Blackburn twice came from behind to draw 2-2 with Sunderland as Darren Bent bagged two goals at Ewood Park.
World Cup hopeful brings game to life with second-half brace
Darren Bent scored twice but it was not enough for his Sunderland side to claim a win as Blackburn battled back to earn a 2-2 draw at Ewood Park.
The crowd were treated to a dour opening 45 minutes, with both sides struggling to create any chances of note before the second period burst into life.
Bent opened the scoring on 52 minutes, the striker finding the net from a goalmouth scramble after Rovers had failed to clear Daryl Murphy's low cross.
But 35 seconds later Rovers had equalised, Gael Givet picking up possession to feed Morten Gamst Pedersen, who cut inside Nyron Nosworthy to fire past Marton Fulop via the foot of post.
The visitors retook the lead with 25 minutes remaining, Bent running in behind the home defence to slot past the advancing Paul Robinson to bag his 13th goal of the season and boost his hopes of making it to next summer's World Cup finals with England in the process.
Sunderland have won just once away from home all season and they were unable to see out the win, a treble change from Sam Allardyce paying dividends as El Hadj Diouf - on for Junior Hoilett - rose highest to connect with Pascal Chimbonda's cross to ensure his side picked up a valuable point.
Samba nearly won it for his side late in the day, but he somehow managed to prod wide after Fulop had made an excellent save from point-blank range to deny Nikola Kalinic a certain goal.
The bare statistics will point to Rovers extending their winless run to eight
games, while Bruce's injury-hit Sunderland can now number just one win from 11.
Dismal first half
Neither side had showed any sign of improving their winless recent records in a dismal first half, memorable only for the solid debut of David Meyler.
Meyler cut a composed figure in the centre of the visitors' midfield but all
around him there were far too many nerves to fashion clear-cut chances.
An unusually careless back-header by Nelsen almost let in Bent in the 18th minute but the striker was pushed wide and the move came to nothing.
And two minutes later Rovers came close when Pedersen curled over
a ball to the far post and found Benni McCarthy, whose header from a tight angle found the roof of the net.
Meyler had the chance to make an instant name for himself when he let fly in
the 22nd minute with a long-range strike which coasted wide of target.
Rovers, more desperate for a win in the circumstances, began the second period with a higher tempo but their anxiety to get forward played into the visitors' hands.
Against the run of play, Murphy threaded his way into the Rovers box in the 52nd minute and sparked the goalmouth melee which brought the visitors'
opener.
Murphy's low cross was flapped by Robinson into the path of Jordan Henderson. When his shot was blocked by Nelsen, Bent was on hand to lash in the rebound.
Caution to the wind
But Rovers responded by drawing level inside a minute, a flick leaving Pedersen in space down the left to cut in and drill a low shot in off the post past Fulop.
Rovers maintained their new-found momentum and could have gone ahead in the 57th minute when Keith Andrews just failed to connect with Pedersen's deep cross in front of goal.
But the visitors regained the lead against the run of play in the 65th minute
when Henderson's punt forward sent Bent clear to slide a cool finish across
Robinson and into the net for his 13th goal of the Premier League
campaign.
Two minutes later Rovers came close to a second quick-fire equaliser, as
Pedersen crossed to the edge of the box where Steven Nzonzi spooned a fine chance over the bar.
After Bent was played through again to fire a hat-trick chance inches wide in
the 72nd minute, Allardyce had seen enough and responded with a triple
substitution.
Forced to throw caution to the wind, the Rovers boss introduced Diouf, Franco
di Santo and Nikola Kalinic in place of McCarthy, Jason Roberts and Hoilett.
And in the 77th minute Allardyce's brave move paid off when Diouf got on the
end of a cross by former Sunderland team-mate Chimbonda to head home the
equaliser.
Rovers should have snatched victory in the dying seconds when Kalinic's header from a Pedersen free-kick was brilliantly saved by Robinson, with Samba failing dismally to convert the rebound.
| Blackburn Rovers |
Team Statistics |
Sunderland |
| 2 |
Goals |
2 |
| 0 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 5 |
Shots on Target |
6 |
| 9 |
Shots off Target |
4 |
| 8 |
Blocked Shots |
4 |
| 4 |
Corners |
4 |
| 7 |
Fouls |
20 |
| 3 |
Offsides |
2 |
| 1 |
Yellow Cards |
4 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 62.6 |
Passing Success |
48.3 |
| 17 |
Tackles |
21 |
| 64.7 |
Tackles Success |
81 |
| 54.9 |
Possession |
45.1 |
| 53.7 |
Territorial Advantage |
46.3 |
|
