Markus Babbel and Dwight Yorke scored early in the first half as Blackburn beat Everton 2-1 on Monday to snap a five-game losing streak in the Premier League.
With the win, the Rovers moved from second-last to 16th.
Tomasz Radzinski scored for Everton, who slid into the bottom three. Everton have two losses and three draws in their last five games.
Blackburn, without a home win since opening day in August, pushed forward from the opening whistle. Babbel, on loan from Liverpool, made it 1-0 on a header in the sixth minute.
The German defender, unmarked again, was denied by a good Nigel Martyn save in the 12th minute.
Yorke doubled the lead one minute later, though, putting in another header for his second goal of the season.
Everton, seventh last season, controlled play in the second half. Radzinski, in the 49th minute, converted a James McFadden cross that ‘keeper Brad Friedel could only palm away.
The Toffees had two more good chances. In the 75th, Tobias Linderoth was inches wide on a free header. Then in the 87th, David Unsworth got to a loose ball following a corner but shot over the crossbar from only 1,8m away.
Everton played without England striker Wayne Rooney, who had the flu. — Sapa-AP