Blackburn kept their faint play-off hopes alive with a resounding 4-1 win over fellow top six contenders Millwall.

On this evidence, it is barely believable that Blackburn boss Valerien Ismael was searching for his first victory in charge at Ewood Park as his out-of-form side tore the in-form visitors to shreds.

They could easily have scored three in the opening seven minutes but a goal glut did come towards the end of the first half.

Dom Hyam’s bullet header put Rovers ahead and although Mihailo Ivanovic quickly put the scores level, Blackburn regained the lead with a spectacular Sondre Tronstad strike.

Blackburn quickly extinguished any Millwall hopes of recovery through Callum Brittain’s emphatic near-post strike in the second half before Tronstad topped his earlier effort with another sensational long-range finish.

Ismael’s side realistically need to win their three remaining games to make the top six but go into those with confidence after securing a second straight win.

The Lions are six points from the play-offs and will need a similar run to extend their season.

Millwall’s teenage goalkeeper George Evans made his debut but it was almost a nightmare start as he was caught out of position in the opening 11 seconds when a header was cleared to Yuki Ohashi who missed the target.

Ohashi spurned an even better opportunity in the fifth minute when Brittain’s cross found him in the six-yard box only for the Japanese forward to glance wide.

Another brilliant Brittain centre set up a chance moments later but Evans scooped Tyrhys Dolan’s header behind.

Ivanovic sprung the offside trap at the other end but slotted tamely wide, before being presented with another chance only for Balazs Toth to save his downward header.

A frantic end to the first half saw Rovers take a 42nd-minute lead when Brittain again delivered and Hyam was there to power a header in from six yards.

But the Lions hit back two minutes later when a left-wing cross was flicked into the path of Ivanovic who tucked in his ninth goal of the season.

Incredibly, Rovers went ahead again before half-time, as Tronstad rifled into the roof of the net from 20 yards out when the ball broke kindly in the first minute of stoppage time.

Blackburn turned the screw in the 50th minute when Ohashi fed Brittain and from a tight angle he slammed a shot in at the near post.

The onslaught continued and the hosts had a fourth on the hour when Dolan intercepted a poor pass and fed the ball back to Tronstad who bettered his first-half strike, smashing in an unstoppable effort that flew beyond Evans.

Millwall’s Aidomo Emakhu almost pulled one back for the visitors late on but Toth superbly parried away.