It's not yet Rover and out, but Steve mKean needs a confidence trick to save Blackburn

Swansea City 3 Blackburn Rovers 0

Blackburn’s Steve Kean feels the pressure against Swansea (Getty Images)

The Blackburn manager, Steve Kean, believes his side can still avoid relegation, despite their woeful performance in south Wales. Rovers' fifth straight defeat left them 19th, three points adrift of a place of safety, having played at least one game more than the sides around them.

Their remaining four fixtures also provide few crumbs of comfort, with trips to Tottenham and Chelsea; they will also welcome Norwich and fellow strugglers Wigan to Ewood Park. But Kean believes two wins and a draw will be enough to keep the Lancashire club in the Premier League.

"We are all upset by this performance," he said. "But if we can go to Anfield and Goodison Park and draw, and go to Old Trafford and win, there is no reason why we can't go to White Hart Lane and Chelsea and get something. Confidence is a mindset. People say if you get on a good run it breeds confidence, but we need to look at how we have done it before.

"We have to look at what we were doing well a few weeks ago when we got out of the relegation zone, to look at what we did well for 80 minutes at home to Manchester United, and try and do what we did in the first game at Norwich and get out of the position we are in."

Swansea's success ended a run of four games without a win and moved them to the brink of mathematical safety. After seeing strikes from Gylfi Sigurdsson, Nathan Dyer and a Scott Dann own goal secure the three points, manager Brendan Rodgers led a post-match huddle on the pitch, which he said summed up the bond that exists at the club.

"That was a symbol of our togetherness," said Rodgers. "We have had to stick together over the last four games.

"At one stage people were saying we might be going into Europe, and the next people were saying everyone had worked out how to beat Swansea. But really nothing had changed. It's just that at this level, if you make mistakes you get punished.

"It was also an opportunity for the players to show their appreciation to the supporters. There were always going to be adverse moments in this journey. But when you get to the other side it is a wonderful place and it was nice to have everyone together at the end."

Match details

Swansea: VORM 6/10, RANGEL 6, CAULKER 6, WILLIAMS 7, TAYLOR 6, BRITTON 6, ALLEN 7, DYER 7, SIGURDSSON 8, SINCLAIR 7, GRAHAM 7

Blackburn: ROBINSON 6, LOWE 6, HANLEY 6, DANN 5, ORR 5, MARCUS OLSSON 5, DUNN 6, NZONZI 6, PEDERSEN 6, HOILETT 5, YAKUBU 5

Basement battle

Remaining fixtures:

QPR Saturday Tottenham (h); 29 Apr Chelsea (a); 6 May Stoke (h); 13 May Man City (a)

Wigan Tonight Arsenal (a); 21 Apr Fulham (a); 28 Apr Newcastle (h); 7 May Blackburn (a); 13 May Wolves (h)

Bolton Saturday Swansea (h); 24 AprA Villa (a); 28 Apr Sunderland (a); 2 May Tottenham (h); 6 May WBA (h); 13 May Stoke (a)

Blackburn Saturday Norwich (h); 29 Apr Tottenham (a); 7 May Wigan (h); 13 May Chelsea (a)

Wolves Sunday Man City (h); 28 Apr Swansea (a); 6 May Everton (h); 13 May Wigan (a)

Scorers: Swansea Sigurdsson 37, Dyer 43, Dann og 63.

Substitutes: Swansea Gower 6 (Britton, 69), Lita (Graham, 85), Monk (Rangel, 89). Blackburn Formica 5 (Hanley, h-t), Modeste 5 (Hoilett, 55), Goodwillie 5 (Yakubu, 61). Booked: Swansea none. Blackburn Formica, Hoilett.

Man of the match Sigurdsson. Match rating 6/10.

Possession: Swansea 66% Blackburn 34%.

Attempts on target: Swansea 8 Blackburn 2.

Referee M Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear). Att 18,985.