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Your support makes all the difference.Sweet vindication for Sam Allardyce. Sacked by Blackpool after failing to lead them through the third-flight promotion play-offs in 1996, the Blackburn manager punched the air and performed a jig of joy after substitute Brett Emerton settled the clubs' first top-flight derby at Bloomfield Road since Christmas Day 1965 with three of the four minutes' stoppage time already played.
The Australian fired beyond Matt Gilks from 12 yards to bring Blackburn their first victory since the opening day of the season and only their sixth in 32 away matchesunder Allardyce. They had led from the 20th minute to the 85th, when Blackpool's 19-year-old summer signing from Wycombe Wanderers, Matt Phillips, cancelled out a comic own goal by Charlie Adam.
El-Hadji Diouf and Gaël Givet celebrated Blackburn's first away success since the final day of last season by removing their shorts and hurling them to the visiting supporters before dancing across the pitch in their underpants. However, it was Blackpool whose limitations were stripped bare, particularly by the left-wingtrickery of Diouf.
Allardyce, who received notice of his dismissal by Blackpool from Owen Oyston when the then chairman was in prison, savoured the timing of the winner. "You always want to do well against your old club, and you know when you score atthat stage there's no time for the opposition to come back," he said.
"It came after our most difficult period of the game, but because they starting throwing more people forward they left more spaces. Brett came up with a great stroked finish with his weaker foot."
His Blackpool counterpart, Ian Holloway, insisted he was "not disappointed", while criticising the referee,Mike Dean. "Gary Taylor-Fletcher was blatantly fouled before thebreakaway for their second goal," said Holloway, who waited in the tunnel for the official. "No doubt he'llreport me."
He added: "The result hurt the lads and the fans, but in life you don't always get what you deserve."
Blackpool opened well. Within 80 seconds they had struck Blackburn's goal frame; or rather Michel Salgado did it for them, the Spanish full-back heading the ball against the underside of the bar to prevent Ian Evatt converting David Vaughan's corner.
Blackpool could not sustain their early momentum, and when they produced a reciprocal defensive header midway through the first half there was no such reprieve. From Diouf's cross, Nikola Kalinic flicked the ball on. Adam tried to cushion his headerback to Gilks, but the goalkeeper had taken two steps to his left and the ball bounced over the line in the spot he had vacated. "A fantastic finish," sighed Holloway. "At the wrong end."
Blackburn began to look the more accomplished side and struck the woodwork after 28 minutes, a back-header by Christopher Samba slapping the back post following Morten Gamst Pedersen's free-kick. Gilks continued to be the busier keeper, a sprawling stop denying Emerton and a foot keeping the impressive Phil Jones off the scoresheet, with Diouf the provider on each occasion.
Adam strove hard to atone for his error but was diligently marked by Jones, 18, whose last-ditch tackle stopped the Scot in his tracks 15 yards from goal. Then Phillips, a gangly England youth international winger, came on for his Premier League debut. Two minutes later he ran at Givet before angling his shot into the far corner.
The home supporters roared Blackpool forward. On the counter-attack, however, Jones's blocked shot saw both Diouf and Benjani swing at the loose ball. Desperate tackles stopped them, but when it broke to Emerton his aim was true.
Attendance: 15,901
Referee: Mike Dean
Man of the match: E Diouf
Match rating: 7/10
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