Blackburn, England – Andy Carroll headed home a late winner to see 10-man Liverpool claim a 3-2 victory over Blackburn in a wild affair at Ewood Park on Tuesday.
Maxi Rodriguez had put the visitors in front with a first-half brace, but the Reds were reduced to 10 men following the sending off of goalkeeper Doni. Aiyegbeni Yakubu scored on opposite sides of halftime to see Blackburn draw level, but Carroll struck in stoppage time to help Liverpool clinch the win at the death.
The result puts an end to Liverpool's four-match winless run as Kenny Dalglish's men improve to 46 points on the year.
Rodriguez, who was one of the few regulars deployed in the starting lineup by Dalglish in light of the club's FA Cup tie at the weekend, got Liverpool off to a flying start with goals in the 13th and 16th minutes.
The Reds were cruising until the 25th minute when goalkeeper Doni was shown a straight red card for bringing down David Hoilett in the box, denying the Rovers striker a chance to convert on an empty net.
Third-choice 'keeper Brad Jones entered the match and made an immediate impact, thwarting Yakubu's poor attempt on the ensuing penalty kick.
Jones could not keep Yakubu at bay for long as the Nigerian headed home a set piece in the 36th minute to cut the deficit in half.
Blackburn was awarded a second penalty kick in the 61st minute when Jones pushed Yakubu while trying to collect a loose ball in the box. Blackburn's leading scorer made no mistake on the second chance from the spot, slotting home for his 16th goal of the season.
Rovers looked destined to take at least a point from the match, but Carroll nodded a late cross past Paul Robinson to cap a dramatic match and doom Blackburn to a fourth straight defeat. Steve Kean's side sits third from bottom on 28 points.
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