Luke Williams finally earned his first league home victory as Swansea head coach at the fifth attempt with a 2-1 win against Blackburn.

Williams’ previous four Sky Bet Championship matches in front of Swansea fans had all ended in defeat, but first-half goals from Joe Allen and Jamie Paterson enabled him to break that sequence.

The Championship’s top scorer Sammie Szmodics pulled a goal back for Blackburn just past the hour mark, but Rovers were unable to make their second-half dominance pay.

It meant back-to-back league wins for the Swans for the first time since October.

But Blackburn are now without a win in their last six matches in all competitions and although they are 17th in the table, they are only a point above the drop zone.

Swansea started positively and were rewarded when they went ahead in the seventh minute through Allen’s second goal of the season.

Winger Przemyslaw Placheta did the hard yards on the left and when his cross was not cleared properly, former Wales international Allen was able to drill his shot downwards and bounce it into the far corner.

Blackburn found the pace of Placheta and fellow wide man Ronald difficult to handle, with Kyle McFadzean picking up an early yellow card for a foul on Ronald.

But Rovers also added to their own troubles by giving the ball away and it was from such an error that they fell 2-0 behind after 19 minutes.

Andrew Moran lost possession under pressure from Swans skipper Matt Grimes with the ball falling into the path of Paterson.

He swept past McFadzean before firing low past Blackburn keeper Aynsley Pears from the edge of the box.

Rovers’ own attacking threat was minimal in the opening half hour with a shot from Callum Brittain that flashed past the far post, and another from the wing-back that was held by keeper Carl Rushworth.

But their efforts intensified just before the break and Tyrhys Dolan saw one effort saved and another go just wide of the post.

Blackburn made two substitutions at half-time – bringing on Arnor Sigurdsson and Yasin Ayari – and looked more threatening.

It needed two timely interventions from Swansea centre-back Ben Cabango to keep out Rovers striker Sam Gallagher as the visitors looked for a way back into the contest.

Cabango stepped up for a third time to block an effort from Szmodics, but moments later Rovers’ top scorer had pulled a goal back with his 25th of the season in all competitions.

A free-kick on the right from John Buckley reached Szmodics and the striker reacted sharply to sweep the ball home in the 67th minute.

Blackburn were now in the ascendancy and Swansea were clinging on to their narrow advantage.

But from a rare home breakout, substitute Jerry Yates should have given Swansea breathing space, only for the striker to dither over his shot which enabled Pears to save.

Despite defending for most of the nine minutes of added time, Williams’ side kept Rovers at bay.

Dwight Gayle scored his first Derby goal and Louie Sibley bagged a brace in a comfortable 3-0 win over struggling Port Vale.

It keeps Derby second in League One and leaves Vale without a win this year and deep in relegation trouble.

Derby made a lively start and went ahead in the fourth minute through Sibley whose shot took a big deflection to beat Connor Ripley.

The Vale keeper denied Derby a second in the 11th minute with a double save from Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Max Bird before Tom Barkhuizen fired over from eight yards for the hosts.

Vale appeared to have weathered the storm but they conceded again in the 44th minute with Gayle planting a precision header from 12 yards past Ripley.

Ben Garrity headed a Vale corner wide at the start of the second half but Derby sealed victory in the 58th minute when Joe Ward crossed to the back post and Sibley finished emphatically.

Derby could have added further goals while third-bottom Vale failed to register a shot on target.

Ipswich moved back up to second place in the Sky Bet Championship following a 2-0 win at Plymouth.

Kieffer Moore sealed Town’s win after Conor Chaplin’s shot was deflected in by home defender Brendan Galloway in the 63rd minute.

Argyle’s top scorer Morgan Whittaker forced an early save from Ipswich goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky.

The keeper palmed the ball to Darko Gyabi, but the Leeds loanee sent a fierce low drive just wide of the upright from the edge of the box.

Ipswich countered, with target man Moore’s header bringing a 14th-minute save from Argyle goalkeeper Conor Hazard.

