Nonda seizes on poor Pompey

Blackburn 3-0 Portsmouth:Shabani Nonda blew his chance of a Premiership hat-trick but still sent Blackburn soaring into the top 10 as two first-half strikes sunk dismal Portsmouth at Ewood Park.

Nonda took advantage of defensive blunders by the visitors to give his side a comfortable advantage - but trickled a poor 58th-minute penalty straight at visiting goalkeeper David James.

The match ball was the least Nonda deserved for his tireless efforts leading a Rovers front-line shorn of 15-goal striker Benni McCarthy, who had had to make
do with a place on the bench.

It was a bold gamble by boss Mark Hughes with one eye on Wednesday night's FA
Cup replay against Arsenal, but it paid off handsomely with Harry Redknapp's men never mounting a sustained threat.

The visitors had not played for three weeks since ending a seven-game winless streak at Manchester City, and played like their minds were very much still focused on a mid-season break.

Pompey's nightmare afternoon started 57 seconds after kick-off, which was the length of time it took Nonda to scoop the home side ahead after an uncharacteristic mistake by Sol Campbell.

The former England centre-back attempted a poor back header to ease the danger from a David Bentley cross but could only nudge the ball to Nonda, who hooked home from a tight angle.

The visitors were playing like a side secure in the knowledge they had avoided a second consecutive Premiership relegation battle, rather than one with European qualification on their mind.

Meanwhile Rovers were in the mood to punish their jittery back-line, with Morten Gamst Pedersen coming close with a trademark free-kick and Noe Pamarot's interception cutting out Stephen Warnock's  cross.

Lomana Lua Lua drilled a cross straight at Stephane Henchoz but just as the visitors appeared to be warming to their task, they were undone by their second awful defensive error.

Matt Derbyshire's low cross from the right caused confusion between Pamarot and James, who let the ball squirm between them to Nonda, who could hardly believe his luck as he swept home his second goal of the game.

It was little surprise to see Pompey boss Harry Redknapp ring the changes at the interval, with Davis and the clumsy Pamarot replaced by Kanu and Niko Kranjcar respectively.

Rovers made one change with Zurab Khizanishvili replacing Samba at the back, and had stretched their lead within five minutes of the restart after a swift counter-attacking move.

Derbyshire got the better of Linvoy Primus to burst clear and find Nonda, who spurned his own hat-trick chance to unselfishly lay the ball back across the box where Stephen Warnock hammered it into the roof of the net.

Nonda may have had cause to rue his admirable team ethic eight minutes later when he blew his second hat-trick chance by trickling his spot-kick straight at James after the goalkeeper fouled Pedersen.

Andy Cole came close to grabbing a consolation for the visitors when he headed over the bar from a cross by the impressive Gary O'Neil, before Rovers substitute Jason Roberts came close at the other end.

And Nonda refused to be put off his hat-trick quest, coming close again 10 minutes from time when he wriggled free in the box but failed to bundle the ball over the advancing James.

With five minutes remaining on the clock Nonda came even closer, turning Primus in the box before hitting a rising shot which was tipped over the bar by James.