HAD Blackburn Rovers taken their chances early on, then the result of this Ewood encounter could have been so much different says boss Mark Hughes.

Visitors Portsmouth struggled to contain Rovers early on as the home side started on the up, but missed chances proved to be vital.

Roque Santa Cruz headed against the crossbar on four minutes, then Benni McCarthy volleyed wide from ten yards as Rovers started brightly, but Kanu's 24th minute goal, proved to be the difference as Rovers couldn't find a way through as the Pompey claimed all three points on an afternoon of frustration.

"We opened quite brightly I thought in the first 20-odd minutes or so," said Hughes on Radio Rovers after the game. "We had a good chance and hit the bar, and if that had gone in that would have settled us down and possibly we would have had a better performance.

"As it was we had a period were we were a little sloppy in defence, we conceded a goal and that allowed Portsmouth to just protect what they had and they did that exceptionally well.

"Their back four were rock-solid and we didn't have enough craft and guile to draw them out and just create a little bit of space in and around their box. Balls into their box were really dealt with quite easily by them and we just needed to show a little bit more craft really.

"I just think that we needed to be on the front foot, but in fairness to Portsmouth they played their game plan exactly how they wanted to play. We were just a little bit lacking in the intensity that we usually have at Ewood, that may have been a consequence of the game in midweek.

"We just needed a break at the right time, if we had scored in that opening period I think it would have been a different game, but once they got the goal we all felt it would be difficult to break them down as defensively is their strength."

Rovers have now lost their last two games, but the manager isn't overly concerned after previously going fifteen games unbeaten.

"There are a lot of games to be played, it isn't going to be plain sailing, we aren't going to win every game that is an impossibility. So we'll pick ourselves up, we've another game in midweek and that will give me the chance to look at a few things and then we'll go again at the weekend."