LOUIE SIBLEY SCORED a superb goal on his first league start for Derby County to put the Rams on their way to a 3-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers at Pride Park.

The 18-year-old midfielder – playing in the absence of the injured Wayne Rooney – troubled Tony Mowbray’s side from the outset with his fearless dribbling and he struck a thunderbolt of a shot from 25 yards that bulged the top corner of Blackburn’s net after 26 minutes.

Derby continued to dominate the ball and they were rewarded for some slick passing when Max Bird, Sibley and Graeme Shinnie combined to create a chance that Rovers keeper Christian Walton could only parry into the path of Chris Martin, who bundled it into the corner of the net from six yards to double the hosts’ lead.

Five minutes from time, Martin also converted a penalty – which was awarded when 19-year-old Irish midfielder Jason Knight was fouled – before Blackburn’s John Buckley received a straight red card for a nasty tackle on Curtis Davies, ending a sour afternoon for the visitors.

Blackburn would have moved into the play-off places with victory but they instead remain 10th, two places and two points above Derby, who will not have given up hope of squeezing into the top six themselves. The Rams are now five points adrift with nine games still to play.

Knight played all 90 minutes for Derby as he took his tally of first-team appearances in all competitions this season to 26. For Blackburn, Ireland senior internationals Darragh Lenihan (suspended) and Derrick Williams (injured) were both unavailable.

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