Blackburn halted their Championship winless run and moved into the play-off places as John Eustace’s men defeated Portsmouth 3-0 at Ewood Park.
In a rescheduled contest that had been postponed in November due to a waterlogged pitch caused by Storm Bert, it was the away side who went closest in the first half when Colby Bishop, looking certain to score, struck against the crossbar in the 41st minute.
But substitute Makhtar Gueye headed Rovers in front just past the hour mark and Callum Brittain cracked in a second in the 71st minute, moments after Bishop had seen a header cleared off the line and Portsmouth – as they had not long before the opener – appealed for a penalty in vain.
Andreas Weimann added the third soon after as Blackburn, 1-0 victors in the FA Cup at Middlesbrough at the weekend, recorded a first triumph in six league outings and moved up two places to fifth.
John Mousinho’s Pompey, who had dropped into the relegation zone thanks to Cardiff’s 1-1 draw with Watford on Tuesday, are now second bottom, a point adrift of the 21st-placed Bluebirds, after what was their fourth loss in five league games.
Blackburn were presented with an opportunity in the 13th minute as Portsmouth gave the ball away in their own half and it came to Weimann, but his attempt to chip fellow Austrian Nicolas Schmid from around 25 yards went over the bar.
Five minutes later another chance was passed up by the hosts when Dominic Hyam headed too high from Tyrhys Dolan’s cross, and subsequent headers at the same end by John Buckley and Danny Batth were sent wide and caught by Schmid respectively.
Having threatened little up to that point, it was then Portsmouth failing to make the most of an opening late in the first half as Bishop fired against the bar right in front of goal.
The second half got under way with a Brittain shot being saved by the legs of Schmid. Portsmouth – with Isaac Hayden on for his debut after joining on loan from Newcastle, replacing the injured Paddy Lane – replied with unsuccessful headers from Marlon Pack and Bishop, and the latter had claims he had been fouled in the box dismissed.
Blackburn then saw a change of their own swiftly pay off as Gueye, five minutes after being brought on for Hedges, connected with Brittain’s cross to head the ball across Schmid and into the far side of the net.
Portsmouth went close to equalising in the 70th minute when Rovers goalkeeper Aynsley Pears came off his line and collided with Callum Lang, whose cross was headed goalwards by Bishop.
While the ball was cleared off the line by a combination of Owen Beck and Batth, the visitors’ calls for a penalty were waved away by referee Farai Hallam – and within seconds Blackburn had doubled their lead as they broke up the field and Brittain smashed the ball past Schmid.
A further blow for Portsmouth came five minutes later as Schmid parried Gueye’s shot but was unable to keep out Weimann’s follow-up.
With the game as good as wrapped up, Eustace made further changes that included Adam Forshaw and Dion Sanderson making their Rovers bows.
