Swansea City 2-0 Blackburn Rovers - Ben Cabango and Andrew Ayew send Swans second

Ben Cabango's header which opened the scoring was his second goal of the season and the third goal of his career

Swansea City showed a clinical touch to earn a 2-0 win over Blackburn Rovers and move second in the Championship.

A pair of firm headers - from Ben Cabango in the first half and Andre Ayew in the second - proved the difference for the home side.

Rovers, who came into the contest as the Championship's top scorers, missed a host of chances and will feel they should have earned a point.

They fall to 14th with 10 points from nine games, eight behind Swansea.

Swansea were unbeaten in their previous three home league matches against Blackburn since a 1-0 defeat in October 1983, while Blackburn were also winless in five games against the Swans going back to a 2011 Premier League win.

The home side had also lost just one of their past 11 Championship games across two seasons, while Rovers boss Tony Mowbray had never beaten the Swans in the league in six previous attempts as a manager.

Blackburn created plenty of chances in the first half and did not take any of them, while the Swans were limited to a couple of efforts from set-pieces, converting one and coming close with the other.

A frustrating afternoon for Rovers began just 90 seconds into the contest when the division's top scorer, Adam Armstrong, cut inside and carved Swansea open, but his shot was just wide of the far post.

German international Lewis Holtby produced the next threat as he wriggled free inside the penalty area, but his shot only found the side-netting.

Blackburn efforts going narrowly past the post was a constant theme, with Armstrong firing wide after superb build-up play on 39 minutes and Ben Brereton heading inches off target after Joe Rankin-Costello's superb cross.

By then Rovers trailed - Swansea scored a simple goal when Cabango rose highest to powerfully head home Connor Roberts' corner, while Ayew also saw a header from a Roberts cross adroitly tipped over by Aynsley Pears.

Swansea did almost gift the visitors an equaliser just before half-time, but Freddie Woodman was out alertly to prevent Armstrong as he went clear following Kyle Naughton's poor back-header.

The visitors started the second half in similarly lively fashion and might have equalised from Corry Evans' shot, but his execution was poor from close range.

Brereton tested Woodman from the edge of the area as Rovers pushed but, just as in the first half, they conceded from Swansea's first chance of the half.

This time Roberts started the build-up, finding Yan Dhanda's whose pinpoint cross was headed in by Swansea's skipper for the day, Ayew - with usual captain Matt Grimes not starting for the first time in 89 successive Championship games for the Swans under Steve Cooper.

The second goal took the fight out of Rovers to a degree and Swansea held on comfortably in a contest they managed efficiently.

Swansea City manager Steve Cooper told BBC Sport Wales:

"It was a tough game and truth be told in the first half it took us a while to get settled, but in the second half I thought we were better and more of the game was in Blackburn's half.

"Not every game can be one for the purist and we accept that, even though it is what we aim for.

"Blackburn have scored more goals than anyone and you can see why, so we showed good attributes to win the game of football.

"We are very pleased to get the three points and a clean sheet. The second goal was excellent, that's the team we want to be."

Blackburn Rovers manager Tony Mowbray told BBC Radio Lancashire:

"I'm disappointed, especially with the goals we gave away. They were unlike us. It must be two years since we gave away a goal from a direct header at a corner.

"It was a frustrating day because we had some opportunities, but one of those has to go in. We were up against a team with a very good spirit and you could feel that spirit.

"It was a tight match, but credit to Swansea for digging in and getting the result. They are second in the league now and they are a good side.

"In Andre Ayew you can see they have a class striker - one of the best in this division."