Blackburn boss Mark Hughes backed Benni McCarthy to shoot his side into a UEFA Cup berth after the in-form South African´s match-winning performance at Bolton.
McCarthy sent cool penalties past Jussi Jaaskelainen in the 57th and 67th minutes as Rovers won 2-1 at the Reebok Stadium. The home side did respond late through Nicolas Anelka and Abdoulaye Faye had an injury-time header disallowed, but it was McCarthy who stole the show.
His brace came on top of his midweek FA Cup winner against Arsenal and vindicated Hughes´ recent decision to give his striker a mini-break. Hughes said: "Benni has had a great season but he has been out of the team for a couple of games because I felt he needed a break. He looked full of running and it has been an excellent week for him."
© Copyright Press Association Ltd 2007, All Rights Reserved.