Hladky did well to punch away Adam Randell’s inswinging corner as the home side again tried applying pressure on their high-flying visitors.

Omari Hutchinson saw a goal-bound shot blocked after being teed up by impressive midfielder Jeremy Sarmiento.

In the 35th minute, Whittaker’s 25-yard shot was blocked but fell to striker Ryan Hardie on the edge of the box and his rising drive flew just over.

And shortly afterwards Ipswich defender Luke Woolfenden made a brilliant clearance off the line to keep out Mickel Miller’s volley.

The half ended with Ipswich pressing and Leif Davis’s corner from the right needed to be cleared at the near post by a defender’s diving header.

Whittaker tried an audacious chip from 40 yards after spotting Hladky off his line early in the second half, but the ball flew just over.

Moore was again denied by Hazard in the 55th minute as the striker headed goalwards from Davis’s far-post cross from the left.

Hutchinson sent a curling shot just wide of the far upright after 56 minutes with Hazard beaten and then forced a superb diving save from the keeper on the hour.

The ball looped up to Chaplin and his header was helped on – and over the bar – by Moore.

Chaplin benefited from a huge slice of fortune three minutes later as his 18-yard shot deflected off Galloway, completely wrong-footing Hazard, with the ball spinning into the opposite corner of the goal.

Ipswich doubled their lead in the 74th minute as Davis sent over another cross from the right. Cameron Burgess headed the ball on to Chaplin and Moore finished with a half-volley at the far post.

Miller went closest for Plymouth with a 78th-minute shot on the run from outside the box that beat Hladky but smashed off the foot of a post and across the face of goal.

Substitute Christian Saydee’s first league goal of the season saw leaders Portsmouth win 2-1 against Oxford at Fratton Park to move a step closer to promotion.

In a fast and furious opening 45 minutes, the sides went in all square.

Pompey took the lead in the second minute when a powerful shot from Callum Lang squirmed under goalkeeper Jamie Cumming.

But Oxford equalised after six minutes when Pompey gave the ball away and Sean Raggett brought down ex-Pompey midfielder Owen Dale for a penalty which was easily converted by Cameron Brannagan.

Mark Harris then hit the Pompey post on 13 minutes.

Oxford had the first chance of the second half but Josh Murphy was also denied by the woodwork.

Pompey regained the lead after 67 minutes when Saydee held off a strong challenge to run clear and place the ball wide of Cumming.

Oxford pushed for an equaliser but to no avail.

Sheffield Wednesday secured a valuable 1-0 win in their bid to beat the drop in the Championship by seeing off neighbours Rotherham.

Ike Ugbo’s sixth goal in five games proved to be the difference between the two sides, leaving the Owls three points from safety.

Defeat casts Rotherham a whopping 19 points adrift of safety at the bottom.

Wednesday had more than enough chances to put the game to bed in a dominant first half but did not take the lead until past the hour mark and then had to defend sternly to keep hold of the three points.

Viktor Johansson had an early save to make after Ian Poveda had skipped by Shane Ferguson and rolled the ball into Liam Palmer whose effort was palmed out.

It took a tremendous block from Cameron Humphreys to deny Ugbo the opener after Anthony Musaba had cut in from the left flank menacingly.

Will Vaulks then almost caught out Johansson with a free-kick he shaped to cross before shooting low. The Sweden international was able to just get across to tip it wide.

Wednesday thought they had gone in front but Akin Famewo’s header from Vaulks’ free-kick was ruled out for offside.

Poveda then cut in from the right wing and flashed a powerful effort just wide of the far post.

Wednesday continued to be on top in the run-up to the break and Musaba’s effort was deflected onto the roof of the net after he had been slipped in by Poveda.

Rotherham started the second half brighter and had Wednesday keeper James Beadle worried for the first time when Sam Nombe took aim from distance and saw his effort go just over the bar.

Wednesday finally took the lead in the 66th minute with a well-worked move.

Barry Bannan and Ugbo were involved with neat passes in the box and the latter was then on hand to stroke home from Dominic Iorfa’s cross.

