Middlesbrough moved up to fifth in the Sky Bet Championship after a routine 1-0 win at 10-man Blackburn.
Britt Assombalonga's close range header in the 19th minute - his 12th strike of the season - was ultimately enough for Tony Pulis and his side, who produced a dominant first-half performance to provide the platform to victory.
Their task was helped by Derrick Williams, who was sent off just before half-time, and Boro would have added to the scoreline but for the woodwork and superb goalkeeping.
Rovers registered one shot on target - but an excellent Darren Randolph save denied Bradley Dack.
Boro's third victory in their last four away games puts them firmly in the play-off picture - and they won't be giving up on automatic promotion any time soon.
Their victory heaped the misery on former player and manager, Tony Mowbray, whose side are now firmly mid-table after a fourth consecutive league defeat - the first time this has happened under his stewardship.
