El-Hadji Diouf wrote another chapter in his book of misdemeanours with a controversial winner to ruin Robbie Savage's Blackburn debut.

The Senegalese striker, who vies with Savage to be public enemy number one for rival fans, looked to have dived to earn a penalty 15 minutes from time in the Lancashire derby at a bitterly cold Ewood Park.

Television pictures showed Blackburn 'keeper Brad Friedel had made no contact with Diouf but referee Steve Bennett gave the penalty.

The Rovers 'keeper nearly had the last laugh by saving the Bolton striker's spot-kick, only for the Diouf to fire home when the ball fell back at his feet.

It was hardly deserved by Bolton - they had not mustered an effort at goal until the 55th minute but highlighted why Sam Allardyce's hard-bitten pros are top-half material in the Barclays Premiership while Rovers are near the bottom.

Blackburn really missed the suspended Paul Dickov and were generally toothless up front, while Bolton played - and won - a waiting game.

It was not quite the welcome Savage had been dreaming of and it took him less than a minute to stamp his mark - quite literally - on the game when with 35 seconds on the clock he caught Ricardo Gardner high and late, and was lucky to escape a booking.

Diouf, Bolton's contestant in the 'most unpopular player in the Premiership' competition, managed to go one better by having his name taken for a petulant elbow on Andy Todd.

Savage's ball-winning prowess showed its value when the Welsh midfielder won a 50-50 challenge and in doing so set Jay Bothroyd free down the left flank.

That move fizzled out but Bolton never cleared the ball properly and it finally dropped to the excellent Morten Gamst Pedersen who lashed in a fierce shot that cannoned back off 'keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen's chest.

After some dreary route-one stuff by both sides, Blackburn managed to craft a passing move that nearly paid off when Lucas Neill fired through a crowd of players only to see Jaaskelainen tip his effort past the post.

From the corner, Brett Emerton had a powerful drive deflected over the crossbar.

With 17 minutes gone Savage was finally booked for testing Bennett's patience once too often and Bolton had a sniff of goal from the free-kick when Aaron Mokoena, who otherwise looked impressive, missed his header but Kevin Nolan failed to grasp the opportunity.

Pedersen tried an ambitious volley after being picked out by Emerton but could not keep it down, but there was precious little invention by either side and when there was as often as not it was halted by a niggly foul.

Pedersen's free-kick tested Jaaskelainen but the Finn reached the ball just before the diving Mokoena to keep his goal intact.

Thompson then left Ivan Campo for dead with a wonderful turn in midfield before racing to the edge of the Bolton area to set up a shooting chance for Bothroyd but his curling effort was blocked.

The second half followed the same pattern with precious little to please the connoisseur, and after Todd had seen his stabbed effort deflected wide Allardyce upped the ante by bringing on a long-ball merchant in Kevin Davies, back from a hamstring injury, for Jay-Jay Okocha, the most skilful player on the pitch.

Thompson, the smallest player on the pitch, came close to embarrassing Bolton by timing his jump to reach Savage's cross but his header drifted wide.

Davies then registered the visitors' first effort on goal with a strong shot on the run from 25 yards that sailed over the crossbar.

Mokoena managed a header on target from a Blackburn set-piece but it was easy for Jaaskelainen, then the South African skipper put his head in the way at the other end to keep out Campo's strike.

Rovers manager Mark Hughes then tried to play his trump card, removing his ineffective strikers Bothroyd and Paul Gallagher and sending on Jonathan Stead and, for his Premiership debut, Jemal Johnson, a product of the Blackburn academy.

It was Johnson who almost made a name for himself when he burst past Tal Ben Haim at pace and forced an instinctive save out of Jaaskelainen but with 15 minutes left the match swung Bolton's way.

Diouf turned Dominic Matteo and went down as Friedel swooped in to win the decisive penalty.

It could have been 2-0 but for a tremendous block by Neill to keep out Henrik Pedersen - Bolton claimed he had used his hand.

Then Nolan clipped a shot wide as Blackburn left spaces at the back in their search for the elusive equaliser.

Teams

Blackburn Friedel, Neill, Todd, Mokoena, Matteo, Emerton, Savage, Thompson, Pedersen, Bothroyd (Johnson 62), Gallagher (Stead 62).

Subs Not Used: Enckelman, Johansson, Reid.

Booked: Savage.

Bolton Jaaskelainen, Hunt, Ben Haim, N'Gotty, Gardner, Nolan, Okocha (Davies 52), Campo, Speed, Giannakopoulos (Pedersen 67), Diouf (Fadiga 78).

Subs Not Used: Poole, Hierro.

Booked: Diouf, Giannakopoulos, Nolan, Davies.

Goals: Diouf 77.

Att: 20,056

Ref: S Bennett (Kent).