A freakish second-half goal from Blackburn's Slovakian left-back Vratislav Gresko salvaged a deserved three points for the home side from a game that had seemed to be slipping out of their grasp.
Rovers were the better side and created the better chances despite Spurs striker Robbie Keane missing the game's best opportunity, firing high over Brad Friedel's crossbar when clean through on 68 minutes.
But, for a side that had lost six matches in seven games before today, this result and sterling defensive performance may make a huge difference this season.
In a drab first half, neither side looked capable of lifting the crowd by taking the game by the scruff of the neck.
That all changed in the second half as Blackburn's manager Graeme Souness was sent from the touchline for comments made to referee Graham Poll. The match suddenly burst into life; Portuguese misfit Helder Postiga missing two chances to open the scoring for Spurs.
At the other end, Blackburn piled on the pressure with a stream of corners and an unbelievable goalline scramble that somehow did not see the ball end up in the back of the Tottenham net.
On 68 minutes Keane was handed a superb chance following a quick Tottenham counter-attack that caught Blackburn flat-footed, but he blazed over with the goal at his mercy.
He was left to rue that miss as ten minutes later Rovers grabbed the ultimately decisive goal.
The ball found its way out to Gresko down the left and he advanced before driving speculatively for goal from 25 yards. Steven Carr threw himself to try and block it, but the ball smacked off his chest, looped up and around the despairing Kasey Keller and into the net.
Rovers held out in the final ten minutes under a barrage of crosses to secure a crucial three points that moved them up one place in the Premiership table.