Leeds midfielder Rudi Austin was sent off in the first half as Blackburn warmed up for Wednesday 's home FA Cup quarter-final replay against Liverpool with a 3-0 win . Austin saw red in the 39th minute for elbowing Ben Marshall off the ball and though Leeds resisted strongly until just after the hour mark , second-half goals by Tom Cairney , Jordan Rhodes and Jay Spearing settled the match . Rovers extended their unbeaten away run to six matches while Leeds ' five-game undefeated sequence came to an end . Blackburn players celebrate after scoring the third in their 3-0 victory over Leeds United . Tom Cairney ( right ) opened the scoring for Blackburn Rovers against Leeds United at Elland Road . Leeds : Silvestri , Wootton ( Antenucci 66 ' ) , Bellusci , Bamba , Berardi ( Cooper 66 ' ) , Austin , Murphy , Byram , Mowatt , Charlie Taylor , Morison ( Sharp 86 ' ) Subs not used : Stuart Taylor , Dawson , Doukara , Philips . Booked : Antenucci , Murphy , Charlie Taylor . Sent off : Austin . Blackburn : Raya , Henley ( Paul Taylor 59 ' ) , Baptiste , Kilgallon , Olsson , Cairney , Spearing , Williamson , Marshall , Rhodes , Gestede ( Brown 64 ' ( O'Sullivan 81 ' ) ) Subs not used : Spurr , Lenihan , Steele , Evans . Booked : Henley , Taylor . Goals : Cairney 62 ' Rhodes 69 ' Spearing 80 ' Referee : Gary Sutton . Attendance : 25,293 . Austin , back in the Leeds side after a five-match absence , was shown a straight red card after referee Gary Sutton was called over by a linesman who had spotted the offence on former Stoke and Leicester winger Marshall in the right corner . Leeds fans voiced their wholehearted backing for head coach Neil Redfearn and his sacked assistant Steve Thompson . Loud chants of 'there 's only one Neil Redfearn ' and 'there 's only one Steve Thompson ' rang out around the ground soon after the start . Just two days earlier , Redfearn angrily said he was considering his future after Thompson was mysteriously suspended for the remainder of the season and told his contract would not be renewed . Thompson was informed of his suspension by Leeds ' football director Nicola Salerno , who is believed to be considering his own position . Blackburn , who had 19-year-old Spanish keeper David Raya on debut , withstood early pressure before almost taking a 13th-minute lead when Rhodes shot against the bar and Marshall fired the rebound into the side-netting . Jordan Rhodes nets the second for Blackburn Rovers against Leeds United . Rhodes then produced a neat turn but shot over from eight yards and when Austin had Leeds ' best chance so far , he nodded Charlie Taylor 's cross over the bar before leaving Leeds to battle on with 10 men . Raya had been largely untested on his debut , his only first-half save keeping out Sam Byram 's acute angled shot , but Leeds keeper Marco Silvestri had to pull off a desperate stop from Rudy Gestede at point-blank range in the 49th minute . Rovers had struggled to make their numerical advantage count as Leeds employed tight marking , with strikers Rhodes and Gestede starved of clear-cut opportunities , but two goals in a seven-minute spell turned the game Rovers ' way . The breakthrough arrived in the 62nd minute . Lee Williamson 's long pass down the right found Gestede who gave Giuseppe Bellusci the slip before Cairney shot powerfully past Silvestri . Gestede limped off to be replaced by Chris Brown in the 64th minute and a minute later Marshall 's long-distance shot smacked against a post . Leeds were rocking and they conceded again in the 69th minute . Cairney picked out Brown , whose accurate cross left the unmarked Rhodes the simple task of heading home for his 17th goal of the season . Fans hold up Never Forgotten posters in memory of Leeds fans Chris Loftus and Kevin Speight . Then , in the 80th minute , Bellusci allowed Spearing time and room to drill in the third .
Blackburn secure easy win over 10-man Leeds United at Elland Road . Midfielder Rudi Austin sent off in first half for the home side . Tom Cairney , Jordan Rhodes and Jay Spearing strike for Rovers .