Blackburn down Kitchee

The Premier League side should have gone behind after 22 minutes but Kitchee captain Ubay Luzardo blazed his penalty high and wide.

Mauro Formica gave Blackburn the lead going into the break before Dunn doubled Rovers’ advantage and Nick Blackman's penalty sealed the deal.

Kean made two changes to the side that lost 1-0 to Aston Villa in their semi-final, with goalkeeper Paul Robinson and defender Christopher Samba replaced by Mark Bunn and Grant Hanley respectively.

Kitchee boss Josep Gambau kept faith with the side that lost 4-0 to Chelsea and was rewarded by a bright start that saw Roberto Losada capitalise on Hanley’s hesitation to let fly with a fierce volley and force Bunn into a smart save.

But there was soon panic at the other end of the pitch when Martin Olsson's deep cross found Brett Emerton, whose shot from the right side of the box was cleared off the line

Blackburn looked to lack intensity in the first half-hour, despite Morten Gamst Pedersen curling his 25-yard free-kick just wide, and Phil Dowd had no hesitation in pointing to the spot when Olsson’s lunge brought down Huang Yang, only for Luzardo to miss the opportunity to put Kitchee ahead.

Rovers broke the deadlock after 35 minutes when Emerton whipped in a teasing cross from the left and Formica converted with a smart diving header.

Olsson then went close after controlling the ball on his chest and unleashing a fierce volley before Kitchee goalkeeper Wang Zhenpang’s lightning-fast reactions kept out Pedersen’s header.

Despite crafting their share of early openings, Kitchee failed to truly test Bunn as the game wore on and Blackburn found their feet after half-time, with Dunn making it two after 70 minutes with a delightful curling free-kick from 25 yards.

And, with five minutes remaining, Blackman put the game to bed, dusting himself off after being bundled over before coolly converting the spot-kick.