Blackburn 1 Wigan 1: Blackburn Rovers breathe again. An evening of frustration which appeared to be destined for dismal defeat ended with relief last night, a controversial late goal speared by the substitute Shefki Kuqi rescuing a point to maintain an unlikely pursuit of the Champions League.
The hosts barely deserved their point here having been out-muscled by Wigan. Then, with time ticking down, Steven Reid's cross was gathered by John Filan only for the ball to tumble loose as the Australian goalkeeper was buffeted by compatriot Lucas Neill. Kuqi, unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box, could hardly miss.
Reid's third-minute header from Paul Dickov's cross, deflected high and into the Darwen end, had suggested the hosts' blistering form in these parts would be maintained. Yet, after the pizzazz of the opening quarter-hour, the optimism had drained. They waited over half an hour to squeeze out another opportunity, and then only when Arjan de Zeeuw was penalised for leaning into Craig Bellamy as he sprinted into the area. Morten Gamst Pedersen's free-kick scuttled through the defensive wall and deflected behind by John Filan. The Australian touched Pedersen's resultant corner on to the crossbar.
Stripped of Henri Camara's pace and unpredictability - the striker had returned to Senegal following the death of his grandmother - they weathered the opening exchanges and should have led. Aside from efforts planted wide by Andreas Johansson and Jason Roberts, Jimmy Bullard's free-kick three minutes from half-time had reached De Zeeuw in the six-yard box with the Dutchman's initial effort dropping down for him to ram in the loose ball from close range. The ball did not appear to have hit his hand, but the assistant referee waved.
Rovers had already seen a goal of their own ruled out, Dickov jumping into Filan with the Australian spilling for Pedersen to convert, though to little protest.
Some six minutes after the interval, Lee McCulloch winced as his close-range shot was palmed away magnificently by Brad Friedel. Bullard's corner drifted to Pascal Chimbonda whose header goalwards was flicked in by Roberts.
Blackburn belatedly found some rhythm only for profligacy to set in. Bellamy glided a far post header wide from Lucas Neill's centre, then glanced another beyond the far post but Neill's leap and Kuqi's alertness brought him relief.
Guardian Service
BLACKBURN: Friedel, Neill, Khizanishvili, Nelsen, Gray, Bentley (Tugay 59), Savage, Reid, Pedersen, Bellamy, Dickov (Kuqi 59). Subs Not Used: Enckelman, Mokoena, Sinama Pongolle. Goals: Kuqi 84.
WIGAN: Filan, Chimbonda, Scharner (Jackson 45), De Zeeuw, Baines, Teale, Bullard, Kavanagh, McCulloch, Roberts, Johansson. Subs Not Used: Pollitt, Connolly, Ziegler, Thompson. Booked: Scharner, Roberts. Goals: Roberts 53.
Referee: P Dowd (Staffordshire).