A dangerous free-kick saw Rotherham threaten with Jordan Hugill getting a touch onto fellow substitute Cafu’s powerful effort to divert the ball just off target.

Wednesday then had talisman Bannan to thank for preserving their lead as he somehow outstretched a leg to deny Andy Rinomhota’s goal-bound effort.

Marvin Johnson lashed at a big chance to double the advantage in the closing stages and his shot was well off target.

Mallik Wilks could have also put the game to bed in stoppage time but his diving header from Johnson’s cross cannoned off the post.

A swift return to action proved no barrier to success for Dan Skelton’s Heltenham in the BetVictor Greatwood Gold Cup at Newbury.

Turning out just seven days after being beaten half a length into second place at Kempton, the seven-year-old was a 17-2 chance to go one better in the hands of Ciaran Gethings.

Heltenham moved strongly onto the heels of the leaders early in the home straight before being allowed to stride to the front by his confident rider on the approach to the second-last obstacle.

Kandoo Kid, a 9-2 joint-favourite to provide Paul Nicholls with a 10th Greatwood Gold Cup win, briefly threatened to battle back on the run-in, but Skelton’s charge found more once challenged and passed the post with two lengths in hand to notch his second course and distance victory.

“It’s definitely the biggest pot I’ve won, it’s just brilliant to be riding horses like this for a brilliant outfit like the Skeltons,” Gethings told Sky Sports Racing.

“I got instructions from both Harry and Dan and it’s a nice payday. He loved the ground, he was very unlucky last week in Cheltenham and the track would have suited him a lot better today.

“When you’re surrounded by people like the Skeltons and Stuart Edmunds and Kim Bailey you’re going to find a good one at some point, it was nice”

Highland Hunter was a 10-1 winner of the curtain-raising Get Best Odds Guaranteed At BetVictor Veterans’ Handicap Chase for Fergal O’Brien and Paddy Brennan.

The 11-year-old grey, part-owned by the winning rider’s wife Lindsey Brennan, took the race by the scruff of the neck a long way out and was good value for the winning margin of just over four lengths.

Highland Hunter was formerly trained by Nicholls and looked after by the late Keagan Kirkby, who was fatally injured in a point-to-point fall in January.

Brennan said: “This was his (Kirkby’s) favourite horse and he’s going to lead his funeral on Tuesday, so my most important job today was to bring him back safe for that.

“I was going to put them to the sword today as I knew our horse was fit and I knew he was well. The ground is hard work, but it’s not heavy.”

Bucephalus (13-2) took the Download The BetVictor App Novices’ Handicap Hurdle for trainer Neil Mulholland and 7lb claimer Thomosina Eyston, while 2-1 shot Spring Note provided Nicky Henderson with a welcome winner in the Make Your Best Bet At BetVictor Handicap Hurdle under James Bowen.

Title-chasing jockey Harry Cobden enjoyed a double on the card, scoring aboard Anthony Charlton’s Knowwhentoholdem (4-1) in the BetVictor Non-Runner-No-Bet At Cheltenham Seniors’ Handicap Hurdle before steering Makin’yourmindup (11-8 favourite) to a clear-cut victory for his boss Paul Nicholls in the Bet Racing In Running At BetVictor Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase.

“He loves the ground and stays well and I would see him next year as a Welsh National horse – that will be his ultimate aim next year I think,” said Nicholls.

“What we do now I don’t know really, I could just stick him in the Scottish National or something like that in case it was soft.

“He’s improving and the jockey is improving too isn’t he! He’s riding extremely well, eight weeks today is the last day of the season so we’ve got to keep going until then and if he could be champion jockey it would be fantastic for him and the team.”

Following a last time out victory at Wetherby, Harry Derham’s 7-4 favourite Jasmine Bliss doubled her tally in the Stewart Wright Memorial Mares’ Open NH Flat Race, with Paul O’Brien the winning rider.

