Ibrahima Bakayoko rediscovered his scoring touch to fire Everton to a priceless Premiership victory and send injury-ravaged Blackburn a step further along the road to relegation.

Bakayoko struck either side of half-time as the Blues bounced back after Ashley Ward had put the hosts in front after just 94 seconds.

The win means Everton are five points clear of the drop zone going into their final 10 games of the season - starting with Saturday's home clash with title-chasing Arsenal.

For Blackburn the picture is bleaker, the fine run of results which followed the appointment of Brian Kidd as manager now forgotten after three straight league defeats.

They are in 18th place and face a titanic scrap away to fellow strugglers Coventry at the weekend.

Their injury and suspension crisis - they were without 11 first-teamers who cost a total of £27.5million tonight - could not have come to a head at a worse time, and Gary Croft added to their woes when he was stretchered off.

Everton are not out of the woods, especially as their two fixtures after Saturday are at Manchester United and Liverpool.

But this win will have done much to calm nerves in the blue half of Merseyside and their noisy 5,000 fans left Ewood Park singing Bakayoko's praises.

He has struggled to settle since Everton boss Walter Smith signed him from Montpellier for £4.5million in October.

The lack of a regular strike partner since the departure of Duncan Ferguson only a month after the Ivory Coast star arrived at Goodison has not helped him hit top form.

And though he missed several chances again tonight - and infuriated his team-mates on countless occasions with his selfish play when in possession - he delivered the goods in his side's hour of need.

This was his first start since February 7, while he had not scored in the league this year before this brace.

But he came up trumps after Ward had stunned Everton, dumped out of the FA Cup by Newcastle on Sunday, inside two minutes.

Ward beat Michael Ball to Jason Wilcox's left-wing cross and bundled the ball home despite the best efforts of the England Under-21 defender and goalkeeper Thomas Myhre.

But the Blues quickly came to life and John Filan had already denied Bakayoko when the striker equalised on 15 minutes.

Don Hutchison's corner was flicked on by David Weir and Bakayoko had the simple task of nodding home from two yards at the back post.

Filan made good saves from Hutchison and Bakayoko as the half draw to a close before the Blues again took the initiative after the interval.

David Unsworth, who scored on Sunday, could have put the visitors in front on 58 minutes after Filan flapped at Hutchison's free-kick, but the Everton star - playing in midfield this evening - headed against the post.

However, the visitors always looked capable of taking the lead and they did so after 65 minutes.

Hutchison's through pass caught Blackburn's defence standing and after steadying himself, Bakayoko clipped the ball beyond Filan and inside the far post.

He wasted the chance to complete his hat-trick shortly afterwards but, a Michael Branch shot aside, it was Rovers who dominated the final 20 minutes.

Kevin Davies was involved in two penalty appeals, first for handball against Craig Short and then when the striker went down under the challenge of Richard Dunne.

Davies and Matt Jansen both headed over while Myhre made several last-ditch interventions to save his side.

Referee Paul Alcock played nearly six minutes of stoppage time at the end of the second half but Rovers could not grab an equaliser and Everton secured the win which ended their wretched recent away record.

Teams

Blackburn: Filan, Davidson, Peacock, Henchoz, Davies (Jansen 80), Wilcox, Duff, Johnson, Croft (Marcolin 50), Ward, McAteer.

Subs Not Used: Taylor, Coughlan, Williams.

Booked: Johnson.

Goals: Ward 2.

Everton: Myhre, Ball, Unsworth, Barmby (Jevons 38), Hutchison, Short, Materazzi, Weir, Bakayoko (Grant 86), Dunne,O'Kane (Branch 71).

Subs Not Used: Jeffers, Simonsen.

Booked: Dunne.

Goals: Bakayoko 15, 65.

Att: 27,219

Ref: P Alcock (Halstead).