Ismael impressed by Blackburn's rearguard action

Blackburn's win at Kenilworth Road was their first victory in nine games under Valerien Ismael

Blackburn Rovers boss Valerien Ismael said his side's desire and tactical nous proved crucial as they held on for more than 40 minutes with 10 men to see out a vital away win over Luton Town.

"Congrats for the boys," Ismael told BBC Radio Lancashire. "Until the red card it was the gameplan we expected.

"In the first half we wanted to be really strong as we knew we had to face the challenge with a team who are fighting to survive.

"They put a lot of balls in the box so you have to defend and show togetherness and we made it perfectly.

"In the transition we didn't play well. We wanted to get more in behind but the main focus was to stay strong. That was the first step and the second one was to get behind them and we made it perfectly with the goal we scored.

"After the red card it was another plan to survive and the boys made it perfectly. The boys showed a lot of desire and we were lucky for sure - but you need some luck and it doesn't change the performance."