Everton intensified their quest for European football with a hard-fought victory at Blackburn thanks to Tim Cahill’s 90th-minute winner. Three times the visitors took the lead and they became only the second team to defeat Blackburn at Ewood Park in a league game since the opening day of the season.

Victory for David Moyes’s team narrows the gap to Aston Villa, occupiers of the final Europa Cup place, to a single point for a few hours at least after spectacular strikes from Steven Nzonzi and Jason Roberts twice pegged them back.

In terms of recent form this was a case of the irresistible force meeting the immovable object but the entrance of substitute Yakubu Aiyegbeni a dozen minutes from the end proved crucial. First, he nodded in with his first touch and then squared for Cahill to guide in from a couple of yards.

This pair have been two of the form teams in the Premier League’s final straight – Blackburn holding Chelsea and Manchester United here recently and loath to give up a record of one defeat in 16 without a predictable scrap. Everton, catalysed by fresh legs since the turn of the year, were on a run of two league reverses in 20.

The Blackburn manager, Sam Allardyce, waxed lyrical about the miserliness of his side’s defence in his programme notes. Half-a-dozen clean sheets in their previous 11 matches and three in a row were, he reasoned, the blueprint for Rovers’ rise from the lower reaches of the table.

Yet they were breached with less than 300 seconds on the clock, after the indefatigable Cahill took down Diniyar Bilyaletdinov’s cross in the area, evaded one challenge from Gaël Givet and lost his legs to another from the recalled Ryan Nelsen. Mikel Arteta, hors de combat for such a long stretch of the season, rolled the ball in from the penalty spot to galvanise his side’s pursuit of seventh place.

Everton appeared on course to emulate the achievements of Manchester City and Tottenham here this season until, with 20 minutes remaining, Nzonzi unleashed a firecracker of a shot from 30 yards that fizzed across Tim Howard and into the roof of the net.

Moyes threw on Yakubu as a second striker and was rewarded when the striker glanced in fellow substitute Victor Anichebe’s flick-on and then set up Cahill’s decisive intervention. Another replacement Roberts had appeared to have ended Everton’s pursuit of seventh when he volleyed in on the run nine minutes from time.

Premier LeagueBlackburn RoversEvertonguardian.co.uk

The inevitable could become a reality for Portsmouth this weekend. Should they lose this fixture and either Hull or West Ham win theirs then relegation to the Championship will be confirmed for Avram Grant’s men. Such an outcome has looked likely ever since Portsmouth were docked nine points for going into administration and the side may, in truth, welcome an end to the wait. The hosts’ many injuries makes defeat a genuine possibility against a side buoyed by their 1-0 victory away to bitter rivals Burnley last Sunday. Sachin Nakrani

Venue Fratton Park, Saturday 3pm

Tickets £20-38 (0844 847 1898)

Last season Portsmouth 3 Blackburn 2

Referee S Bennett

This season’s matches 24 Y92, R4, 4.00 cards per game

Odds Portsmouth 12-5 Blackburn 13-10 Draw 5-2

Portsmouth

Subs from Ashdown, Niemi, Kanu, Ward, Ritchie, Hughes, Sowah, Dindane, Utaka

Doubtful James (calf), Rocha (cheek), Smith (nose), Utaka (groin)

Injured Belhadj (hamstring, 11 Apr), Wilson (hamstring, 11 Apr), Ben Haim (groin, 18 Apr), Diop (knee, 24 Apr), Yebda (knee, 24 Apr), Boateng (ankle, May), Webber (knee, Sep), Hreidarsson (achilles, Oct)

Suspended None

Form guide LLWLLW

Disciplinary record Y67 R4

Leading scorers Dindane, Piquionne 5

Blackburn

Subs from Brown, Bunn, Nelsen, Grella, Andrews, Chimbonda, Hoilett, Kalinic, Di Santo, Basturk, Rigters

Doubtful Andrews (calf), Nelsen (knee), Robinson (calf), Salgado (ankle)

Injured Jacobsen (groin, 17 Apr)

Suspended None

Form guide WWDLLW

Disciplinary record Y50 R2

Leading scorer Dunn 8

Match pointers

• Portsmouth have not kept a clean sheet in the top flight since beating Liverpool 2-0 in December, a run of 14 games during which they have conceded 34 goals

• Blackburn are the only side in the division not to have lost any points by conceding in the last 20 minutes of a match

• Portsmouth have averaged 1.65 points per game during April in Premier League history, the best record outside the big four

• Blackburn have committed the most fouls this season (450) while Portsmouth have been shown the most yellow cards (67)

• Portsmouth have only managed to convert 1.3% of their long-range shots into goals

Premier LeaguePortsmouthBlackburn Roversguardian.co.uk

Burnley have insisted Brian Laws’s position as their manager is safe – with the chief executive, Paul Fletcher, claiming that even Sir Alex Ferguson would have struggled with the situation Laws inherited. The Manchester United manager would probably have backed himself to earn more than four points from 11 games and, unless Burnley put up a fight against their great rivals, Laws’s support from the stands will flood rather than ebb away. Burnley will have the defender, Steven Caldwell, back for the first time since December against a Blackburn side that their manager, Sam Allardyce, wants to “relax and enjoy the derby”. Tim Rich

Venue Turf Moor, Sunday 12noon (ESPN) Tickets £28-£35 (08712 211 914) Last season N/A Referee M Dean

This season’s matches 23 Y92, R6, 4.26 cards per game

Odds Burnley 17-10 Blackburn 15-8 Draw 15-4

Burnley

Subs from Jordan, Duff, Blake, Eagles, Thompson, Bikey, Cork, Weaver

Doubtful None

Injured McCann (knee, unknown)

Suspended None

Form guide LLDLLL

Disciplinary record Y48 R2

Leading scorer Fletcher 7

Blackburn

Subs from Emerton, Grella, Jacobsen, Olsson, Jones, Chimbonda, Hoilett, Roberts, Di Santo, Bunn

Doubtful None

Injured Basturk (hamstring, 3 Apr), Robinson (calf, 17 Apr)

Suspended None

Form guide WDLLWW

Disciplinary record Y48 R2

Leading scorer Dunn 7

Match pointers

• Burnley have failed to score on the last three occasions that they have hosted Rovers in all competitions

• Blackburn have won one of their last 20 away matches, conceding an average of 2.5 goals per game

• Burnley have not kept a clean sheet since October, 20 league games ago

• Only Arsenal’s defenders (10) have provided more goals than Blackburn’s (9) in the league this season

• Brian Jensen has made more saves (203) than any Premier League goalkeeper this term

BurnleyBlackburn RoversPremier Leagueguardian.co.uk