The danger was not over and it required a flying save from Kiely to prevent Jamie Carragher’s thumping shot finding the net.Jerzy Dudek in the opposite goal had enjoyed an afternoon of rest, yet he made a save to match three minutes later when Jason Euell’s hooked shot flew towards the top corner after in the 57th minute.That heralded increased conviction by Charlton, whose away record is among the best in the division, but they might has well have been banging their heads against a wall and the match finished with two searing shots from Danny Murphy that Kiely did well to keep out.”No side have worked harder against us this season,” Alan Curbishley,” the Charlton manager said ruefully. “I can see the championship going to the last game.”Liverpool 2 Smicer 23, Owen 36Charlton Athletic 0Half-time: 2-0 Attendance: 44,094. You could share the happiness of the Filbert Street steward who smiled: “Now I can tell my grandchildren I was there when Leicester won a match.” It was only their second home victory of the season and though it has doubtless come too late to revive the corpse, it sent long-suffering supporters home in robust humour. After a poor first half, probably caused by their lack of a match for a fortnight, they perked up markedly after the interval and looked capable of grinding out the win that their manager, Graeme Souness, was demanding until Paul Dickov’s second excellent goal flattened their hopes.It was a bad one to lose, as Souness conceded. “Coming here and getting a result was very important, and we haven’t done that,” he said.

“But we haven’t defended very well all season and today was an example of that.” Leicester’s manager, Dave Bassett, felt Blackburn were worth a draw As for his own club, he said: “We are down but not out yet At least I can enjoy my glass of wine tonight A win was also important for the players. When you haven’t won for a while it affects everybody.”Dickov scored early and late. The opener came in the eighth minute as he held off the challenge of Nils Johansson, rounded Brad Friedel and shot high into the net from an acute angle and the winner arrived 13 minutes from time, courtesy of a fine through ball from the industrious Robbie Savage which Dickov latched on to and fired past Friedel.Having lost his privacy case against a Sunday newspaper the previoius night, Garry Flitcroft went very public as he carried on as normal with his duties as Blackburn captain, though the announcement of his name in the line-ups brought a mixture of admiring cheers and derisory jeers. He was also marked down by Ladbrokes as 25-1 to score first, but it was not to be.Flitcroft showed in the first minute the adverse publicity had not unduly ruffled him by supplying an excellent ball which Matt Jansen struck wide.

But, having spent a week’s break in Dubai, Blackburn looked as if they had sand in their wheels and, after falling behind, might have conceded more before half-time, with Friedel’s handling shaky.They were lucky to escape unpunished as he spilled the ball following a Muzzy Izzet free kick and when he was beaten by a Matt Elliott header, the point was disallowed for a foul. Blackburn’s rhythm was not helped by the head injury sustained by the Spanish striker, Jorge Yordi. After lengthy treatment on and off the pitch, he returned voluminously bandaged and with eight stitches but lasted only a further seven minutes before going off for good.The arrival in his place of Craig Hignett and the pushing forward of the veteran and Wales manager, Mark Hughes, brought Blackburn’s closest to a first-half goal. Hughes, turning with all his old skill in the penalty box, brought a fine save from Ian Walker, with Hignett striking the rebound on to the base of a post.Hughes was left criminally unmarked a minute into the second half to head home an inswinging free kick by the Turkish midfielder, Hakan Unsal, and Blackburn, with Keith Gillespie rampant on the right, suddenly looked capable of grabbing the win they so urgently needed.

“But we didn’t put them to the sword,” said Souness and, having survived the bombardment, Leicester sealed a rare success thanks to Dickov.A miracle save by Walker, pushing away Hignett’s close-range header, preserved that success in the dying minutes. Definitely one for the grandchildren.Leicester City 2 Dickov 9, 77Blackburn Rovers 1 Hughes 46Half-time: 1-0 Attendance: 16,236. There is, traditionally, precious little affection in the twice-annual meeting of these warring families from across the Pennines. True to form yesterday, the atmosphere could not have been more confrontational in the Flitcroft household when the tabloids dropped on the mat. Victory was vital to both clubs, for the visitors to maintain an authentic championship challenge, for their hosts to retain an interest in Champions’ League qualification.