Blackburn Rovers 1, Leeds United 0

Brian McDermott felt his Leeds side deserved some reward out of a game that saw an end to their run of three successive wins.

The United boss pointed to a first-half chance missed by Danny Pugh as being a pivotal moment.

Pugh was put through by Ross McCormack after 33 minutes but goalkeeper Jake Kean’s outstretched leg denied him.

McDermott said: “I didn’t think we deserved to lose. I think if we’d scored in the first half we would have won the game.

“I thought for the first half an hour we controlled the game and looked very comfortable.

“They took the ascendancy in the last 15 minutes of the first half and scored the goal from a set-play, which is obviously disappointing.

“Then it became a real battle and our players tried to get something from the game. It wasn’t pretty and we couldn’t quite do it, which was disappointing.

“People miss chances. We worked it well and if that (Pugh’s opportunity) goes in, then it’s a different game. The first goal proved to be the most important.”

Leeds-born defender Tommy Spurr popped up in first-half stoppage time to volley home David Dunn’s corner for the only goal of the game. It earned Blackburn a first league win over Leeds since September 2002.

Leeds showed signs of life with 16 minutes to go when Rudolph Austin fashioned space for a shot in the area but lashed into the side-netting.

They threatened again with four minutes remaining when McCormack cut in from the left and fired a shot wide, although the United players were incensed that a corner was not given.

Despite watching his side lose for the fifth time in their last six away games, McDermott refused to be too down and urged his players to focus on their upcoming fixtures.

He said: “It wasn’t as fluid as we’d like to be. Having said that, the boys have shown great character and commitment.

“We’ve won three of the last four games. What happens now is you want to bounce back.

“All we can do is concentrate on our next game and that’s what we’ll do. I never get too down after a defeat. You’re never the world’s worst when you lose and you’re never the world’s best when you win.”