Frank Lampard scored his sixth English Premier League goal of the season Saturday with a second-half header that gave unimpressive Chelsea a 1-0 win at Blackburn.
Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas knew his side could not afford to drop points after losses to Queens Park Rangers and Arsenal. But while Lampard stooped to head in Branislav Ivanovic's low cross on 50 minutes, struggling Rovers had numerous late chances to claim at least a draw.
Blackburn poured forward and Grant Hanley and Ayegbeni Yakubu forced saves out of visiting goalkeeper Petr Cech as Chelsea kept a clean sheet for the first time since the opening day of the season.
The Blues almost didn't manage it. With four minutes left, Ivanovic almost gifted Rovers a point when his attempted clearance from Morten Gamst Pedersen's corner ricocheted back off the underside of the bar.
The result left Rovers stuck in the bottom three as a plane circled Ewood Park pulling a banner which bore the slogan ''Steve Kean Out.''
In the first half, Chelsea was restricted to an early effort from Daniel Sturridge saved by Robinson.
Cech required seven minutes of treatment for a facial injury in a clash with Yakubu, the Chelsea medical team stemming the flow of blood sufficiently for the keeper to continue.
Villas-Boas, desperate not to drop points which could leave them even further adrift of the Premier League summit, replaced the ineffective Florent Malouda with Fernando Torres at halftime, but Blackburn resumed as the more lively side.
Even so, the visitors grabbed the lead in the 50th with only their second shot on target. Ivanovic turned inside Hoilett on the right and crossed for Lampard, who directed a low header past Robinson.
