Andrews earns a point for Rovers

Premier League round-up : Relegation threatened Blackburn had Republic of Ireland international Keith Andrews to thank for rescuing…

Premier League round-up: Relegation threatened Blackburn had Republic of Ireland international Keith Andrews to thank for rescuing a point against West Ham today but Sam Allardyce will be disappointed it wasn't more as his side dominated the second half.

There was a strong suspicion of offside as Mark Noble put West Ham in front in the 36th minute, but there was no argument about the finish as the midfielder curled a shot into the far corner with the outside of his boot.

Blackburn’s anger was all the more pronounced as El-Hadji Diouf had a goal ruled out for offside moments earlier.

Allardyce brought Andrews off the bench at half-time and it paid off as the midfielder equalised six minutes after the restart. Diouf then had another effort ruled out for offside as he followed up Christopher Samba’s shot, and the Hammers held on for a point.

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A Rory Delap special gave Stoke a 1-0 victory in the critical relegation battle against fellow strugglers Middlesbrough. A scrappy affair looked to be heading for stalemate until Delap’s long throw was flicked into the far corner of the net by Ryan Shawcross in the 84th minute.

The other battle at the bottom ended in a 1-1 draw with West Brom and Bolton sharing the points. Scott Carson was given plenty to do by Bolton in the first half but it was West Brom who had the ball in the net, only to see Marc-Antoine Fortune’s effort ruled out for offside.

West Brom were dealt a blow in the 67th minute when Matt Taylor ran on to a loose ball to volley home from the edge of the area. However, Danny Shittu gifted West Brom a way back into the game in the 82nd minute as he deflected Robert Koren’s wayward shot into the net.