Hodgson nears the exit door

Blackburn Rovers 3 Liverpool 1:BLACKBURN ROVERS have triggered one dismissal in Roy Hodgson's managerial career and may yet provoke another. Another anaemic away defeat for Liverpool, this time to injury-plagued opposition, prompted another outpouring of anger towards a beleaguered manager whose 17 months in charge at Ewood Park may soon appear extensive in comparison to his tenure at Anfield.

Steven Gerrard missed an 86th-minute penalty and the chance to drag Liverpool back into the contest. When even the captain who revels in rescue missions fails from 12 yards, you know the portents must be against his manager.

“You’re getting sacked in the morning!” sang the Blackburn fans as Benjani Mwaruwari stroked Steve Kean’s team into a three-goal lead. Seconds later, the away end joined in.

Liverpool supporters are not only voting with their feet at Anfield now. The gate for Saturday’s home win over Bolton, Hodgson’s reprieve, was roughly 10,000 down on the average attendance – a figure that included 4,000 season ticket holders – and here, there were empty swathes in the Darwen End where the away fans congregate.

There was no indication of the all-too familiar torment to come as Liverpool passed crisply, moved well and looked to play an attack of Fernando Torres and David Ngog off the shoulder of a Blackburn defender.

This, let us not forget, was a Blackburn team with eight senior players missing, a decimated midfield and only a back four who could lay claim to being first choice. They are also a mere five games into the reign of a new manager whose appointment was not met with widespread acclaim.

Torres began purposely, the Spanish striker finding the top corner having been played through by Glen Johnson, although only after the offside flag had appeared. He glanced a powerful header wide from Paul Konchesky’s cross and saw Joe Cole, making his first league start since the away win at Bolton in October, almost sweep the ball beyond Rovers goalkeeper Mark Bunn and into the far corner following another measured pass into the box from Johnson.

Then slowly, but somewhat inevitably, Liverpool’s performance began to disintegrate. Rovers had squandered the first glorious opening of the game even while the visitors held the edge, when Mame Biram Diouf, the forward on loan from Manchester United, met a fine left-wing cross from Martin Olsson unmarked at the back post but could only fumble an effort straight at Jose Reina. Diouf and Olsson combined again 15 minutes later, and this time there was no reprieve for Liverpool.

Diouf was unmarked as he collected Ryan Nelsen’s ball in the Liverpool half, leaving Johnson, left exposed by Cole, in two minds as he also had to contend with Olsson’s run into the area. The right back elected to go to Diouf, who simply rolled an inviting pass behind the defender and into the path of Olsson, and his low finish sailed between the legs of Reina.

More poor defending enabled the home side to double their lead six minutes later. Sotirios Kyrgiakos was detailed to handle Benjani when Morten Gamst Pedersen chipped into the area. Benjani pushed away his rudimentary marker, controlled, turned inside, and beat Reina with a rising effort into the roof of the net.

Olsson then fed Junior Hoilett down the left and he left Martin Skrtel and Johnson trailing in his wake before rolling the ball back from the by-line for Benjani to easily triple his tally for the season from close range.

• Guardian Service

BLACKBURN ROVERS:Bunn, Salgado, Samba, Nelsen, Givet, Hoilett, Dunn (Morris 75), Pedersen, Olsson (El-Hadji Diouf 73), Mame Diouf, Mwaruwari (Goulon 84). Subs not used: Fielding, Linganzi, Doran, Hanley. Booked: Dunn.

LIVERPOOL:Reina, Johnson, Kyrgiakos (Agger 51), Skrtel, Konchesky, Cole, Gerrard, Lucas, Maxi (Kuyt 58), Torres, Ngog (Babel 78). Subs not used: Gulacsi, Jovanovic, Poulsen, Kelly. Booked: Lucas.

Referee:Andre Marriner (W Midlands).