Jordan Rhodes bags a brace as Blackburn dominate Charlton to break duck
Blackburn finally secured their first win of the Sky Bet Championship season as two goals from Jordan Rhodes helped defeat Charlton 3-0.
Gary Bowyer had called for his side to be more ruthless in both boxes and he got his wish with a clean sheet and a dominant attacking performance.
Rhodes could have had two before he eventually got on the scoresheet, but he was thwarted by the superb Nick Pope, who could do nothing about the striker's close-range header in first-half stoppage time.
He poked in from six yards with 14 minutes remaining and Tom Lawrence, whose first act was to set up the second, got in on the act late in the day with an emphatic strike to put the seal on an encouraging afternoon.
It was a miserable afternoon for Charlton, who had chances of their own through Tony Watt and Zakarya Bergdich, but the result was their fifth consecutive defeat at the hands of Blackburn and a third in their last four games.
Bowyer drafted in Markus Olsson in place of the concussed Tommy Spurr while Guy Luzon handed academy graduate Mikhail Kennedy his first start in one of three changes from the team defeated by Huddersfield.
Both sides missed gilt-edged chances within a minute of each other at the start of an entertaining first half. Watt sprang the offside but his lob was errant, while Rhodes did likewise in the 10th minute but his powerful 12-yard strike was thwarted by a superb Pope save.
Alou Diarra's woeful backpass six minutes later presented Rhodes with a great chance and though he rounded Pope, the goalkeeper's outstretched leg prevented a certain goal.
Charlton, though, were not without threat and Johann Berg Gudmundsson's sweet low strike from a well-worked corner 20 minutes in forced Jason Steele to save low to his right.
Charlton's Watt fired a shot wide from a tight angle and Pope's strong hand kept out Ben Marshall as both sides continued to threaten.
The visitors should have taken the lead after 32 minutes when Bergdich played in Watt who only had Steele to beat but he opted to control and his shot was weak.
The long-overdue opener arrived in first-half stoppage time as Grant Hanley headed Craig Conway's corner goalwards and Rhodes was on hand two yards out.
Charlton went close after 54 minutes as Bergdich's low shot beat Steele, but Hanley cleared.
Lawrence made an immediate impact by crossing for Rhodes to poke home a second at the near post after 75 minutes - his third consecutive league brace against the Addicks.
Rovers should have stretched the lead further when their four-on-one attack ended with Pope thwarting Marshall but Lawrence put the seal on the win five minutes from time with an emphatic strike into the roof of the net.
Source: PA
