James error helps Rovers to win over City

Blackburn 2 Manchester City 0

Manchester City goalkeeper David James again hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons as Stuart Pearce’s side suffered their ninth defeat in 10 matches.

James’ error in dropping a Sergio Peter corner in the 35th minute allowed Blackburn centre-back Zurab Khizanishvili to score his first Barclays Premiership goal for the club.

Shefki Kuqi added Rovers’ second seven minutes after the break before midfielder Tugay was sent off on the hour, ensuring he will miss the first three matches of next season.

However, not for the first time in James’ error-strewn career, the man nicknamed ‘Calamity’ grabbed the spotlight by making a typical clanger.

It has proven a sad end to Pearce’s season, with the final match requiring a male streaker and James to bring it to life.

With Rovers already guaranteed sixth in the Premiership and with it UEFA Cup football for next season, and with City in no man’s land, the game started off as a drab end-of-season affair.

Then the streaker made an appearance, racing along the touchline prior to finally being caught by stewards.

Before then there had been little to raise a smile, with one effort from Joey Barton from the edge of the area flashing inches past the post in the ninth minute, unfortunately leading to the sad departure of Aaron Mokoena.

The South Africa captain, starting his first match since the end of January, sustained a serious leg injury after colliding with Barton.

Several minutes treatment followed before the defender needed to be carried off on a stretcher, resulting in Brett Emerton coming on at right-back.

With the game displaying few signs of life, other than a couple of tame headers from Georgios Samaras and Kiki Musampa, the streaker’s arrival on the half hour proved to be a turning point – strange, but true.

Five minutes later, it was James’ turn to take centre stage, and he did so in typically catastrophic style.

Racing off his line to claim an outswinging corner from Peter – making his first league start – James proceeded to drop the ball. That allowed Khizanishvili to make James pay the price, with the Georgian hooking home his first league goal.

The cheers from the Blackburn fans mingled with the groans from the City faithful were almost equal in measure as James buried his face in the Ewood Park turf, perhaps not for the first time wishing the ground would open up and swallow him.

Blackburn’s lead, though, should have been shortlived as Musampa was denied at point-black range by a brave Brad Friedel two minutes later as he attempted to flick a pass from Barton beyond the American.

Blackburn responded in the 41st minute, with Peter curling inches wide a low drive through the area that had James at full stretch.

But then the 35-year-old was beaten again seven minutes after the restart, with Kuqi scoring his eighth goal of the season, and seventh in the league.

There appeared to be a touch of offside when David Bentley played a ball to Emerton down the right wing, but with no flag, a precision cross was delivered into the heart of the area for Kuqi to stab home.

Then on the hour Rovers’ rousing finale was tarnished by the dismissal of Tugay, the midfielder launching himself into a challenge from distance on David Sommeil. Although there was minimal contact, referee Howard Webb issued the red card.

Rovers then temporarily went down to nine men when Kuqi was treated on the sidelines for a head wound after colliding with James in the area, resulting in inevitable taunts to the City supporters.

It was with good reason for Blackburn comfortably held onto a win that gives them a record points tally since the Premiership was reduced to 20 teams, and the three-points-for-a-win system was introduced.