Rovers serve and volley

But in terms of the 2005-06 campaign, bets for the winner could be off after Saturday's staggering opening goal set Blackburn on their way to that all important first Premiership victory.

The Norwegian has shown in all nine goals he's scored for Rovers his flair for the unusual, the subtle and the spectacular.

There was the net-busting winner that tore through Brian Jensen's hands in the FA Cup fifth round replay with Burnley, the cheeky dink over the goalkeeper at Portsmouth and the deadly accurate control followed by a finish from an impossibly acute angle against Southampton.

However, he topped the lot in the 15th minute against Fulham when he met Shefki Kuqi's cross at the far post and volleyed it towards goal. It flashed past Tony Warner, crashed against the crossbar and rattled the net to spark wild celebrations.

They were reminiscent of the time Pedersen jumped into the crowd after scoring against Cardiff in the FA Cup last season, but on this occasion, the supporters spilled from the seats to greet the goalscorer at the edge of the pitch.

It may have been in the early stages of only the second game of the season, but you can understand such exuberance from the fans given the quality of what they had just witnessed.

Yet remarkably, after all that, some could argue that Pedersen's moment of magic wasn't even the goal of the MATCH.

This honour might have been stolen by Tugay, who unleashed another mind-boggling volley when he caught Pedersen's corner on the full to net the winner 20 minutes from time, after Brian McBride equalised.

But great though it was, I would have to plump for Pedersen's being the better goal, not just because of the finish but also for the flowing first time football that teed it up.

Lucas Neill, who seems to have transformed himself into a dribbling winger over the summer, played a neat one-two on the right with fellow Aussie Brett Emerton before releasing Kuqi into space on the right.

Being the lone striker, the Finn obviously didn't have many options in the middle at this stage so he had to pick out Pedersen's dart into the left side of the area with the perfect cross, which he delivered first time with startling accuracy.

It certainly deserved a flourishing finish and Pedersen was there to provide it, stealing behind Moritz Volz to lash the ball in with his left foot.

But with typical modesty, the Scandinavian later claimed that it was down to luck more than the skill and technique which he clearly has in abundance given the spectacular nature of so many of his goals.

"I just focused on the ball," Pedersen said after the game. "I thought Volz was going to touch the ball but I just gambled that he'd miss it and I guess I was lucky he didn't get a touch.

"I thought we deserved it because we played very well in the first half."

Had Rovers capitalised on this initial dominance they would have found it much easier to get their first three points on the board.

Although the master of the volley Mark Hughes would have been more than impressed with the two hits that won his side the game, his players shouldn't have been relying on the spectacular to see Fulham off.

Kuqi and Emerton had already spurned early opportunities to give Blackburn the lead before Pedersen opened the scoring, and the Finnish forward missed two more decent chances to double the lead.

Although Brad Friedel had to brilliantly claw out Papa Bouba Diop's point blank header in the 35th minute, this came from a set piece - which was the only form of threat Fulham posed all afternoon.

Credit for that has to go to the Rovers defence, and it can't be coincidence that with Ryan Nelsen back alongside Andy Todd, there no signs of the second half defensive collapse that tainted the opening game of the season at West Ham.

This was despite the fact that, like last week, Rovers threw away their half-time lead shortly after emerging for the second period.

And compared to the two the home side scored, what a silly goal it was to concede as well, as they were caught napping from a free kick and Brian McBride steered a soft shot into the corner form Niclas Jensen's cross.

But this didn't stop Blackburn regaining their first half superiority, as Kuqi was soon threatening again, scooping a good chance over from six yards.

The defensive platform of Todd, Nelsen and Dominic Matteo was a great launchpad with which to rocket Neill forward and he suddenly became the main attacking threat as he looked to add to the rare goal he grabbed against the same opponents towards the end of last season.

A mazy run and chip almost caught out Warner in the 57th minute and the rampaging right back came even closer four minutes from time when he was a crossbar width away from giving Rovers a two-goal cushion.

It was a spell of good old-fashioned set piece pressure that finally brought the winner as Warner saved Emerton's drive at the near post then tipped over Pedersen's corner when it looked destined to dip under his bar.

But seconds later Pedersen decided to float his kick towards the edge of the area, where the unmarked Tugay produced another gravity-defying piece of skill to send his volley fizzing past Warner.

Fulham didn't have the imagination to cause Blackburn any late anxiety and the win was almost a formality once the second goal went in.

But a word of warning after this first home game of the season - in terms of brilliant goals, it probably won't get any better than this.