Blackburn Rovers 2 Sunderland 0:Blackburn Rovers boosted their Premier League survival hopes with a 2-0 victory over Sunderland tonight. Rovers pulled six points clear of third-bottom QPR thanks to second-half goals from Junior Hoilett and top scorer Yakubu.

Hoilett, who seems increasingly likely to be leaving Ewood Park in the summer, volleyed home expertly from the edge of the box in the 58th minute to put his side in front.

Sunderland substitute Ji Dong-Won should have levelled from close range in the 77th minute from James McClean's centre but he blasted up and over the bar with the goal gaping.

Yakubu wrapped up the points late on with a header from Bradley Orr's textbook cross from the right - his 14th league goal of the campaign.

Having picked up their first clean sheet of the season last time out at Wolves another shut-out meant Rovers kept consecutive clean sheets in the league for the first time since since August 2010.

It was also the first time since November 2010 - which dates back to the pre-Steve Kean era - the club had secured back-to-back league victories.

"Not only have we got back-to-back wins but back-to-back clean sheets. We have been worked hard on that aspect," Kean said. "I think we can catch (teams above) and with confidence and consistency in the team, which we can feel with abundance, we can start to look up.

"There is still a lot of football to be played and we looked at this month as an opportunity to put points on the board and possibly put a little bit of gap between the teams around us.

"Looking now at the last 11 games we have got 17 points and to keep chipping away and keep adding points is encouraging."

Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill, whose side stay ninth, said: "It was disappointing, obviously. It lacked the intensity of Saturday's game (a 1-1 FA Cup draw at Everton) and we just reached no height whatsoever.

"That intensity at the end of the day comes from me so I have to look at that myself."