ROVERS extended their unbeaten run to seven Premier League games following a goalless draw against fellow Euro-hunters Everton at Ewood Park.

In a fixture of few chances, the visitors were denied a late winner when Andy Johnson was flagged offside after Brad Friedel had raced out of his goal.

But whilst Rovers would have been pleased with the point, they will have been disappointed with a number of refereeing decisions, which saw both David Dunn and Morten Gamst Pedersen pick up their fifth cautions of the campaign.

Before the game, Mark Hughes made one change to the side that drew 1-1 away to Aston Villa last weekend, with man-of-the-match Zurab Khizanishvili replacing the suspended Chris Samba.

David Moyes meanwhile made two changes to the side that held Tottenham to a goalless draw in midweek, with Tim Cahill and Leon Osman both returning from injury in place of Victor Anichebe and Nuno Valente.

Rovers started well and almost opened the scoring with their first foray forward. With less than two minutes on the clock, David Bentley swung in a corner from the left and Roque Santa Cruz's glancing header rippled the side of the net.

With 10 men in midfield, there was little in the way of attacking action in the first quarter of the game.

Dunn picked up his fifth booking of the season for an attempted challenge on Mikel Arteta, before the Spaniard's solo effort was well saved by Friedel. From the resulting corner, Osman fired just wide.

As a cagey opening period drew to a close, Dunn was fortunate to stay on the pitch for a deliberate handball after some neat skill from Phil Neville.

Bentley then twice fired over from long range, whilst Phil Jagielka had a header cleared off the line on the stroke of half-time.

Less than 20 seconds after the interval, Bentley's low drive was parried round the post by Tim Howard and following a quick break straight up the other end, Arteta's cross fell kindly for the unmarked Manuel Fernandes, but Friedel saved well with his legs.

Dunn's afternoon was cut short for precautionary reasons when Benni McCarthy was introduced, but it was Everton who threw bodies forward.

Osman headed wide from inside the box and on 62 minutes, Steven Reid was guilty of a foul on Johnson, but Fernandes' free-kick bounced back off the foot of the post.

Tugay was next to arrive for the home side and the midfield maestro made an immediate impression. It was his pass to McCarthy that led to a majestic one-two with Santa Cruz, but under pressure from Jagielka, the South African striker's appeals for a penalty fell on deaf ears.

Bentley saw a top corner-bound free-kick brilliantly kept out by Howard, before Moyes' men thought they'd won it. Substitute James Vaughan won the race to the ball ahead of Friedel, his flick inside found Johnson, but after slotting the ball into the empty net, the England striker was denied by the linesman's flag.

Arteta and Pedersen were both booked for a set-two inside the Rovers half, before the home side had a 92nd-minute opportunity to snatch it. A lightening quick break saw Bentley centre for Santa Cruz, but the Paraguayan striker glanced his effort inches over the bar.

That's now three straight draws for Rovers as they prepare to head for the Emirates in a good vein of form, but with depleted numbers due to suspension.

ROVERS: Friedel, Emerton, Ooijer, Khizanishvili, Warnock, Derbyshire (sub Tugay 73 mins), Reid, Dunn (sub McCarthy 56 mins), Pedersen, Bentley, Santa Cruz.

Subs not used: Brown, Berner, Roberts.

EVERTON: Howard, Neville, Jagielka, Lescott, Baines, Arteta, Carsley, Osman (sub Vaughan 75 mins), Fernandes, Cahill, Johnson.

Subs not used: Wessels, Hibbert, Valente, Anichebe.

BOOKINGS: Dunn, Khizanishvili, Emerton, Howard, Arteta, Pedersen.

Attendance: 27,964