Hayden Carter bagged a stoppage-time equaliser as Blackburn snatched a dramatic 1-1 draw against fellow strugglers Portsmouth.

Michael O'Neill's hosts had the better of a nervy encounter but looked set to be plunged into further relegation trouble when they were sucker-punched by Connor Ogilvie's deflected strike in the 84th minute.

However, Blackburn's character shone through and they scored a vital stoppage-time goal for the second home game in three as Carter's flicked header - his second goal in as many games - earned what could be a vital point in their fight to stay up.

They certainly deserved something from the game and will rue Yuki Ohashi's early miss which should have set them on their way, with the draw leaving Rovers four points clear of danger despite failing to win in three.

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Portsmouth fell away somewhat in the second half and remain a place and point above Blackburn with a game in hand.

The contest was surprisingly open in the early exchanges as Rovers missed a huge chance in the third minute when Ryoya Morishita raced clear on the right and whipped in a fine low cross for Ohashi, who blazed over his first-time shot from close range.

Pompey responded in the 12th minute when Conor Chaplin's corner was glanced goalwards by Marlon Pack and the ball eventually fell to Ebou Adams, who headed agonisingly wide.

Morishita once again turned provider for Ohashi with a cushioned header that fell invitingly 18 yards out, but Adams produced a crunching block to deny him.

Rovers displayed more purpose at the start of the second half, with Ohashi shooting over while Taylor Gardner-Hickman drilled an effort just past the post into the side netting.

The hosts felt they should have had a penalty on the hour when Ohashi looked set to convert Ryan Alebiosu's right-wing cross but appeared to be bundled over by Terry Devlin's clumsy attempt to win the ball.

Yuri Ribeiro did get a shot away in the aftermath, lashing just beyond the far post, but they were aggrieved at being denied a penalty.

Portsmouth seemed to land the decisive blow six minutes from the end when Zak Swanson's floated free-kick was headed across the box by Adams to Jacob Brown who cushioned a header to Ogilvie, who in turn unleashed a half-volley that took a telling deflection that flew past the helpless Balazs Toth.

However, Blackburn showed they are up for the relegation fight and equalised with one minute of stoppage time remaining when Morishita's inswinging right-wing cross was met by Carter's deft header that crept into the far corner via the post.

The managers

Blackburn's Michael O'Neill:

"We have to be pleased with a point given you're behind going into stoppage time. I thought we showed good character to keep going.

"It was a difficult game I felt. We had the better chances in the game but, at times, our overall play was a little bit tense, a bit nervous. We needed to be better with the ball.

"At times when we did show our quality, we saw the chances we did create in the game, particularly in the early part. We're disappointed not to have a penalty awarded at 0-0.

"I felt we limited them to very little in the game but equally we didn't take care of the ball enough to get enough control in the game. But we showed good spirit and at times showed good quality to create the chances that we did. Ultimately, if you can't win the game, the key is not to lose it."

Portsmouth's John Mousinho:

"It's going to be ultimately defined by the last 10 minutes after 85 minutes of controlling the game. We had much more possession.

"Blackburn had a really good chance early on but, apart from that, pretty cagey. We've given ourselves the opportunity to win the game and after we scored the goal, I thought we just completely threw it away.

"Stopped winning headers, stopped winning challenges, stopped winning second balls, let them back inside for the goal, dropped too deep, committed too many bodies forward at times. We didn't do any of the things we'd done so well for 85 minutes.

"There's that mentality switch when you go a goal ahead. I can accept us sitting deep but then we have to dominate underneath the ball, win our challenges, you've got to come out and win second balls.

"We managed the game horrifically. We managed it so, so poorly and ultimately we got what we deserved."

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