Bristol Rovers grabbed a 1-0 win over Leyton Orient thanks to a Chris Martin goal, despite playing out the final few minutes with 10-men after James Wilson was sent off.

Rovers, who were forced into a change after just four minutes when defender Jack Hunt left the pitch with a leg injury, should have scored the opener in the 13th minute when the dangerous Scott Sinclair teed up Luke Thomas but he completely missed his kick with the goal beckoning.

However, the lively visitors grabbed a deserved lead on the half-hour mark from a set-piece. Skipper Antony Evans curled in a teasing free-kick and Martin claimed the faintest of touches as the ball found its way into the far corner of the net.

Orient totally dominated possession after the interval but were unable to unlock a resilient and resolute opposition.

Wilson was given a straight red card by referee Darren Drysdale eight minutes from time for an off-the-ball incident with Brandon Cooper, but despite incessant pressure and a total of 17 corners, Orient were unable to capitalise.

Leicester’s lead at the top of the Championship has been cut to just three points with 11 games to go after relegation-threatened QPR claimed a surprise 2-1 victory at the King Power Stadium.

Goals from Ilias Chair and substitute Sinclair Armstrong – who scored with his first touch after coming on just before the hour – earned improving Rangers their third successive victory.

The Foxes quickly pulled a goal back through teenage defender Ben Nelson but they could not find an equaliser as they slumped to a third league defeat in a row, with second-placed Ipswich Town now closing in on them.

The result was a valuable one for QPR, but lifted them just one place up the table and they remain outside the bottom three on goal difference.

Leicester began the game boosted by promotion rivals Leeds drawing at struggling Huddersfield, but they suffered an early blow when midfielder Dennis Praet had to come off injured after 15 minutes, Yunus Akgun taking his place.

Enzo Maresca’s side dominated possession and Harry Winks came close to opening the scoring when he curled a shot just wide of the far post from 20 yards out.

QPR full-back Kenneth Paal then stopped Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall putting Leicester ahead after 26 minutes when he turned away a cross from Yunus for a corner.

But Rangers soaked up the pressure and broke away to take the lead after 38 minutes. Chris Willock advanced on the right-hand side and found Lyndon Dykes whose cross was met by Chair and he squeezed the ball just inside the post.

Armstrong came on as a 57th-minute substitute for QPR and made an immediate impact to give Marti Cifuentes’ side a two-goal lead.

Jimmy Dunne’s header found Sam Field in the penalty area and he stopped the ball before Armstrong followed up to score with a powerful drive.

Leicester pulled a goal back three minutes later to give themselves a lifeline.

Stephy Mavididi rolled a free-kick to Dewsbury-Hall and although his shot was pushed out by Rangers goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, Leicester defender Nelson followed up to clip the ball in.

It was the 19-year-old’s first senior goal and gave his side some hope of forcing their way back into the game.

With 21 minutes left, Abdul Fatawu cut in from the right and curled a shot just over the bar, as he tried a repeat of his winning goal in the midweek FA Cup tie at Bournemouth.

But Leicester struggled to break the Rangers defence down and could not force an equaliser.

Chair had a chance of a third goal for QPR in stoppage time, but he put his shot wide with only Leicester goalkeeper Mads Hermansen to beat.

Leicester’s final chance to level the scores disappeared when Winks had a shot charged down.

The game was reminiscent of Leicester’s previous home game against Middlesbrough when they also went two goals behind and could not recover.

But some Foxes players surrounded the match officials at the final whistle as they claimed a late penalty should have been given in their favour.

Mark O’Hara and Toyosi Olusanya scored in stoppage time to earn St Mirren a 2-1 home win and deny Neil Warnock his first league victory as interim Aberdeen manager.

Connor Barron’s goal after just 62 seconds looked set to earn the Dons a first league win for two months.

But substitute Olusanya won a penalty after a long VAR delay that was converted by O’Hara before just moments later the striker volleyed in what proved to be the winner to improve Saints’ top-six chances.

St Mirren were unchanged from the team that started their midweek draw away to Ross County, with Conor McMenamin fit enough for a place on the bench.

