Cole outwits his old pal

Title issues are more his forte, but Andy Cole showed a rare relish for the less glamorous surroundings of a relegation battle on a night when everything went Blackburn's way.

And he had the added bonus of outfoxing his old Manchester United team-mate Peter Schmeichel in the process.

The Villa goalkeeper has an excellent record in one-to-one combat with opposing strikers. But he met his match when Cole chased a ball out of defence a minute from time.

Schmeichel was first to it as he advanced from his area for what should have been a routine headed clearance.

Instead, it turned into acute embarrassment as he cushioned a header, presumably intending to volley the dropping ball to safety, and saw Cole nip in to whip it away from him and hoist it into an empty net from 30 yards.

It was that sort of night for Villa, every bit as wretched as it was rewarding for a Blackburn side now just a point adrift of Bolton, Ipswich and Everton with games in hand.

Villa boss Graham Taylor said: 'The only good point for us was the final whistle.'

They could have been swamped by half-time as Cole twice hit the woodwork, Damien Duff had a cross deflected on to an upright and David Dunn struck a spectacular opener, cutting in from the right and lashing a left-footed drive into the top corner.

Villa's only response was a 21st-minute effort from Darius Vassell, smartly saved by Brad Friedel. Blackburn finally eased their relegation worries with two strikes in the last five minutes. First, Duff buried a low cross-shot beyond Schmeichel, who then lost his battle of wits with Cole.

Rovers boss Graeme Souness said: 'We deserved the win. Our destiny is in our own hands now, though there will still be plenty of twists and turns.'