Mark Hughes celebrated his first game in charge of Blackburn with a 1-0 win over Portsmouth at Ewood Park.
Substitute Matt Jansen marked his comeback into the fold with the winning goal 15 minutes from time to get Hughes' tenure off to the perfect start and earn Rovers their first win of the season.
Blackburn started brightly and had the first chance of the game on five minutes with Paul Dickov flashing a shot just wide of the target after being set up by Barry Ferguson.
Portsmouth created their first opportunity on 13 minutes with Yakubu Aiyegbeni rising highest to meet David Unsworth's free kick, but the Nigerian could not direct his header on target.
Amdy Faye, making his first start of the season after injury, forced Brad Friedel into the first meaningful save of the match with a free kick from the edge of the box which went straight down the throat of the American keeper.
England Under-21 international Jon Stead went close to finding the net three minutes later when he superbly controlled Michael Gray's cross and fired in a left-footed shot which flew just wide of the far post.
Portsmouth suffered a blow on 35 minutes with former Blackburn loanee Eyal Berkovic being forced off injured and he was replaced by Steve Stone.
The visitors had the best chance of the half on 39 minutes when Ricardo Fuller beat Gray and Dominic Matteo down the left to go clear on goal, but with only Friedel to beat he hit the post when it seemed easier to score.
Blackburn suffered an injury blow of their own four minutes before the break with Craig Short picking up an injury in making a challenge on Yakubu and he was replaced by Lorenzo Amoruso
Portsmouth were now in the ascendancy as the half drew to a close and Fuller saw a shot just fall wide before Patrik Berger forced Friedel into a good save with powerful 30-yard shot.
Blackburn came out for the second half in determined fashion and Amoruso fired in a powerful free kick from 25 yards which Shaka Hislop was not able to hold and he was relieved to see Dickov miss the rebound.
Blackburn threw on Jansen and Jay Bothroyd early in the second half as they tried to make some inroads into the Portsmouth defence.
Yakubu wasted a glorious chance to break the deadlock on 70 minutes when he beat Matteo to Berger's pass to leave him one-on-one with Friedel, but he wastefully lashed his left-footed shot wildly over the crossbar.
Blackburn grabbed the winner on 75 minutes with Lucas Neill finding Jansen on the edge of box and he brilliantly turned Linvoy Primus before curling his shot beyond Hislop into the bottom corner of the net.
The goal lifted Blackburn and Dickov was denied a second when he saw his curling shot tipped round the post by Hislop and from the resulting corner Matteo chipped just wide of the far post. It was one-way traffic now and Brett Emerton ran unchallenged to the edge of the box before flashing a left-footed shot just wide of the target.
Friedel had a lucky escape four minutes from time.when he lost out in a challenge with Fuller and appeared to bring down the striker inside the box, but to Fuller's amazement referee Mark Clattenburg booked him for an apparent dive.
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