THE MOST DANGEROUS FEELING that can infiltrate a team is one of resignation, stemming from a fear that they might not win another game all season. It was briefly felt among Leeds United’s players barely a fortnight ago, after they lost 4-1 away to Birmingham City, but they have surprised even themselves by recording back-to-back victories in their next two outings. Now it is happening to Blackburn Rovers, who must produce a similar response if they are not to be the principal victims of Leeds’s resurgence.

If there was one side at Ewood Park who looked destined for the drop, it was not Leeds; Blackburn, whose plight was something of a mystery during the first half of the campaign, suddenly have the look of dead men walking. Much could change over the coming weeks — or even this afternoon, when they visit Fulham — but, as they fell to a third consecutive defeat on Saturday, Blackburn, to the astonishment of their supporters, appeared all but resigned to their fate.

As they drifted away from the ground, something many of the supporters had done in disgust long before the final whistle, none of Blackburn’s players could muster the energy to speak to the media and issue the messages of defiance those fans might have been looking for. Graeme Souness, the manager, had told them on Friday of the need to let their football do the talking, but they had not done that, either. Both in word and in deed they had gone down without so much as a whimper.

It was a performance so abject, so listless, that one hesitated to wonder if it would send Souness, who has been appalled by many of their displays this season, over the edge. Apparently not; to the surprise of his audience he spoke of being “glad they gave it a real go”, something they did not noticeably do until after they went 2-0 down, and instead reserved his only criticism for the referee, who ignored a penalty appeal when Jon Stead fell under Michael Duberry’s challenge in the fourth minute.

By then Blackburn were already a goal down. Leeds, their confidence renewed by a 3-2 victory over Leicester City five days earlier, had been given a dream start when Steven Caldwell, the defender, was given the freedom of the penalty area to head in Gary Kelly’s cross with less than two minutes on the clock. “We were nervous before the game and that gave us the worst possible start,” Souness said. “That, along with the penalty decision, is what has blown it for us.”

It is not all, though, for Blackburn lack far more than confidence and good fortune. For all the talent in their squad, they have a team that has looked woefully unbalanced since the sale of Damien Duff to Chelsea last summer. At various times on Saturday, Steven Reid, Brett Emerton and Paul Gallagher were tried on the left-hand side of midfield. The only left-footed attacking player in the squad, Matt Jansen, was brought on for the final quarter of the game and was asked to operate on the right-hand side.

Blackburn also have a wretched defence. While Lucas Neill and Craig Short at least know how to defend, Lorenzo Amoruso did nothing but spread panic among those around him. If one last ingredient was needed to turn a good Blackburn team into a bad one, it was the spinelessness that enabled Leeds, with Jermaine Pennant and James Milner toiling admirably on the wings and Alan Smith lively in attack, to outfight them. It was from a characteristic burst by Pennant down the right that Leeds made the points safe in the 89th minute, with the winger’s cross missed by Smith at the near post but converted by Mark Viduka at the far post.

The rapturous celebrations that greeted that goal were hardly tempered by the sloppiness that gave Short a free header with which he reduced the arrears in stoppage time. “A clean sheet would have been nice, but I’d swap that for a victory any day,” Paul Robinson, who performed well in goal despite spending most of last week in bed with a stomach upset, said. “Two weeks ago we were wondering if we’d get another chance to get out of it.”

Now Blackburn know exactly how that feels and, while Leeds were able to produce the perfect response, Souness’s team have yet to offer any evidence that they have the same passion for the battle ahead.

Blackburn Rovers (4-4-2): B Friedel 6 — L Neill 7, L Amoruso 3, C Short 6, M Gray 3 — B Emerton 4, Tugay Kerimoglu 4, G Flitcroft 5, S Reid 3 (sub: P Gallagher, 46min 4) — A Cole 4, J Stead 4 (sub: M Jansen, 68 4). Substitutes not used: A Todd, M Andresen, P Enckelman. Booked: Gray, Flitcroft. NEXT: Fulham (a). FORM: LLLWLD

Leeds United (4-4-2): P Robinson 7 — G Kelly 6, M Duberry 7, S Caldwell 7, I Harte 5 — J Pennant 7, D Matteo 7, Seth Johnson 6 (sub: E Bakke, 56 4), J Milner 6 — A Smith 7 (sub: S McPhail, 90), M Viduka 6. Substitutes not used: L Radebe, Simon Johnson, S Carson. Booked: Matteo, Milner. NEXT: Everton (h). FORM: WWLWLD

Shots on target: (h) 7 (a) 3. Fouls: (h) 14 (a) 13. Offsides: (h) 4 (a) 2