Blackburn Rovers 3 Everton 2 - Peter White's big match verdict

ROY Hodgson was savouring his post-match cigar and chat so much that he almost forgot to attend the Ewood Press conference.

But what else was there to say? Blackburn Rovers' performance had already spoken volumes about the character and quality of the side and the tactical awareness of their manager.

As with his cigars - Cuban, of course - the Rovers boss has a taste for quality, the best of everything, and he certainly got that from his players.

Hodgson enjoyed the display as much as anyone, describing it as being as good as anything he has seen from Rovers this season. They certainly dominated, yet twice had to come from behind in a breath-taking finale against a brave Everton side.

"The strikes at goal count must have been something quite incredible. I am more than satisfied. I would have been satisfied at 2-2. I would have been unhappy at 2-1 but not in any way critical of the team," he said.

"At 3-2 I am overjoyed because I think we got what we deserved."

He was right. By my reckoning, Rovers' goal attempts totalled 20-plus and outnumbered Everton's by something like six to one!

And, just when we were starting to think that Rovers would be left to rue more points lost from a game in which they were clearly the superior side, they showed the sort of stamina and style that wins Grand Nationals. It was an unbeatable combination, just like Red Rum and Ginger McCain, and Everton, for all their effort, ultimately had no answer.

That old master Neville Southall received a well-deserved standing ovation from the Blackburn End at the start of the second half and produced a magnificent performance which threatened to deny Rovers what they richly deserved.

But even the veteran keeper had to bow to the effervescence of youth as Damien Duff notched his first-ever Premiership goal to claim a second Rovers equaliser and set up more drama.

It needn't have been so close, for Rovers produced so many searching balls into the box in what was truly a fine team all-round show. A number were misplaced but many more just failed to unlock the door.

Everton boss Howard Kendall summed it up when he said: "Before the game, we talked about the quality balls put in from wide and we didn't stop them. We conceded too many crosses and too many corners and their quality was excellent."

Perhaps the only time in the game that Everton were in the ascendancy was in the opening minutes.

They cashed in with the opening goal - though there was a hint of fortune about the seventh-minute build-up. Duncan Ferguson headed down to Danny Cadamarteri who was forced to turn away from goal and seemed to have lost control. But the ball fell for the fast-arriving Gary Speed who rifled home a well-struck shot.

For the rest of the half, Rovers were almost totally dominant.

Kevin Gallacher was a threat, Colin Hendry's replacement Tore Pedersen was only inches away from scoring, the outstanding Billy McKinlay was a fraction too high and, as Stuart Ripley started to get the better of his TWO markers, Terry Phelan and Andy Hinchcliffe, Neville Southall pulled off a tremendous save from Garry Flitcroft's header.

Chris Sutton, while not getting striking opportunities himself, was showing all the other qualities that have forced him into the England reckoning.

Yet, ironically, the under-employed Tim Flowers had to keep Rovers in the game from a rare Everton break on 32 minutes.

Ferguson was left in the clear and Flowers made a one-handed save to keep the deficit to one.

That, undoubtedly, was a watershed and the equaliser arrived five minutes later.

Stuart Ripley's corner saw the ball deflected out of apparent danger to Gary Croft on the left but his low shot back into a crowded penalty area was just touched in by Gallacher.

Rovers still had a head of steam at the start of the second half and were desperately unlucky on 54 minutes when Flitcroft's thundering drive hit the bar.

It was a real stunner within a minute as Everton caught them on the break.

Substitute John Oster got free on Everton's left, crossed low to the edge of the six-yard box and Ferguson steered the ball home. Although Ripley had a header cleared off the line, it took Rovers a little while to build up the pressure again but they showed commendable patience and made a decisive tactical switch.

Roy Hodgson sent on Duff to attack from the left wing and Jason Wilcox to probe from left back!

It worked perfectly as Everton found themselves increasingly on the back foot.

With nine minutes left, Sutton met Ripley's cross with a powerful header that produced a save from Southall reminiscent of Flowers from Juninho last season. The ball seemed to have passed him before he plucked it out.

Unfortunately for the keeper, Duff was racing in for the kill and had clearly learned from his miss at Barnsley - this time smashing a clinical finish inside the near post from just outside the six-yard box.

Rovers had no thoughts of settling for a point and Southall was at it again, denying Jeff Kenna with a superb save.

But, from their 13th corner, they deservedly got the winner. Yet another excellent Ripley cross saw skipper Tim Sherwood rise in the box and head down past the keeper and massed ranks of the Everton defence.

It was a triumphant finish to a terrific game and ironic when all the pre-match talk had been about the threat of Ferguson's aerial power that it should a Rovers head which settled it.

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