Blackburn Rovers came from two goals behind to seal a 2-2 draw against Bolton at Ewood Park.

Blackburn extend unbeaten run under m Allardyce

Blackburn Rovers came from two goals behind to seal a 2-2 draw against manager Sam Allardyce's former club Bolton at Ewood Park. Rovers, who were completely outplayed in the first half, looked a reformed outfit as they chased a late winner against a determined Trotters side. The visitors held a two-goal cushion at half-time after Kevin Davies added to Matthew Taylor's early tap-in with a comfortable finish from close range. Despite completely dominating the first half, the Trotters, though, were forced into defensive tactics for the remainder of the match. Rovers got their breakthrough when Stephen Warnock slotted home midway through the second half after picking up on a superbly timed pass by Benni McCarthy. And, despite missing a penalty earlier in the game, the South African forward levelled the scoreline from close range with minutes to go to leaving Rovers unbeaten under Allardyce in seven games.

Outplayed

To say Rovers were not at the races would be an understatement and they were made to pay by a Bolton side who had lost their previous four league games - all without scoring - ahead of this encounter. Wanderers were far from enterprising themselves, but what they did, they did adequately, and that was enough to give them their two-goal lead going into the break. When forced to defend, Bolton manager Gary Megson ensured there were nearly always 10 men behind the ball, and from the two attacks that culminated in the goals, they took advantage of shocking defending. After a tame shot from a fit-again Jason Roberts inside the opening minute that was comfortably gathered by Jussi Jaaskelainen, Bolton grabbed the lead in the 15th minute via route-one football. From a booming punt upfield from Jaaskelainen, Gretar Steinsson latched onto it down the right wing, before feeding the ball onto Ariza Makukula. On loan from Benfica, the Portuguese forward proceeded to thread a cross along the edge of the six-yard box for Taylor to slide the ball home at the far post as covering defender Warnock failed to intercept.

Taunts

It naturally prompted a chorus from the Bolton fans of 'Big Sam, Big Sam, what's the score?' as they taunted a man who had been in charge of their club for seven-and-a-half years. Blackburn should have recoiled from the shock of falling behind, but instead they proceeded to play even worse than before, and 10 minutes from the break their near neighbours added a second. The frustration within the Blackburn players and in the stands had been building to that point as Allardyce's current team lacked the wherewithal to break down his past side. When the goal came, Steinsson again played a part, driving in a low cross from the right that was initially missed at the near post by Kevin Nolan, returning as skipper after serving a two-match ban. Davies, though, was in close attendance behind, and although Paul Robinson superbly blocked the striker's initial effort, he was helpless for the second as the 31-year-old tucked home the rebound. As the Wanderers players celebrated, Robinson rightly delivered a broadside at the statuesque defenders in front of him. In attack, Rovers continued to offer nothing, other than a Keith Andrews drive in injury-time that flashed two yards wide, swiftly followed by the half-time whistle and an understandable chorus of boos from the home fans. For the opening 20 minutes of