England round-up: Blackburn eye European place

Blackburn Rovers FC kept their UEFA Cup ambitions alive with an excellent 4-0 away victory against Fulham FC.

Gap closed
Turkey striker Hakan Sükür scored twice at Loftus Road as Blackburn closed the gap on sixth-placed Liverpool FC to just three points. Graeme Souness's men are eager to return to European competition after reaching the second round of the UEFA Cup this season.

Dunn penalty
After a scrappy first 37 minutes, the game came to life when Fulham midfield player Lee Clark was adjudged to have handled the ball in his own penalty area. Blackburn's David Dunn converted from the spot and his side never looked back, adding their second three minutes before the break with a composed finish by Hakan Sükür.

Two in a minute
Fulham tried to find a way into the game in the second half but were caught on the counterattack in the 53rd minute. Duff raced along the left wing and struck a fierce shot under Maik Taylor's body. Hakan Sükür then added his second a minute later with another excellent goal. The 31-year-old is hoping for a permanent contract at Ewood Park and showed his class by trapping the ball under pressure before slotting it beyond Taylor's grasp.

Points needed
Defeat leaves Fulham, who are in 13th place in the Premiership on 38 points, looking over their shoulder at the wrong end of the table. The 2002 UEFA Intertoto Cup winners, who are in the hunt for a new manager after it was confirmed that Jean Tigana would leave the club in the summer, face a tricky run-in with a trip to Liverpool up next on Saturday, the same day as Blackburn welcome Charlton Athletic FC.