Blackburn Rovers condemned Alex McLeish to his first defeat as Nottingham Forest boss with a strong second-half display at Ewood Park this afternoon.

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A tight opening period saw Rovers shade possession as both sides struggled to create clear-cut opportunities.

Henri Lansbury saw a pair of ambitious efforts drift wide, with both sides restricted to efforts from range for much of the first 45 minutes.

Ruben Rochina had Blackburn's best effort of the half, showing neat feet before testing Lee Camp with a low shot after fine build-up play from Josh King.

Rovers had an indirect free kick in the penalty area on the half-hour after Camp caught a backpass, but Colin Kazim-Richards hammered into an 11-man wall.

The home side went ahead quickly after the break with a touch of fortune as Daniel Ayala's clearance came off Rochina and into the net.

Jordan Rhodes took advantage of a lapse in the Forest backline to double Rovers' advantage 20 minutes from time, steering home with a low shot on the edge of the area.

Kazim-Richards made the three points safe with a thumping finish to keep Gary Bowyer's fine run as caretaker intact.