Lewis Grabban has now scored seven league goals in eight league appearances against Blackburn

Two Lewis Grabban goals helped lift Nottingham Forest to fourth in the Championship with victory over Blackburn Rovers.

Joe Lolley fortuitously found the bottom corner for Forest's opener, with his cross from the right, in search of Sammy Ameobi, going untouched and catching out goalkeeper Christian Walton as it snuck inside the far post.

A minute later Walton rushed off his line and brought down Lolley in the box, allowing Grabban to add a second from the penalty spot.

Stewart Downing pulled one back with a fine half-volley before the break, only for Grabban to restore the two-goal advantage with a header before a Joe Worrall own goal set up a tense finish.

Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis issued a rare message before the match, marking the start of a new decade by talking of "exciting times" on and off the pitch for a club chasing promotion to the Premier League and planning major developments at its City Ground home.

A third successive win saw Sabri Lamouchi's side move above Fulham in the table, while Rovers' second successive defeat after an eight-match unbeaten run was ended by Huddersfield on Sunday leaves them 13th in the table.

Samba Sow, back for Forest after recovering from a dead leg, wasted the hosts' first chance of the game, sending a header wide from seven yards after Tiago Silva found the midfielder free from a corner.

Lolley went on to torment Walton in Rovers' goal to set the Reds up for victory, drifting in a cross that beat everyone to put them ahead before his run into the box was clumsily stopped by the keeper for a penalty.

Forest's leading scorer Grabban then stepped up to score his sixth goal in eight league games against the Lancashire side.

A brilliant finish from former England international Downing for his 50th career league goal made it 2-1 and it took a smart save from Brice Samba with his legs to deny Corry Evans an equaliser before the break.

Ameobi broke free down the left and delivered an inviting cross for Grabban to nod home his 14th goal of the season after the interval, and while Worrall directed an Elliott Bennett cross into his own net Forest held on.

Silva also went close to adding a late fourth for Forest from a free-kick, only for Walton to make an outstanding save.

Nottingham Forest manager Sabri Lamouchi told BBC Radio Nottingham:

"Nine points, three wins, we finished the last year in the best way, we've started the new year in the best way.

"We started the game in a good way, we played so well, we created some chances, we scored and the mistake after 2-0 was to think the game would be more easy and we could score, three, four or five goals.

"We gave them the possibility to come back into the game, it was just a mistake, because after that we started to be a little bit panicked, the possession was not good, but during the break we adapted two or three things and started the second half in a good way."

Blackburn Rovers manager Tony Mowbray told BBC Radio Lancashire:

"Defensively we weren't strong enough today, it's not something I can throw at them over the last six weeks too much.

"I think really, really soft goals to lose, I felt we controlled most of the game today and yet the result's the result.

"You come away from home to Forest and score two goals you'd expect to, if not win the game as we have done over the past few years here, not lose it."