Dark clouds rolling in!

But, mentally at least, a large proportion of Graeme Souness's squad appeared to have boarded the plane shortly before 2pm yesterday judging by the manner of this tame surrender at the hands of a rampant Leeds United.

For Rovers' hopes of a third straight victory in their battle to beat the drop disintegrated faster than a sandcastle at high tide after they were engulfed by an all-consuming sea of white.

And Souness, for one, was certainly in no mood to holiday following what he described as the worst performance by a Rovers side since he swept through the doors at Ewood exactly two years ago.

Former Liverpool hot-shot Robbie Fowler was the main beneficiary of some lackadaisical defending as he boosted his goal account for the season by two in the space of the opening eight minutes.

Then, after Matt Jansen offered the visitors false hope with a smartly taken finish immediately after the break, Rovers' capacity to shoot themselves in the foot returned with a vengeance in the 71st minute when Harry Kewell was given time and space to clinically wrap things up.

"That was as weak a performance as this team has put in since I've been at this club," rapped Souness.

"We started at quarter past two and Leeds started at two.

"They won't get an easier three points than that in the Premiership this year on what was a very disappointing day for us.

"We just didn't turn up. It doesn't matter what league in England you play but in the Premier League, especially, the first thing you must be in the first 20 minutes is solid and difficult to beat.

"You must match the opposition challenge for challenge, as well as for effort and aggression, and we did none of those things.

"As a result, the game was over with in the first 10 minutes."

Elland Road has never been the happiest of hunting grounds for Rovers over the years. In fact, you have to go back as far as 1959 to find the last time they won there.

However, boosted by back-to-back wins over Ipswich and Aston Villa, Blackburn fans made the short trip across the Pennines in confident mood, knowing a third straight victory would propel the club up to the dizzy heights of 12th in the table.

But it took just eight minutes for that optimism to evaporate as the man known as the Toxteth terrier twice made Yorkshire puddings of the Rovers' defence.

Tugay handed him his first on a plate after an elementary mistake on the halfway line.

Then the ravenous Fowler greedily devoured goal number two barely five minutes later after more sloppy play by the visitors at the back.

After that, the remaining 82 minutes became an exercise in damage limitation.

Leeds -- with the bit between their teeth -- could and should have gone on to hammer home their superiority but, thankfully, Mark Viduka had forgotten to bring his shooting boots.

That failed to disguise Rovers' inadequacies on the day, though.

Generous at the back, off the pace in midfield and devoid of punch up front, they looked anything but a side on a four-game unbeaten run during a kamikaze opening 20 minutes.

United, for their part, poured forward with the kind of verve which has been missing from their game since the turn of the year.

Olivier Dacourt and David Batty pulled the strings in the centre through a heady mix of inspiration and perspiration.

And, with the ever-willing Alan Smith and the jet-heeled Kewell offering genuine width down the flanks, an overworked Rovers defence creaked under the incessant pressure.

The tone was set in the fifth minute when Tugay made a terrible hash of a routine header in midfield, planting it straight into the path of Fowler who expertly side-stepped Hakan Unsal's lunge before racing away to tuck a neat finish under Brad Friedel.

Worse then followed three minutes later as Friedel found himself picking the ball out of the net again.

Ian Harte's raking pass picked out Smith on the left in acres of space and his pinpoint cross was emphatically converted by Fowler at the near post after the England man had stolen a yard on Henning Berg.

By now punch-drunk Rovers were on the ropes and Viduka should have administered the knock-out blow three minutes later.

Kewell and Fowler swapped passes brilliantly on the edge of the box but when the cross came over, the Aussie inexplicably headed wide from the kind of distance you'd back your gran to score.

Rovers, in contrast, barely tested Nigel Martyn apart from a shot from David Dunn which the United stopper clawed to safety.

Souness decided strong medicine was needed and he threw on Mark Hughes in place of the ineffective Tugay at the interval in a bid to stiffen up the midfield.

Only the sharp reflexes of Friedel prevented Viduka from wrapping things up when he thrust out an arm to swot away his attempted lob.

Then 30 seconds later, United's deficit was suddenly slashed in half as Jansen pounced on a slip from Jonathan Woodgate before galloping away to beat Martyn emphatically from the edge of the box for his 14th goal of the season.

Could one of the comebacks of the season be on the cards?

Unsal's thrusting run on the left cut United's defence to shreds but Keith Gillespie and Garry Flitcroft got in each other's way as they pounced on the cut-back.

Then an attempted clearance from Batty struck Yordi and flew back towards the top corner but Martyn was alert to avert the danger.

The game was finally up for the visitors, however, when Leeds struck with a devastating counter in the 71st minute.

A Rovers attack broke down on the left leaving Robbie Keane to accelerate away and his crossfield past found Kewell arriving on the edge of the area who caressed a low shot beyond Friedel inside the far post.

Now just eight games remain to secure the 10 points necessary for safety. Then and only then will Rovers truly be able to relax in the sun.

LEEDS UNITED...3

Scorers: Fowler 4, 8 Kewell 71

ROVERS...1

Scorers: Jansen 49