Stead: Knight not whiter than white

Blackburn Rovers striker Jon Stead claims Zat Knight deliberately head-butted him after he accidentally tripped the Fulham defender.

The duo were involved in a flashpoint in the first half of Blackburn's thrilling 4-3 victory over Fulham on Monday evening.

As the pair ran back towards the halfway line, Knight appeared to nut the Rovers forward but the incident went unnoticed by the match officials.

Television evidence points towards Knight head-butting Stead and the matter could be picked up by The Football Association.

Stead later exacted ample revenge by scoring the winning goal which could prove priceless in Blackburn's battle to beat the drop.

The England Under-21 international explained his first half clash with Knight, insisting there was intent behind the actions of the towering centre half.

"We were both running back and he pulled me and stepped in front of me," said Stead.

"I clipped his heels unintentionally as I tried to go around him and he said 'why are you kicking me?' and threw a head-butt at me.

"It was deliberate. He caught me on the eye and it was a silly thing for him to do but I got the last laugh because Blackburn won."

Knight, though, brushed off the controversial incident, claiming there was nothing in his clash with Stead.

"It was handbags, that is all," said Knight. "The referee did not see it and it has gone now."