick was the verdict and Brunt, having a bad day with the dead ball, hammered it into the wall again. Whether a penalty would have sparked a comeback that might have brought them something from this game is another question, but right now Albion could use any help they can get.
Sam Allardyce made a Rovers return yesterday – and must have gone away wondering whatever happened to his old team.
It is just six weeks since Big Sam left Ewood Park in a state of shock at the speed of his sacking by the new Indian owners, but in that short space of time Steve Kean has made the side unrecognisable.
Allardyce was back as a TV pundit to watch his former players turn on the style. He put a brave face on it but will be secretly spitting feathers about the way his old coach has transformed the club.
Kean celebrated signing a new long-term contract by masterminding a performance of class, skill and imagination that was never part of Big Sam’s sterile if successful survival plan.
Under Allardyce Blackburn often bullied lesser teams, but already Kean has got them outplaying the opposition. It is hard to believe this is the same set of players.
And Rovers sit proudly seventh in the table – the lofty position that will have Venky’s the chicken farmers clucking with delight. The young manager looks a find and is the stand-out part of the new regime.
Talents who were in their shell under Allardyce – like promising Junior Hoilett in particular – are prospering. And the need to spend millions on new faces does not suddenly seem so pressing either.
Roque Santa Cruz looked almost like his old self in his first start after returning from Manchester City while new midfield marauder Jermaine Jones slotted into midfield with some style and strength.
Kean has gone for a much more attacking line-up, sometimes verging on the cavalier. His men are relishing their freedom even if it can be scary at times.
His brave thinking was almost undone within seconds when Peter Odemwingie pounced on a shocking slip by Morten Gamst Pedersen – with Paul Robinson making a vital save.
It was a wildly open game, with Albion never needing an excuse to perform pretty passes. The Baggies enjoyed the chance to get at the Rovers back line and Robinson had to stop Odemwingie with his legs.
For all of Blackburn’s fine work their clear-cut openings fell to the wrong people. Raiding left back Martin Olsson made Boaz Myhill save well before the keeper denied Chris Samba.
Centre half Samba, set to sign a new contract after his doubts about the club’s future were dispelled, lashed another shot inches wide as the new approach flourished. Albion hung on but made chances of their own, with Jerome Thomas’s shot – deflected off Samba’s long legs – going fractions past the post. Their invention was equally pleasing.
Ironically the opener came in the unlikeliest of ways. David Dunn curled a fine cross towards Nikola Kalinic but Gabriel Tamas got there first and headed past Myhill for a stunning own goal.
Santa Cruz almost made it two immediately when he took Hoillett’s slick pass in his stride and forced Myhill to make another fine stop.
But there was no keeping out Hoillett’s howitzer after the break. The young Canadian cut inside and smashed a shot that Myhill watched go past him in a blur.
Robinson was needed again to stop Odemwingie’s raking drive and Kean shored up his side by sending on Steven Nzonzi after a long lay-off.
West Brom could have had a penalty when Jones dumped Odemwingie on his backside. Ref Mark Clattenburg ruled it was outside the box but it could easily have gone the other way.
Jones was not so lucky when he slammed into team-mate Gael Givet. The United States international must be a strong man as he laid out his French colleague which takes some doing.
It was painful but further proof of the level of commitment among the players towards each other and their new gaffer. So much for the mutterings of mutiny which seem so long ago and so ludicrous.
Sub Jason Roberts and Santa Cruz should have added a third as Rovers finished strongly, but that would have been harsh on their gallant and likeable opponents.
Albion kept going admirably, with Robinson bravely blocking Thomas, but Roberto Di Matteo needs results more than compliments or it will all go to waste.
Di Matteo’s men are perilously close to the drop and rival West Ham as the weakest defence in the top flight. They deserve to stay up but you do not get points for praise.
Blackburn manager Steve Kean celebrated his long-term contract with a third home victory in a row as Rovers saw off West Brom at Ewood Park to climb up to seventh place in the Barclays Premier League.
Kean this week signed a deal to keep him at the club until the summer of 2013 and, after a hotly-contested 40 minutes, he watched as Gabriel Tamas gave Rovers a huge helping hand with a powerful header into his own net.
The hosts’ second came less than two minutes into the second half, Junior Hoilett sending a blistering shot into the roof of the net, and Blackburn held on reasonably comfortably, although West Brom should have had a penalty for a foul on Peter Odemwingie.
Blackburn manager Steve Kean gave starts to January signings Roque Santa Cruz and Jermaine Jones in today’s Barclays Premier League clash with West Brom.
There was a blow for Kean, though, with key defender Ryan Nelsen ruled out by a knee injury while El-Hadji Diouf dropped to the bench.
West Brom welcomed back defender Jonas Olsson following suspension in their only change from last weekend’s 3-2 victory over Blackpool, with the Swede replacing ankle injury victim Graham Dorrans.
Kean was looking for a third home win in a row to celebrate signing a new long-term contract this week, which ties him to Rovers until the summer of 2013.
However, the hosts were almost behind in the first minute when a mistake in midfield by Morten Gamst Pedersen allowed James Morrison to find Peter Odemwingie, and the striker’s fierce volley was tipped around the post by Paul Robinson.
