Nikola Kalinic bagged two goals and was sent off as Blackburn saw off West Brom 3-1 at The Hawthorns.
Kean tastes victory for the first time as caretaker coach
Nikola Kalinic bagged two goals and was sent off as Blackburn saw off West Brom 3-1 at The Hawthorns.
The Croatian put Rovers on their way, but saw his early effort cancelled out by Jerome Thomas.
He bagged a second after the break, though, and Mame Biram Diouf added a third to hand Steve Kean his first win as caretaker coach.
The visitors made the brighter start and their efforts paid off inside three minutes as Kalinic sprang the offside trap and raced in on goal to slide the ball past Scott Carson.
West Brom soon found their feet, though, and deservedly levelled on 17 minutes when Somen Tchoyi fed a clever ball across the six-yard box for Thomas to roll into an empty net.
Rovers restored their lead eight minutes into the second half when Ryan Nelsen nodded a Morten Gamst Pedersen corner back across goal for Kalinic to flick into the roof of the net.
On 62 minutes they were two clear, with another set-piece from Pedersen allowing El Hadji Diouf to float in a cross which was turned home from close range by his namesake Mame Biram Diouf.
Kalinic's afternoon then took a turn for the worse as he was shown a straight red for a wild lunge on Paul Scharner.
West Brom's misery was compounded three minutes from time when Gabriel Tamas was dismissed for hacking down Mame Biram Diouf as he looked to race clear on goal.
Explosive
The game got off to an explosive start with Blackburn claiming the lead after just three minutes.
Kalinic showed great pace as he raced on to a long ball down the left from the returning El Hadji Diouf.
The Croatian then kept his composure as Carson advanced and coolly slipped the ball past him low into the far corner.
Graham Dorrans had a similar chance to equalise at the opposite end after being put through by Peter Odemwingie but Paul Robinson got down to palm away.
Kalinic could have doubled Blackburn's lead after combining well with David Dunn on the edge of the area but his shot curled narrowly over.
West Brom responded to level with a superb goal from Thomas after 17 minutes.
James Morrison freed the dangerous Tchoyi down the right and the Cameroon player delivered a perfect first-time ball into the area for Thomas to turn in at the far post.
The contest remained open and exciting and Blackburn attacked again down the left as El Hadji Diouf fed Kalinic but Youssouf Mulumbu turned his cross behind for a corner.
Blocked
Odemwingie then broke clear for the Baggies only to have a cross blocked at the expense of a corner.
The hosts finished the first half in the ascendancy as Michel Salgado was booked for a late challenge on Odemwingie.
The resulting Dorrans free-kick created some uncertainty in the Rovers box but the visitors hacked clear.
Blackburn were forced into a half-time change with substitute goalkeeper Mark Bunn coming on to replace Robinson.
Bunn was soon into the action as Odemwingie broke clear and tested him with a fierce shot which he turned behind for a corner.
Blackburn reclaimed the lead after 53 minutes as Kalinic grabbed his second.
Nelsen headed a corner back across goal and Kalinic jumped above the defence to nod home.
Pounced
Kalinic almost pounced for a hat-trick moments later as Carson miscontrolled a backpass from Tamas but the goalkeeper recovered.
Another corner routine led to Blackburn's third just after the hour.
Pedersen took it short to El Hadji Diouf and the Senegal international delivered a fine cross for Mame Biram Diouf to head in from close range.
But just as Blackburn seemed to have taken a firm grip on the game, they found themselves a man down as Kalinic was dismissed.
The goalscorer tangled with Scharner just inside the hosts' half and referee Phil Dowd showed a straight red card after he crudely caught the Austrian below the knee with his studs.
That gave West Brom an incentive and they threatened to pull a goal back as Tchoyi again got wide to cross but Bunn produced a fine save to beat out substitute Simon Cox's first-time shot.
The Baggies came back again and Scharner produced a deft header that looked goal-bound from a Dorrans free-kick but the ball rebounded off the crossbar.
It proved their last chance and their hopes evaporated when Tamas was dismissed for a professional foul on Mame Biram Diouf.
| West Bromwich Albion |
Team Statistics |
Blackburn Rovers |
| 1 |
Goals |
3 |
| 1 |
1st Half Goals |
1 |
| 5 |
Shots on Target |
4 |
| 11 |
Shots off Target |
3 |
| 8 |
Blocked Shots |
0 |
| 8 |
Corners |
5 |
| 11 |
Fouls |
14 |
| 4 |
Offsides |
0 |
| 1 |
Yellow Cards |
3 |
| 1 |
Red Cards |
1 |
| 84.2 |
Passing Success |
69.7 |
| 12 |
Tackles |
11 |
| 100 |
Tackles Success |
81.8 |
| 63.3 |
Possession |
36.7 |
| 55.4 |
Territorial Advantage |
44.6 |
|
