Yakubu netted all four goals as Blackburn's 4-2 win over Swansea eased the pressure on Rovers boss Steve Kean.
Joe Allen's red card effectively ended Swansea's hopes of salvaging a point and Yakubu's late penalty wrapped up the win which lifted Blackburn off the foot of the Premier League.
Swansea made a confident start and Scott Sinclair dragged a shot past the near post, but the home faithful's discontent was eased when Gael Givet's clever cutback allowed Yakubu (20) to fire into the top corner.
Blackburn were not ahead for long as Leroy Lita (35) levelled against the run of play with a header that bounced in off the far post, but Rovers regained control just before the break when Givet's hopeful volley was headed in by Yakubu (45).
Sinclair fired into the side-netting as Swansea searched for a leveller in the second half, but they were yet again undone by the predatory Yakubu (57) as the Nigerian striker nodded home after Christopher Samba headed a corner across goal.
Rovers could not relax as Luke Moore (66) thumped in after Paul Robinson pushed out Wayne Routledge's shot, but Swansea did not help their cause when Allen picked up a second yellow and Yakubu (82) slotted in after a foul on Simon Vukcevic
Manchester United stayed five points behind rivals City as Phil Jones' first goal for the club secured a 1-0 win over Aston Villa in an injury-ridden clash at Villa Park.
The promising England international tucked home neatly in the first half to bag the points - but the game was overshadowed as Javier Hernandez, Shay Given and Jermaine Jenas were all helped from the field with injuries.
The game was just eight minutes old when Hernandez departed - falling awkwardly and sustaining ankle ligament damage shortly before Chris Smalling saw the first chance of the match blocked.
In the 20th minute, the visitors had their goal - Nani stabbing over a low cross from the left and Jones meeting it with a solid side-foot volley from close range.
Nani and Antonio Valencia went close before the break and Villa, who confirmed Charles N'Zogbia had been left out for an unspecified breach of club discipline, saw things get worse when Given hobbled off.
Jenas was next to go as he appeared to twist a knee having caught his studs in the turf, and the crowd's frustration continued when his replacement Emile Heskey headed Richard Dunne's flick over the bar from two yards in the 70th minute.
The Red Devils looked the more likely to net the second goal with former Villa winger Ashley Young and Wayne Rooney firing off-target and Danny Welbeck seeing a late effort chalked off for offside.
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