Kanu strike sinks Rovers

Kanu secured a rare away success for Portsmouth by netting the only goal in a 1-0 win at Blackburn.

Miserable week for Rovers continues

Kanu secured a rare away success for Portsmouth by netting the only goal in a 1-0 win at Blackburn.

The South Coast side had won on just one of their last 19 Premier League trips prior to Sunday's success.

The winner arrived in the 25th minute as Kanu shrugged off challenges from Christopher Samba and Stephen Warnock before firing home from close range.

Despite failing to pad out their lead, Harry Redknapp's side defended stoutly to secure the three-point haul.

The defeat is Blackburn's first in the league this season and caps a miserable week following their Uefa Cup defeat to Larissa.

That loss had ended a 15-match unbeaten run, with Blackburn eager to atone as they bossed the game prior to Kanu's goal, and should have had the points wrapped up by then. But football again proved what a cruel game it can be as from virtually nowhere Portsmouth scored what proved to be the winner. Kanu's eventual finish had been preceded 60 seconds earlier by a sensational double save from Brad Friedel to deny the Nigerian. Stealing in behind the Rovers defence, Kanu met John Utaka's cross with a powerful header from seven yards, only for Friedel to claw the ball off his line. However, the rebound fell at the feet of Kanu, and looking more certain to score at the second time of asking, his stabbed shot was blocked at point-blank range by the American. If Rovers thought they had enjoyed a fortuitous, yet fantastic escape, they were made to think again almost instantly.

Pompey ahead

From the halfway line Sylvain Distin pumped a long ball forward that was nodded down into Kanu's path by Papa Bouba Diop. At that stage Kanu had more work to do than with his two previous chances combined, but he proceeded to shrug off Samba, rounded Friedel and then brushed aside Warnock. From a tight angle the 31-year-old then drilled a shot in between the left-hand post and Samba, who had recovered his ground. The goal drew the sting out of Rovers, who had been rampant prior to those moments, and looked like a team more in keeping with the one that had enjoyed their unbeaten run before Thursday's Greek tragedy. Even Hughes had described it as "a mystery", so there was no real surprise when Blackburn flew out of the blocks at the start of this game, with David Bentley inspirational. It was the England winger's fourth-minute cross that resulted in Roque Santa Cruz cracking a seven-yard header against the bar. David James then denied Bentley from a 25-yard free-kick before the latter delivered a piercing cross to the far post that was initially chested down by Morten Gamst Pedersen. The Norway winger flicked the ball back to Benni McCarthy for a side-foot volley from 11 yards that flashed past the right-hand post, an opportunity from which the South Africa striker should at least have been on target. Moments later the all-action Bentley drilled over the bar a 20-yard drive from the corner of the area after being teed up by Santa Cruz who had hustled Hermann Hreidarsson off the ball. Portsmouth stifled Rovers for the remainder of the first half, and even after the break they struggled to find a way through.

Fingertips

The visitors could even have had a second but for the outstretched fingertips of Friedel as Samba had headed a goal-kick from James goalwards, and but for the intervention, Kanu would have pounced. Then Sean Davis should have showed a selfish side as he was left with only Friedel to beat after powering into the area, but opted for a pull back that came to nothing. Rovers huffed and puffed, but other than a save from James to deny Santa Cruz with a low, curling shot and another Bentley free-kick that was inches wide, they barely threatened. Instead, it was Pompey who came closest to adding to their tally, only for Friedel to again perform heroics in denying Matt Taylor with his first touch in the 85th minute after he had replaced Niko Kranjcar.

Blackburn Rovers	Team Statistics	Portsmouth
0	Goals	1
0	1st Half Goals	1
5	Shots on Target	5
7	Shots off Target	5
1	Blocked Shots	3
7	Corners	4
6	Fouls	16
3	Offsides	1
0	Yellow Cards	3
0	Red Cards	0
78.5	Passing Success	75.4
28	Tackles	30
64.3	Tackles Success	96.7
59.9	Possession	40.1
53.9	Territorial Advantage	46.1