BLACKBURN Rovers were forced to settle for a point after Jimmy Bullard grabbed an 89th minute equaliser for relegation-haunted Fulham.

Rovers appeared to be on course for a third straight victory in the league thanks to Morten Gamst Pedersen's second half header.

But referee Mike Riley then controversially awarded Fulham a free kick on the edge of Rovers' penalty area and Bullard stepped up to curl an exquisite shot past Brad Friedel to earn the Cottagers an unlikely point.

For almost an hour, Fulham had succeeded in frustrating Rovers with a dogged defensive display in the driving rain at Ewood Park.

The closest the home side came to scoring in a drab first half was a header from Zurab Khizanishvili that was comfortably saved by Kasey Keller.

Then the home fans' frustrations deepened early in the second half when an attempted clearance from Paul Konchesky bounced on the top of the crossbar.

However, the deadlock was finally broken in the 59th minute when substitute Jason Roberts got free on the right and delivered a pinpoint cross into the centre which was emphatically powered home by Pedersen from six yards out.

Fulham went close to an equaliser two minutes later when Eddie Johnson fired a shot against the angle of post and bar.

Then after Rovers wasted several chances to kill the game off, Bullard pulled a point out of the fire for the visitors with his late, late equaliser.

But Rovers boss Mark Hughes will no doubt be furious with Mr Riley for awarding the free kick in the first place, supposedly because Chris Samba's foot was too high when he made a hooked clearance.

Rovers: Friedel, Ooijer, Khizanishvili, Samba, Warnock, Bentley, Reid, Tugay, Pedersen, McCarthy, Santa Cruz. Subs: Derbyshire (for McCarthy, 56), Roberts (for Tugay, 56) Not used: Mokoena, Dunn, Brown Fulham: Keller, Stalteri, Hangeland, Andreasen, Hughes, Konchesky, Davies, Bullard, Murphy, Dempsey, Johnson. Subs: McBride (for Dempsey, 66), Healy (for Murphy, 85) Not used: Volz, Bocanegro, Niemi Referee: Mr M Riley (West Yorkshire)