Blackburn Rovers 2 Portsmouth 1

The well-travelled Portsmouth boss gave Rovers' European credentials a ringing endorsement last night after he saw Mark Hughes' side secure a fourth straight win at the expense of his relegation-haunted Pompey to start the New Year with a bang.

First half goals from Morten Gamst Pedersen and Paul Dickov ensured Rovers completed a clean sweep of nine points out of nine over the festive period.

And, although they were made to sweat for this latest victory during a nervous final half hour, a gracious Redknapp later went on to describe his team's conquerors as one of the best sides in the Premier League'.

"I thought we played well against a very, very good team," said the Pompey boss, who was refreshingly magnanimous in defeat.

"Make no mistake, Blackburn are one of the best side's in the league, just outside the top four, and they can hold their own with anyone."

Redknapp's remarks were confirmation of what Hughes has been thinking for some time now.

At the beginning of the season, the ambitious Rovers boss had confidently predicted his players were capable of becoming a top 10 Premiership force and, slowly but surely, they are starting to live up to their manager's lofty expectations.

This hard earned victory, Rovers' third on the bounce in the Premier League, lifted the club up to eighth position in the table and who is to say they won't climb higher during the weeks and months ahead?

It's going to be a tall order to bridge the gap that separates Rovers from the top six, but few sides are playing with greater belief in the top-flight than Blackburn at present.

After leading the club to a position of safety at the end of his first season in charge, Hughes has since succeeded in fusing flair with resilience to take Rovers onto the next level.

Crucially, they look fitter and more powerful than many of their opponents, and what they have this season that they were lacking for most of last is a genuine goal threat in the final third.

When you take that into consideration, and the depth of the squad Hughes has at his disposal these days Tugay, Craig Bellamy and Brett Emerton could only make the bench here it's easy to see why Rovers are starting to be talked about as possible contenders for a UEFA Cup spot.

Don't forget, Rovers have already been to Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool so, in theory, the fixture list should get easier during the second half of the season.

But the way Hughes has got his team playing, they step onto the pitch fearing no one at the moment.

For the third time in the space of a month, Rovers came from behind to beat Premiership opposition, a sign of the fighting spirit the manager has managed to instil in his players.

And although this may not have been the kind of champagne performance that accounted for Wigan at the weekend, Rovers still had enough about them to see off a Pompey team that has had new life breathed into it following Redknapp's return.

Portsmouth arrived at Ewood boasting a dreadful away record, having lost each of their last four matches on the road, conceding 13 goals in the process.

In fact, the South Coast club had only won two of their previous 19 away games in the league, losing 15 of the other 17, to underline why they are deep in trouble near the foot of the table.

With that in mind, expectation filled the air as Rovers looked to record three straight Premiership wins for the first time since Hughes took charge 15 months ago.

The Welshman was forced to make one change to the side that had performed so well at Wigan, Dominic Matteo coming in at left-back for Michael Gray, who had been laid low by a stomach bug.

But Rovers quickly picked up from where they left off at the JJB as Steven Reid forced Sander Westerveld into a first minute save with a stinging 30-yard free kick.

Two minutes later, however, the bells of the visiting fans suddenly chimed into life as Pompey took a shock lead from a similar scenario.

Ryan Nelsen was harshly adjudged to have handled the ball on the edge of his own penalty area and, from the resulting free kick, Matthew Taylor curled an exquisite shot beyond the despairing dive of Brad Friedel.

That was exactly the kind of dream start Redknapp must have been hoping for, but Pompey's lead lasted just six minutes before Pedersen grabbed a copycat equaliser.

Rovers were awarded a free kick 25 yards out for a foul on Dickov and Pedersen stepped up to bend a brilliant left-footed shot inside Westerveld's left-hand post.

With parity restored, Rovers began to gain the ascendancy and Pedersen, in particular, was at the hub of most of their best work, supplying a number of telling crosses from the left.

Inevitably, he was involved when Rovers snatched the lead seven minutes before the break, his short pass finding Matteo, who then slipped the ball infield to Steven Reid.

Confidence is clearly coursing through the veins of the former Millwall man at the moment as he instantly unleashed another right-foot screamer that proved too hot for Westerveld to handle, and Dickov was on hand to nod home the rebound from six yards out for his fifth goal of the season.

Rovers started the second half as they had finished the first, Robbie Savage going close with another free kick, but then, bizarrely, they proceeded to let the visitors back into it.

Thankfully, the Pompey kitman must have only packed one pair of shooting boots on the team coach as, Taylor's excellent free kick apart, Portsmouth's finishing was woeful.

Lomana LuaLua made a complete hash of two presentable chances, the second a real sitter from six yards out.

Then, after Friedel had tipped aside another speculative effort from Taylor, substitute Azar Karadas somehow failed to hit the target with a header at the back post.

At the other end, Savage and Emerton missed chances to settle the home fans' nerves, both from Bellamy cut-backs, but it didn't matter in the end as Rovers started 2006 in the same way they had finished 2005 with a win!

So it's onwards and, hopefully, upwards