Barclays Premier League
Fulham 1-2 Blackburn
Sam Allardyce hailed "the best and most important win" of his Blackburn career as Rovers pulled clear of the drop zone last night.
And after goals from El-Hadji Diouf and Jason Roberts extended his side's unbeaten run to three games, Allardyce warned his relegation rivals they are the form side with only 10 matches left in the season.
Fulham caught Blackburn cold after only 98 seconds with an opening goal from Clint Dempsey. But a battling second-half display earned Allardyce's side the double over Fulham and lifted them up to 15th place in the table above Portsmouth, Newcastle and Stoke.
" It's a huge mental relief to be out be out of the bottom three," said Allardyce." You tell the players not to look at the papers and to take no notice of the table, but they can't avoid it.
" When you're in the bottom three people always talk about relegation, but now we have relieved the situation a little. The players can read the papers now if they want to.
" That was the best and most important win since I have been at the club. It was crucial timing for us and a victory we fully deserved. We have won two consecutive away games and we've only lost two in 11 since I have been at the club.
We are in form and on the way up, rather than in poor form and sliding down the table." Yet the Blackburn defence conceded a terrible goal in just the second minute. Danny Murphy looped a Christopher Samba clearance back goalwards and Dempsey turned both the defence with ease before prodding a shot past Paul Robinson.
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Robinson then made saves from Simon Davies and Zoltan Gera as Fulham threatened to overrun the visitors.
But for all Fulham's pressure, Blackburn came close to equalising after 17 minutes when Stephen Warnock's shot rebounded off the post.
Diouf showed his frustration by getting involved in verbal exchanges with the crowd before he was booked for dissent by referee Rob Styles after the half-time whistle.
Allardyce threw on Benni McCarthy after 56 minutes and they drew level 13 minutes later through a Diouf volley.
With five minutes left, Morten Gamst Pedersen found Roberts and he turned substitute Tony Kallio before lashing home.
Fulham boss Roy Hodgson admitted his side were still not free of their own relegation worries after winning only one of their last seven.
" We are only six points above Portsmouth," he said." We're looking over our shoulders."
Fulham: Schwarzer 8, Pantsil 6, Hangeland 7, Hughes 7( Kallio, 77), Konchesky 6, Davies 7, Murphy 6, Etuhu 6, Gera 7( Kamara, 80), Dempsey 8, Johnson 6.Blackburn: Robinson 6, Ooijer 6, Nelsen 5, Samba 5, Givet 6, Tugay 7( Mokoena, 82), Diouf 5, Warnock 8, Andrews 6( McCarthy, 56), Pedersen 7, Roberts 6.
Ref: Rob Styles.
Attendance: 22, 259
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