Derby County 1-2 Blackburn Rovers: Ben Brereton Diaz double ends Rams unbeaten run
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Ben Brereton Diaz has scored in eight of his 15 Championship appearances this season
Ben Brereton Diaz's first-half double gave Blackburn a deserved win at Pride Park and ended Derby's five-match unbeaten run.
John Buckley's teasing cross found Brereton Diaz at the far post and his shot was half-saved by Rams goalkeeper Kelle Roos before it crept over the line.
Tyrhys Dolan then played in the Chile international striker, whose calm finish beat Roos and capped a flowing move.
Derby improved after the break and Curtis Davies hooked a finish into the top corner late on, but Rovers held out.
Wayne Rooney's side almost preserved their unbeaten home record deep into stoppage time when Colin Kazim-Richards shot against the post and then fired just wide, but there was to be no fairy tale finish.
Derby have propped up the Championship since going into administration in September, but kicked off with only one defeat in eight matches and knowing a win could move them off the bottom.
There was also the optimism of renewed takeover talk from American businessman Chris Kirchner, but the rampant visitors dominated the first half, with Brereton Diaz's quickfire double taking his season's tally to 12 goals in 15 league appearances.
He spurned the chance of a 17-minute hat-trick when he shot straight at Roos, but almost set up a third for Gallagher who turned his cross just wide, while Roos had to make a smart save from Bradley Johnson.
Derby were better in the second half, but struggled to carve out clear chances until their late rally, sparked by Davies' third goal in 119 appearances for the Rams.
County stay three points adrift of second-bottom Barnsley, who they meet in midweek, while back-to-back wins lift Rovers to within a point of the play-off spots in seventh.
Derby County boss Wayne Rooney told BBC Radio Derby:
"It was very disappointing first half and we can't afford not to turn up for 45 minutes in games because we'll get punished like we did today.
"We had to get up the pitch, we had to play higher, we had to play with more energy and be more aggressive - everything we have done in the second half and done well, we didn't do in the first half and that's cost us.
"It was just frustrating. We were trying to get messages on to get them higher up the pitch. I was looking at making changes after 20 minutes so I felt we were lucky to go in at half-time at 2-0.
"They showed a good reaction. I always knew it would be difficult to go and win the game, but the reaction was important in the second half."
Blackburn manager Tony Mowbray told BBC Radio Lancashire:
"I think we deserved it over the whole 90 minutes. The game should have been put to bed first half. We were really frustrated at half-time that we weren't more in front.
"I thought [Darragh] Lenihan was a warrior, I thought Jan Paul [van Hecke] did fantastically for just his third or fourth game for the club and [ is a young guy with athleticism, quality, confidence and belief in himself.
"It bodes well for the team that we can be without three of our main defenders and still get a result here."