SHELL-SHOCKED Sheffield Wednesday boss David Pleat described Blackburn Rovers' seven-goal demolition job at Ewood Park last night as "wonderful", "fantastic" and "frightening".

Roy Hodgson has totally transformed his side after just four games and last night's dazzling display of attacking football in front of Sky TV cameras took Rovers three points clear at the top of the Premiership.

Sheffield Wednesday were bewildered and bemused by a rip-roaring Rovers show which left Pleat mesmerised.

But Hodgson's joy was overshadowed by goalkeeper John Filan's broken arm - an injury which will now force the Ewood boss into an urgent transfer-market search for a replacement.

And he didn't mince words about what he thought of the challenge by Wayne Collins which caused the injury.

"He's broken his arm," revealed the manager at the end of an incredible evening. "Or should I say had his arm broken for him. It depends on how you want to phrase things.

"So any enjoyment we can take is tinged with enormous regret that a challenge like that can ruin the prospects of John Filan playing in goal for us this year.

"It's very, very sad. He's going to be out for a long while because a broken arm is a bad injury for any football player and it's a catastrophe for a goalkeeper.

"If the referee is going to allow challenges like that on goalkeepers, we are going to need four or five aren't we.

"It was very late. Normally speaking, footballers used to hop over goalkeepers or at least put the brakes on and not take the advantage to kick a man when he's down.

"So I have got nothing good to say about the challenge. It totally colours my view about what, otherwise, was an excellent game and I am more concerned about the future of my goalkeeper than to be able to take real pleasure from the three points from what I considered to be a very good performance."

"It was a splendid performance but I can't get any great enthusiasm for it. I would have been much happier to have drawn the game and had John Filan still on the field.

"We played very well and there were some outstanding individual performances. Our defending wasn't very good really. It needs to be better but our attacking play couldn't be much better than that. "The two wingers were outstanding, so were the two centre forwards and the midfield players worked very well.

"But it was a very expensive game because we lost Billy McKinlay (groin injury) and John Filan and I can't really afford to lose players of that quality if we want to stay top of the Premier League.

"Jason Wilcox (rib injury) also took a knock and a tumble but I don't think it's quite so serious. Nothing is pulled, ruptured or broken and we hope he will recover in the coming days.

"It was our second game in two days and you are going to get players injured (in those circumstances), it's the nature of the business."

Wednesday boss David Pleat admitted Benito Carbone had to collect a red card for his "gesture" at Kevin Gallacher but defended Collins to the hilt for the challenge on Filan.

"He went for the ball fairly. He has a superb disciplinary record, there was no intent and I would be fully protective of my player," he said.

"The Carbone dismissal, which was fully justified, gave us another handicap. It was so difficult for us, frighteningly difficult.

"It was a gesture by our player and it was a stupid gesture.

"Blackburn finished wonderfully well, their movement was excellent and two of their goals were absolutely fantastic.

"It was a strange situation, it got to a stage where you know you aren't going to win it and you are looking for your players to show some character and good sense." Pleat also felt that Ian Pearce might have been shown a red card for a late challenge on Ian Nolan.

"I just felt the injury to the goalkeeper and Carbone's dismissal gave the game a nastier feeling which was a shame because Blackburn had played so well."

On the red card, Gallacher said: "Both of us went for a tackle, both of us stood up face to face and I think when somebody puts their head against you it's a sending-off offence and that's what he did."

Rovers' man of the match Stuart Ripley said: "It was a great first 10 minutes and, in the first half, everything we hit seemed to go in. It was a great team performance overall.

"We had a very bad start last year and it put a lot of pressure on the team and the manager.

"But we have started extremely well this time and if we keep it up we can push for Europe or at least the top half of the table."

Manchester United hold the Premier League record for the highest score with their 9-0 win over Ipswich.

No-one has ever scored eight, with Rovers the only side to have hit seven on three different occasions, against Nottingham Forest in November 1995 and Norwich in October 1992.

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