Aberdeen, in turn, made four changes after losing to St Johnstone.

In came Nicky Devlin, Junior Hoilett, Killian Phillips and Luis ‘Duk’ Lopes, with Jack Milne, Jonny Hayes, Jamie McGrath and Leighton Clarkson all dropping out.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino took a seat in the main stand after attending the IFAB AGM at Loch Lomond earlier in the day.

He was treated to a stunning goal after just 62 seconds as Aberdeen took an early lead.

Duk made a great run down the right wing before putting in a cross that was knocked out by Alex Gogic but only as far as Barron, who lashed a shot high in the net from 25 yards.

St Mirren rallied but a Greg Kiltie header from Scott Tanser’s cross was easily saved by Kelle Roos.

The home side should have drawn level when Zach Hemming’s deep free-kick was pushed on to the post by opposite number Roos after being helped on by Tanser.

The ball ran across the face of the goal but Lewis Jamieson couldn’t finish from close range. VAR checked for a penalty but it wasn’t given.

The forward tried a more spectacular attempt in Saints’ next attack only for his volley to clip the bar and go over despite his protests that Roos had saved it.

Aberdeen replied with a Barron header from a corner that went just wide before Mikael Mandron was similarly off target at the other end. Again VAR checked for a penalty for a foul on Mandron but once more it wasn’t given.

The visitors had been kept quiet for much of the first half but had a chance early in the second, Hoilett crossing for Bojan Miovski who headed over.

St Mirren had a chance to equalise but Elvis Bwomono sliced his shot wide at the back post while, in a rare Aberdeen attack, Phillips volleyed high into the stand.

Aberdeen looked like holding out for the win but Nicky Devlin tripped Olusanya and, after a three-minute delay, VAR decided it had been inside rather than outside the box.

O’Hara finished from the spot but Saints weren’t done there as McMenamin crossed from the right and Jonah Ayunga headed it back across for Olusanya to volley past Roos.

Darwin Nunez marked his return to action with a stoppage-time winner to snatch Premier League leaders Liverpool a 1-0 victory at Nottingham Forest.

The Uruguay striker headed home in the ninth minute of added time to lift Jurgen Klopp’s injury-hit side four points clear at the top of the table.

It appeared that three games in seven days had caught up with the Merseysiders, but Nunez’s last-gasp winner clinched them a first league win at the City Ground in almost 40 years and 14 matches.

It was cruel luck on Forest, who have now won only one of their last seven league games.

Divock Origi had Forest fans on the edge of their seats with the game’s first shot on goal in the 15th minute as his low 25-yard effort against his former club fizzed past Caoimhin Kelleher’s left-hand post.

Liverpool’s response was immediate, with the returning Luis Diaz’s angled drive being deflected for a corner before Forest should have taken the lead.

Origi’s precise pass sprang Anthony Elanga clear one-on-one with Kelleher, who saved brilliantly with his legs to deny the Sweden forward.

Forest defender Murillo then thwarted Diaz in front of goal as a high-tempo first half ebbed and flowed.

Recalled Forest goalkeeper Mats Selz kept Liverpool at bay at the start of the second period, saving from Andy Robertson, back in action after illness, and Alexis Mac Allister in quick succession.

Liverpool stepped up the pressure but were struggling to carve out chances and Klopp sent on Darwin Nunez for his first appearance in four matches along with Wataru Endo.

Teenager Bobby Clark made way for Nunez having made his first Premier League start, while Robertson went off for Japan midfielder Endo.

Nuno was quickly into the action, firing into the side-netting, but it was Forest who threatened to break the deadlock when Elanga’s first-time effort from Harry Toffolo’s cross was off target.

Liverpool teenager Jayden Danns made his first Premier League appearance as a late substitute for Cody Gakpo as the visitors pressed for a winner.

Forest skipper Ryan Yates brilliantly blocked Nunez’s shot on the edge of the box, but after Morgan Gibbs-White’s effort was blocked at the other end, Forest were punished for failing to clear a corner.

