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Blackburn beats Blackpool 2-1 away

BLACKPOOL, England — Australian midfielder Brett Emerton came off the substitutes’ bench to score a stoppage time winner as Blackburn beat Blackpool 2-1 in the Premier League on Saturday.

Blackburn was gifted the lead in the 20^th minute when a cross by El-Hadji Diouf was flicked on by Nikola Kalinic and Blackpool defender Charlie Adam intervened with a cushioned header back for his ‘keeper, only for Matthew Gilks to be caught completely wrong-footed by the pass.

Blackpool looked to have snatched a 1-1 draw, though, when Matt Phillips came on as an 84^th minute substitute and scored an equalizer one minute later.

But Emerton, who had replaced Mame Diouf at the start of the second half, grabbed the winner in the third minute of stoppage time.

It was a bitterly frustrating finish for the home side as Blackpool had started well, with 33-year-old striker Brett Ormerod forcing Blackburn’s Spanish defender Michel Salgado to head against his own bar.

The own goal proved to be a major setback and Blackburn could have been 2-0 up just six minutes later when Chris Samba met a Morten Gamst Pedersen cross with a deft header against the post.

El-Hadji Diouf was an even bigger threat in the second half, setting up Emerton inside the box for a drive which Gilks did well to parry and then teeing up Kalinic for an elaborate attempt at a volley which flew wide. Diouf whipped in yet another cross soon after and Gilks produced an even better save to keep out a Phil Jones header from point-blank range.

Though most of the pressure was coming from Blackburn, Jones blocked an Ormerod shot at the other end and the veteran Blackpool striker then hit the side-netting after good work by the tenacious David Vaughan and DJ Campbell.

Phillips thought he had earned his side a valuable point when he jinked his way into the area, beat Blackburn defender Gael Givet and found the bottom corner with his shot.

But Emerton had other ideas and snatched victory for Blackburb when a Benjani Mwaruwari shot was blocked and the Australian midfielder stabbed the ball home.