Sam Allaryce enjoyed the perfect start to his reign as Blackburn Rovers manager as his side beat Stoke City 3-0 in the English Premier League on Saturday, dpa reported.
Benni McCarthy scored twice and Jason Roberts got the other as Blackburn, who named Allardyce earlier in the week as replacement for the sacked Paul Ince, ended a run of six straight defeats.
The result was not enough to lift Blackburn out of the relegation zone. They have 16 points, two behind Manchester City, who fell into the bottom three after Sunderland moved clear thanks to a 4-1 win at sixth-placed Hull City.
Fulham climbed to eighth after a 3-0 win over Middlesbrough while Bolton are just a point behind them after they saw off Portsmouth 2-1.
Later on Saturday, Aston Villa can go above Manchester United into third by winning at West Ham United.
Leaders Liverpool play at Arsenal on Sunday, while second-placed Chelsea are away to Everton on Monday night.