Mac Allister swung over a cross from the right and Nunez stole in between Forest’s defenders to secure Liverpool a sixth straight win in all competitions.

Dan Casey’s stunning second-half goal gave Motherwell a shock 2-1 win over Rangers at Ibrox and handed the initiative in the cinch Premiership title race back to Celtic.

Stuart Kettlewell’s side silenced most of Ibrox in the ninth minute with a goal from striker Theo Bair which left the Light Blues struggling to read an unexpected script.

Gers skipper James Tavernier scored from the spot on the hour after the VAR had intervened but Irish defender Casey restored the visitors’ lead with a close-range finish in the 74th minute for the first Well win in the league in Govan since 1997.

It was a first defeat in 12 games in all competitions for Philippe Clement’s side and although they remain two points clear of their Old Firm rival at the top of the table, Celtic get the chance to leapfrog them against Hearts at Tynecastle on Sunday.

Clement’s side had fought back to beat Kilmarnock 2-1 at Rugby Park on Wednesday night, which kept them ahead of the Hoops and it was widely believed that three more points would be garnered against the Steelmen.

Ridvan Yilmaz, Nico Raskin, Dujon Sterling and Cyriel Dessers came back in to the team amid the usual rotation.

Motherwell, with defender Shane Blaney and on-loan Blackburn striker Jack Vale returning, arrived in eighth place fresh from a 3-1 win at bottom side Livingston.

The visitors had the first chance when defender Bevis Mugabi headed a Blair Spittal corner over the bar but they did not miss the second. Vale got past defender John Souttar and cut the ball back for Bair to steer the ball past goalkeeper Jack Butland and in off the post for his sixth goal in nine games.

Dessers headed a Yilmaz past the post and Well keeper Liam Kelly punched a dipping shot from Mohamed Diomande past the post for a corner before Kelly made an even better save from Yilmaz’s swerving shot from distance.

The traffic towards the Motherwell goal was busy but in the 35th minute Spittal had a decent effort saved by Butland, before winger Ross McCausland was replaced by Fabio Silva after failing to shake off the effects of a crunching Casey tackle.

Silva weakly knocked a long pass from Connor Goldson into the arms of a grateful Kelly and Rangers’ best chance of the first-half was gone.

Tom Lawrence replaced Raskin for the start of the second half and within two minutes Dessers had the ball in the Well net from a yard out but the flag was up for an infringement as a clutch of players contested a high ball.

Soon after Spittal’s flick hit the crossbar at the other end, the Govan side were level.

There was a long VAR check for a penalty when Motherwell right-back Stephen O’Donnell tackled Silva inside the box and when referee Alan Muir checked his pitchside monitor and pointed to the spot, Tavernier smashed the ball high past Kelly for his 21st goal of the season.

The home fans roared Rangers on for a winner and Sterling missed the target when set up by John Lundstram.

However, sprightly Motherwell retained more than a hint of danger.

Bair got past Goldson to spring a Motherwell break but hit his pass straight at Souttar, although Casey made no mistake when he headed in Spittal’s deep cross to the back post.

Rangers threw everything forward in the final stages.

Kelly made good saves from Lundstram and Yilmaz and Goldson twice missed the target with headers from six yards and Well defender Paul McGinn cleared off the line.

But Casey’s goal was a blow from which Rangers did not recover and they will need to dig deep when they play the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie against Benfica in Lisbon on Thursday night.

Myziane Maolida and substitute Dylan Levitt struck in the second half as Hibernian defeated relegation-threatened Ross County 2-0 at Easter Road to climb into the top six of the cinch Premiership.

The home support had to be patient as County kept them at bay until a mistake from goalkeeper George Wickens gifted them the opener just before the hour mark.

The victory extended Hibs’ unbeaten run in all competitions to five games and allowed them to move above Dundee and back into the top half of the table. County remain second bottom, six points clear of last-placed Livingston.

Hibs boss Nick Montgomery named the same side that started Wednesday’s 1-1 draw away to city rivals Hearts.

