Sunderland 0-1 Blackburn

Reid's goal was his third of the season

Blackburn kept up their charge for a Champions League spot by getting the better of a spirited Sunderland side.

An individual goal from Steven Reid on 15 minutes proved the match-winner with the midfielder firing home after running half the length of the pitch.

Bottom-placed Sunderland, without a home win in the league this season, showed plenty of heart after the break.

Liam Lawrence went close with a 20-yard free-kick, but a lack of cutting edge proved the hosts' downfall.

There was little action at either end in the opening stages before in-form Blackburn broke the deadlock with their first attack on the quarter hour mark.

Reid picked up the ball on the half-way line and ran at Sunderland's shaky back-line. And, with no red and white shirts closing him down, the Republic of Ireland midfielder carried the ball to the edge of the box before drilling a right-foot shot past Kelvin Davis.

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Sunderland were slightly edging the possession stakes, but a lack of cutting edge in the final third proved their downfall.

Dean Whitehead saw his close-range effort blocked and Grant Leadbitter had his piledriver deflected for a corner.

At the other end, Blackburn's top goalscorer Craig Bellamy sparked into life on the half hour mark when he flashed an effort across the face of goal.

The Lancashire side were gradually exerting their control on the game and would have doubled their advantage were it not for the outstanding athleticism of Davis who finger-tipped Emerton's header away.

Yet the basement side could have given themselves a lifeline on the stroke of half-time when they tested Rovers' keeper Brad Friedel for the first time.

Rory Delap's well-directed header from Julio Arca's whipped in centre, however, was well held by the American shot-stopper.

Friedel then thwarted Jon Stead after the re-start when he blocked George McCartney's low cross. But Blackburn, minus the suspended Robbie Savage, were looking dangerous on the counter-attack as Bellamy dragged his 18-yard effort wide of the post.

A lively start to the second half continued as Sunderland's Brown was presented with a super chance to draw things level from a one-on-one opportunity, but he saw his low drive blocked by Friedel.

Sunderland showed much determination and spirit in an improved second-half showing, but again their lack of punch upfront was all too evident.

The Black Cats, in fact, laid siege to the Blackburn goal in the latter stages but despite a Lawrence 20-yard free-kick and minutes later a low shot from the same player, they could not find a way past a resolute Blackburn rear-guard.

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Sunderland caretaker boss Kevin Ball: "We started the game very well and after conceding the goal the way we did, it's important you get a reaction and I thought we did that.

"It was just that elusive goal we needed to give the players and everybody involved a lift.

"It wasn't going to come today."

Blackburn manager Mark Hughes:
"We are delighted to have got this fixture out of the way.

"We had to withstand a little bit of pressure towards the end of the game, and they got a few balls into the box that we had to deal with.

"But for the majority of the game, we coped well with balls into the box."

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Sunderland: Davis, Hoyte, Caldwell (Breen 64), Collins, McCartney, Whitehead, Leadbitter, Delap (Lawrence 73), Arca, Brown, Stead (Kyle 66).
Subs Not Used: Alnwick, Daryl Murphy.

Booked: Leadbitter, Hoyte, Whitehead, Arca.

Blackburn: Friedel, Neill, Nelsen, Khizanishvili, Gray, Emerton (Bentley 64), Tugay (Mokoena 64), Reid, Pedersen, Bellamy (Kuqi 70), Dickov.
Subs Not Used: Enckelman, Todd.

Booked: Gray.

Goals: Reid 15.

Att: 29,593

Ref: P Walton (Northamptonshire).