At the other end, Olsson, who was out for two-and-a-half months with an Achilles injury before being sent off in the FA Cup defeat by Reading two weeks ago, showed his class by halting a driving run by Nikola Kalinic.
The Rovers striker scored twice in a 3-1 win for Blackburn at the Hawthorns in the reverse fixture three weeks ago, part of a run that saw the Baggies beaten six times in a row.
Jones, signed on loan from Schalke this week, then hinted at what he has to offer with a driving run from left-back as the lively early tempo continued.
Robinson was nearly caught out in the 13th minute when Paul Scharner nipped in front of him to collect a deflected cross and laid the ball back to Jerome Thomas, whose shot beat the goalkeeper but drifted a yard wide of the far post.
Santa Cruz, making his first start at Ewood Park since leaving for Manchester City 18 months ago, was struggling to get into the game but his side were now building some momentum.
A scramble in the West Brom box following a long throw from Pedersen ended with Martin Olsson firing a shot through a crowd of players that Boaz Myhill, who retained his place at the expense of captain Scott Carson today, did brilliantly to keep out.
Then a limping Gabriel Tamas played Christopher Samba onside and his effort was also pushed away by Myhill. In the 33rd minute, the big defender was at it again but this time his 20-yard shot fizzed just wide of the post.
West Brom continued to look dangerous on the break and, after shots by Thomas and Youssouf Mulumbu had been blocked, the former saw his effort deflected just wide by Samba.
In the 41st minute, though, the Baggies found themselves behind, and it was a goal all of their own making. David Dunn swung in a decent cross from the right that Tamas, under notional pressure from Santa Cruz, headed powerfully into his own net.
Myhill then produced another terrific save as Santa Cruz rolled back the years with a run and shot that met the firm hand of the former Hull goalkeeper.
Blackburn deserved their lead, even if the goal was somewhat fortunate, but there was nothing lucky about their second, which came only 78 seconds into the second half and dealt a major blow to Albion’s hopes of taking anything from the game.
A neat touch on his chest from Kalinic set Junior Hoilett on his way and the 20-year-old jinked past Tamas before unleashing a shot from 20 yards that flew over Myhill and into the net.
It was the Canadian’s first Premier League goal and it may be some time before he scores a better one.
At the other end, the impressive Thomas continued to threaten the Rovers defence and he curled in a 25-yard effort that would have nestled in the far corner had Robinson not got his fingertips to it.
Blackburn right-back Michel Salgado then went after his first league goal, striking a volley that was punched away by Myhill, while Thomas and Robinson continued their battle, again the goalkeeper coming out on top.
In the 64th minute, Kean made a double change, bringing on Jason Roberts for Kalinic and Steven Nzonzi for Dunn, with the latter making his first appearance after three months out with a hamstring injury.
Having made a good impression on his debut, Jones should have blotted his copybook by conceding a penalty in the 68th minute for an inadvisable lunge on Odemwingie only for referee Mark Clattenburg to inexplicably award a free-kick instead.
The offence was clearly a yard inside the area but the Baggies’ protests were in vain and Chris Brunt slammed his kick into the wall.
West Brom continued to press but they were reduced to long-range efforts as Rovers comfortably kept the visitors at bay, and indeed it was Kean’s side who came closest to adding to their lead.
With the clock ticking into three minutes of injury time, Olsson drove into the box and tested Myhill with a stinging shot, with Roberts just failing to convert the rebound.
And the day almost ended in perfect fashion when Santa Cruz, looking suspiciously offside, curled a shot just over the bar with Myhill rooted to the spot.
Blackburn Rovers moved up to seventh in the Premier League as an own goal from Gabriel Tamas and a Junior Hoilett effort left West Bromwich Albion just three points above the relegation zone.
Former manager Sam Allardyce, controversially sacked last month, was back at Ewood Park working as a television pundit to see his team move to within two places of the supposedly absurd target set by new owners Venky’s.
The picture looks altogether bleaker for Roberto Di Matteo’s side, who have lost seven of their last eight matches and remain just three points above the relegation zone.
There may be no Ronaldinho or David Beckham but there were home debuts for Jermaine Jones and Roque Santa Cruz, who has joined his former club for the rest of the season from Manchester City.
The visitors threatened with less than a minute gone, when Morten Gamst Pedersen’s slack pass allowed James Morrison to head through for Peter Odemwingie, whose powerful effort was turned away by Paul Robinson.
West Brom goalkeeper Boaz Myhill kept his side in the match with fine saves from Martin Olsson and Chris Samba, while Samba also just missed the target with a low drive.
But five minutes before half time, David Dunn’s cross was headed into his own top corner by Tamas, sent off in Rovers’ 3-1 at the Hawthorns last month, under pressure from Nikola Kalinic.
A minute after the restart, Kalinic knocked down Pedersen’s long ball to Hoilett who skipped inside Tamas and beat Myhill with a powerful effort from just outside the area for his first Premier League goal.
As Blackburn inevitably sat back, West Brom finally enjoyed some reasonable openings, with Paul Robinson having to be alert to deny Jerome Thomas on two occasions.
They also should have been awarded a penalty for Gael Givet’s swipe at Odemwingie, with replays showing the offence, for which referee Mark Clattenburg awarded a free kick just outside the area, took place inside the box.