ARCH-RIVALS Blackburn gave Wanderers' Euro hopes a double boost when they added Liverpool's Premiership frustrations.

A solid defensive performance at Anfield left the Mersey Reds just one point ahead of the Whites as the scramble for UEFA Cup places hots up and gave Sam Allardyce and his coaching staff some interesting pointers.

Wanderers go to Anfield in a fortnight for a crucial head-to-head and will aim to take a leaf out of Mark Hughes' book.

Phil Brown, who watched from the stands as Rovers stifled Liverpool's attacking ambitions, was encouraged by what he saw.

"That was a great defensive performance by Blackburn," the Wanderers assistant manager said.

"They were so well-organised and we will be looking to do something very similar when we go there."

Rafa Benitez might not like it but, being as close as they are to securing their first ever European qualification, Wanderers are interested in picking up points rather than style marks.

"Its up to Liverpool to break you down when they are at Anfield," Brown said, giving advanced warning of the game plan he and Allardyce are likely to adopt.

"They couldn't do that the other night, for whatever reason, and that's given us a lot of hope, although a sneaky 1-0 win for Blackburn would have done us even better."

Having still to play Everton at the Reebok, Wanderers could even be in the running for a Champions League challenge, if they can keep their form in the critical final phase of the season. But Brown says the players are determined to stay focused on their own goals and will not be distracted or influenced by what their rivals are up to.

"That's what the players have told us," he said. "We've given ourselves an opportunity to do something this year by what we have done up to now and, from now on, it's in our own hands.

"If we start worrying about other results at this stage of the season, we will lose our focus.

"A natural optimist, Brown doesn't blink at the suggestion that Wanderers should still be aiming for a top four finish.

"If you'd said that at Christmas I'd have said we were a million miles away from achieving it," he said, recalling the nighmare end to 2004, "but you always aim high and we have started 2005 in what can only be described as our best phase since we came into the Premier League.

"We set our ambitions and our goals at the start of the season and that was to finish better than eighth, which is what we did last season.

"That was the benchmark. If we can finish sixth, which is where we were going into this weekend, that would be a great achievement. Seventh would be a great achievement - even if we didn't qualify for Europe.

"I remember Bobby Robson going from fourth to third at Newcastle and telling the world how difficult it was just to jump that one place in the Premiership.

"Moving up from eighth to seventh would still be success as far as we are concerned.

"Obviously it would be disappointing if we didn't get Europe but it would still be a step in the right direction for us."

l Sam Allardyce might have pointed the finger at Jens Lehmann for over-reacting and questioned the role of the referee's assistant in Diouf's dismissal, but there was only one man the manager ultimately blamed for Wanderers' FA Cup defeat by Arsenal.

"He has often had a major influence the right way," he said of the errant striker.

"But this time he had a major influence the wrong way.

"He was our most likely match winner and ended up being the match loser! "