Player Ratings: Blackburn 0-2 Newcastle

The Rovers keeper had a quiet evening as Newcastle rarely tested him and there was nothing he could do about the visitors opening goal as a wicked deflection off Dann sent the ball in the opposite direction to his dive.

With him in the team Blackburn look much more of a balanced side and his attacking threat from full back also gives them an added option going forward. He has developed a good understanding with Hoilett down the left wing and together they worked well both in attack and defensively.

The Frenchman has played a lot of this season at left back but in recent weeks he has moved to centre half alongside Dann in the absence of Samba and he has looked excellent there. This was another good game for Givet, he dealt with everything that Newcastle threw at the Blackburn defence and was unlucky not to get his side level late in the first when his header crashed against the crossbar.

Had the unluckiest of starts to the game as Ryan Taylor’s speculative effort struck him and flew into the net. Otherwise he worked well with Givet to deny the Newcastle strikers any room, but their lack of match fitness enabled him to cut out any opportunities they were given.

The youngster looks like the dependable full back that Steve Kean has needed for a while and he had another solid game at right back. His pace enables him to stay close to his winger and deny many opportunities to cross the ball, he frustrated Gutierrez well and forced the Argentine to drift across the pitch to find some success.

The experienced midfielder had an excellent game making plenty of driving runs from midfield to support Modeste up front. His neat footwork also enabled him to create a couple of good chances for the Frenchman but he was unable to take them. His only blip in the game came from the penalty spot as Krul made a good save down to his left.

His delivery from set plays caused danger for the Newcastle defence but it was danger that they were able to clear, he delivered a perfect cross for Givet in the closing seconds of the half but the Frenchman’s header crashed against the crossbar.

Playing alongside Nzonzi in the engine room of the midfield he had performed well but it was his mistake that led to Newcastle’s opening goal. He nearly redeemed himself seven minutes later but his volley from the edge of the area was just wide of Krul’s right hand post.

The Frenchman is becoming a real lynchpin in the centre of the Blackburn midfield and this was another solid performance in the holding role. He provided an excellent shield in front of the back four which gave his side something to build attacks from.

The Frenchman’s first start for the club and he showed that as well as an attacking threat he was also not afraid to track back and get stuck in when he needed to. He found it hard on his own up front but have a few sights of goal however he was unable to take them. Midway through the first half he had a shot blocked after good work from David Dunn, and he spurned a great chance late in the first half with an open goal from 30 yards but he fired over

The winger was as full of running as ever, and his direct approach caused panic in the Newcastle defence on numerous occasions. He was close to getting his side a penalty in the first half but Coloccini brought him down on the edge of the area, later in the half he had a great chance to curl an effort into the top corner but he fired just wide. He continued to threaten in the second half but was unable to get his side back into the game.

The Newcastle captain stuck very close to Modeste but struggled at times to stay with the runs of the striker. In the air he was dominant and remained resolute despite second half pressure from the home side. He was lucky not have his name taken after half an hour though as he brought down Hoilett on the edge of the penalty area, the winger having too much pace for the Argentine.

The Italian is a stylish left back and he always looks to play neat balls out of defence when perhaps he should have cleared any danger with a big clearance. He handled Pedersen well and when Formica was introduced he stayed close to him and hardly gave him a kick.

The full back had a busy evening against the impressive Hoilett but Simpson is hardly short of pace himself and was able to keep the winger away from the danger zones. He was harshly adjudged to have fouled Modeste inside the area in the closing minutes of the first half but luckily for him Krul made a fantastic save from Dunn’s spot kick.

The runs of Dunn and Hoilett to support Modeste caused the defender a few problems but in general he was able to cope. He looked better challenging in the air than when someone was running at him but he stood up well and didn’t dive in to any challenges.

He began the game in central midfield and his ability to spread the ball really benefited the visiting side. It was his speculative effort that was deflected off Dann to give his side the victory. He moved the right side of midfield in the second half and gave his side a few more defensive options than Ben Arfa had done.

He covered a lot of ground in the middle of the pitch as he worked hard to get his side on the ball and create chances to further extend their lead. He had a good battle with Nzonzi which was very even and both men can be happy with their performances.

An indifferent game for the winger, he struggled up against Lowe on the left wing so moved across to the right but found Olsson in just as good form. He returned to the left side in the second half but rarely created anything for Best and Ameobi to feed off.

He made some good runs but never really tested the Blackburn defence, although he did have very little in the way of service to enable him to test Robinson. He was replaced by Lovenkrands in the second half.

The forward looked short of match fitness and often found himself performing defensive duties instead of attacking ones as Blackburn launched balls into their penalty area. He didn’t have a sight of goal at all during the game but again a lack of service hampered his progress.