MARK Hughes joked his January transfer budget could now be slashed after he saw members of his supporting cast seize the chance to take centre stage.

The Blackburn boss boldly thrust Matt Derbyshire and Paul Gallagher into the spotlight at Goodison Park, and the two young tyros didn't fluff their lines as both helped themselves to a goal in this thrilling four-star performance.

Everton fans must have thought they were on to a winner when Hughes named a team that featured six changes from the one that crushed Wigan at the JJB on New Year's Day.

Robbie Savage, Brett Emerton and Benni McCarthy all started on the bench, while an injury and a suspension meant Shabani Nonda and Lucas Neill were not in the 16 at all.

But Hughes' brave gamble ended up paying handsome dividends as some of the players on the fringes of the first team relished the opportunity to shine.

Derbyshire and Gallagher, in particular, were excellent up front, causing the Everton defence no end of problems with their honest endeavours.

There was also telling contributions from Jay McEveley and Aaron Mokoena, two players who rarely get the opportunity to start in the Premier League.

And Andy Todd, who appeared to have no future at Blackburn a month ago, was a rock at the back, rising magnificently to the challenge of being handed the captaincy in Neill's absence.

It was a powerful demonstration of the depth of Hughes' squad, so much so that the Rovers boss now fears it could impact on his spending plans during the transfer window!

"My chairman probably thinks I don't need any more players now having seen the guys come in and do so well," quipped Hughes, who was in jovial mood after such a resounding victory.

The Rovers boss expertly fused youth and experience together in a revamped starting line-up that featured the old heads of Todd, Tugay and Andre Ooijer, as well as the young zephyrs Derbyshire and Gallagher.

The two strikers buzzed about up front and made mugs of Joleon Lescott and Joseph Yobo - the latter was turned inside out when Gallagher smashed home Rovers' third goal in the 38th minute.

"I thought they did very well. It was a decent combination," purred Hughes.

"Matty likes balls down the channels and he uses his energy and enthusiasm to unsettle back fours.

"And Gally, as we know, is probably one of the most technical players that we have.

"At times, he needs to be more forceful in his game, but when his touch is good and true he can effect the game in a positive way, and that's exactly what he did."

Rovers exploded out of the starting blocks and David Bentley almost caught out Tim Howard with a dipping shot in the fifth minute that the American could only parry, but no-one was on hand to pocket the rebound.

Twenty seconds later, however, Derbyshire did have the ball the net, the young striker racing in to score from a yard out after Howard had made a dog's dinner of blocking Pedersen's pile-driver.

Everton were visibly stunned by that early blow and Gallagher might have helped himself to another amidst the chaos, but his shot from 20 yards fizzed tantalisingly over the crossbar.

David Moyes' mood then darkened when his side were denied a penalty - and a route back into the game - when the referee, Andre Marriner, failed to spot a handling offence by Todd inside the area.

More Everton penalty appeals fell on deaf ears moments later when Mikel Arteta took a tumble following the slightest of touches by Pedersen.

If that incensed the home fans inside Goodison then they were positively seething in the 22nd minute when Pedersen made it 2-0.

Bentley was tripped by Leon Osman as he tried to jink his way through on the edge of the area, and from the resulting free kick Pedersen curled one of his specials' past Howard, whose positioning was somewhat suspect to say the least.

Everton briefly threatened a comeback when Victor Anichebe spun on a sixpence and unleashed a low drive which deflected off Zurab Khiaznishvili and crept just wide of Brad Friedel's right-hand post.

Then former Rover Lee Carsley blasted another presentable opportunity high into the Gwladys Street End.

However, Everton's fate was effectively sealed in the 38th minute when Gallagher added a brilliant third, seconds after Stephane Henchoz had come in place of the injured Khizanishvili.

Once again, Bentley was heavily involved, the midfielder picking out Gallagher with a raking 30-yard pass.

The striker tamed the ball with his first touch and then twisted past Yobo with his second, before belting a low shot past Howard from 12 yards out.

Rovers' travelling army of fans could barely believe what they were seeing!

Some Everton fans had clearly seen enough and headed straight for the exits.

Those that stayed behind only did so so they could boo their team off at half-time.

Moyes, no doubt, stripped the paint off the walls of the home dressing room with a stinging rebuke during the interval, and his players belatedly bucked up their ideas in the second half.

Arteta screwed one effort horribly wide, and a Yobo header flashed past Friedel's left-hand post.

Everton finally grabbed a lifeline in the 68th minute when Marriner awarded them a penalty - almost out of sympathy - following a challenge by Mokoena on Arteta, and Andy Johnson coolly converted it by sending Friedel the wrong way.

That proved to be little more than a consolation, though, as Anichebe then fluffed a golden chance to further reduce the deficit.

It was left to McCarthy to have the final say, deep into injury time.

The South African shrugged off two defenders before arrowing a shot into the top left corner for his 13th goal of the season.

It was a stunning way to end a stunning performance.