There were two changes to the County team that started Tuesday’s 1-1 draw at home to St Mirren as James Brown and Jack Baldwin replaced Loick Ayina and Simon Murray.

Despite their lowly league position, the Staggies settled well into the match and kept their hosts at arm’s length early on.

The only time they looked in any real danger in the first half was in the 17th minute when Wickens had to make an impressive double save to deny Maolida and then Emiliano Marcondes.

At the other end, midfielder Victor Loturi created an opportunity for himself in the 25th minute when he intercepted a slack pass from Marcondes inside the centre circle and surged forward towards the edge of the box but his shot was beaten away by goalkeeper David Marshall.

Hibs made a change for the start of the second half as Levitt came on for Nathan Moriah-Welsh in central midfield.

Within a minute of the restart, the Edinburgh side almost went ahead when Maolida slipped a pass into the box and Marcondes sent a low shot towards goal from 10 yards but Wickens was equal to it.

The hosts fashioned another opening when Martin Boyle – after being released down the right by Lewis Miller – cut the ball back perfectly for Dylan Vente but the forward chose to dummy it on the edge of the six-yard box and the opportunity was gone.

Another delivery from the right led to the deadlock being broken in the 59th minute. Vente ran on to a pass from Levitt and whipped in a low cross that was spilled on the edge of the six-yard box by Wickens and Maolida reacted quickest to poke home the loose ball for his fourth goal since arriving from Hertha Berlin in January.

County almost equalised in the 71st minute when Brandon Khela’s ball in from the left found Eamonn Brophy in a central position seven yards out but the striker’s effort was brilliantly kept out by Marshall.

Levitt sealed the win in the 86th minute when he received a pass from fellow substitute Elie Youan just outside the box, advanced towards goal and slotted low past Wickens from 13 yards.

Blood Destiny came back in trip to some effect to claim the Flyingbolt Novice Chase at Navan.

Beaten by Spillane’s Tower in January when taking a keen hold in front, he moved nicely this time in second for Paul Townend, going strongly after three out before leading two from home and winging the last on the way to an impressive victory, with his Punchestown conqueror six and a half lengths in arrears on this occasion.

“New tactics, I thought that might be a help after Punchestown,” Willie Mullins said of his 8-11 favourite.

“Paul was very taken with him there. He’s brilliant to jump, that was always his feature, but we were making too much use of his jumping instead of just using it when we needed it.

“Coming back in trip might have been a help as well.”

Despite being trimmed for his Cheltenham Festival entries (Arkle and Turners Novices’ Chase), Mullins has other plans.

He added: “I don’t know whether we’ve made a mistake now leaving him at home for Cheltenham but at least he has one nice prize in the bag.

“I’d imagine he’ll probably go for the WillowWarm Gold Cup at Fairyhouse. That was the plan, here and then on to that.

“I know it’s two and a half, but that two and a half will be all right for him as well.”

Ash Tree Meadow was a 7-2 winner of the BoyleSports Webster Cup for Gordon Elliott and Sam Ewing.

Turning out just six days after finishing fourth in the Newlands Chase at Naas behind the brilliant but injury-plagued Ferny Hollow, the eight-year-old made every yard of the running on his way to a three-and-a-quarter length victory over Lucid Dreams.

The long-absent 4-6 favourite Journey With Me was a further half a length away in third place.

“It wasn’t really the plan to run him but when the race looked like it would cut up we decided we’d declare him and then make our mind up what to do. It worked out great,” Elliott said.

“He’s a good horse, Sam said he hated that ground and he’ll be better on better ground.

“There is a race in Fairyhouse and a race in Aintree for him. ”

Elliott and Ewing were completing a double on the card following the earlier victory of 4-6 favourite Instant Tendance in the BoyleSports Money Back 2nd To The Favourite Mares Maiden Hurdle.

“We had four or five seconds last weekend but no winner. I’d be anxious myself, we haven’t much between now and Cheltenham but it’s happy days (today),” Elliott added.