Tevez grabbed a treble to take him to 12 league goals for the season and Micah Richards scored after a lung-bursting run before Morten Gamst Pedersen gave the visitors hope. City were always in control as they moved to within four points of third-placed Arsenal and never looked like being pegged back by a disappointing Rovers side. Patrick Vieira failed to overcome a calf injury in time to make his City debut. Instead, the former Arsenal captain was introduced to the home supporters before kick-off. But after collecting the Premier League player of the month award for December, when he scored eight times, Tevez was eager to get off the mark in 2010 and he did exactly that after just seven minutes. Martin Petrov's corner should have been collected by Paul Robinson but was inexplicably dropped by the keeper. Benjani was onto it in a flash and, although his fiercely driven effort was off target, Tevez managed to turn it home from close range with his hip. And six minutes before the break it was Richards' tuen to take centre stage. Intercepting Pedersen's cross five yards outside his own area, Richards went straight forward. Expecting a pass, the Blackburn midfield, and then defence, backed off. Richards gleefully ran on and kept going even after he had played a pass to Benjani. So, when the Zimbabwean's shot bounced back off the inside of a post, the England defender was in exactly the right place to finish off a superb second from an acute angle. Blackburn introduced Nikola Kalinic and David Hollet at half-time but the home side were out of sight within four minutes of the restart. Benjani battled away down the right before pulling back an inviting ball to the edge of the area for Tevez, who finished expertly into the top corner with his right foot. Rovers grabbed a lifeline when Vincent Kompany's control let him down and Pedersen nipped in before curling a fine left-foot shot beyond Shay Given. Substitute Robinho was then denied a goal late on by the offside flag after finishing Tevez's cross before the in-form Argentinian completed his treble with a right-foot curler from the edge of the box after Robinho's lay-off.
