Liverpool kept their FA Cup dreams alive with a narrow 1-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers in their quarter-final replay at Ewood Park this evening.
After a goalless first half, the hosts came close to breaking the deadlock at the start of the second period when Ben Marshall's header was tipped onto the post by Simon Mignolet.
The winning goal came from Philippe Coutinho, however, as the Brazilian played a one-two with Jordan Henderson before drilling an angled drive in off the far post.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at whether the Reds deserved to progress into the semi-finals.
Match statistics
BLACKBURN
Shots: 10
On target: 4
Possession: 32%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 10
LIVERPOOL
Shots: 16
On target: 5
Possession: 68%
Corners: 10
Fouls: 10
Was the result fair?
Blackburn put up some admirable resistance against the more illustrious names of Liverpool, but there is little doubt that the visitors deserved to win this one tonight. They had the lion's share of possession and created most of the better chances throughout, edging what was a tight match for the most part.
The hosts did enjoy a purple patch at the start of the second half, but that five-minute spell was the only time they were really on top throughout. Marshall hit the upright in that period and Mignolet was forced into another save, but otherwise the hosts didn't pose Liverpool too many problems. The introduction of Rudy Gestede made them look like more of a threatening proposition, but in the end they couldn't make the most of his aerial prowess.
The visitors by no means had things all their own way. They were dominant in terms of possession, but found it difficult to find a way through Blackburn for long spells of this match. They certainly deserve the win and, with it, the passage into the semi-finals, but the slender nature of the scoreline is also correct. Victory by anything more than one goal would have been a little harsh on Rovers.
Blackburn's performance
Blackburn would have gone into this game with plenty of belief that they could pull off a shock, partly due to their performance in the initial tie at Anfield and also down to Liverpool's recent results. The game quickly settled into the expected rhythm, with Blackburn allowing Liverpool to have most of the ball and challenging the Premier League outfit to play through them.
That was a lot easier said than done, and Rovers deserve great credit for how well they defended this evening. In the first half especially, they limited Liverpool to mostly long-range shots and looked comfortable at the back for large chunks, despite giving up plenty of possession. There wasn't much to shout about in an attacking sense before the break, but that changed in the opening stages of the second half as Gary Bowyer's side came flying out of the blocks.
Things may well have been different had Marshall's header crept in, while the hosts almost forced extra time in the most spectacular fashion late on when goalkeeper Simon Eastwood brought a save from Mignolet, so Bowyer will certainly feel that his side had the chances to have at least drawn inside the 90 minutes. However, most of their efforts were spent in containing Liverpool tonight and they can't have too many complaints at losing, albeit on the back of an encouraging performance.
Liverpool's performance
With their Champions League hopes taking a major blow in their last two Premier League games, this match assumed greater importance and it was no exaggeration to suggest that the success of Liverpool's season depended on events at Ewood Park tonight. They quickly took control of the game and dominated the ball for long spells in the first half, but it wasn't until the final 10 minutes before the break that they really put Blackburn under sustained pressure.
Clear chances were few and far between for the Reds as they struggled to find a way through, but Coutinho took his opening in the second half and it could have been even more comfortable had Daniel Sturridge converted a one-on-one shortly afterwards. In truth, the only time Liverpool looked like they might lose this game came in the five minutes immediately after half time and, aside from that spell, they seemed fairly comfortable, despite not having things all their own way.
The exchange between Coutinho and Henderson, and the subsequent finish from the Brazilian, was the moment of class that was the difference today and exactly what was needed for Liverpool to finally find a breakthrough. They were forced to dig deep to get this result and Blackburn put up a stubborn fight, but the only important thing tonight was the result and Liverpool's hopes of seeing Steven Gerrard off with an FA Cup triumph at Wembley live on.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Philippe Coutinho: It was by no means his most impressive performance of the season, but Coutinho was the difference today. Aside from his well-taken goal, Liverpool looked most dangerous whenever they got the Brazilian involved, and for a 10-minute spell just before half time he ran the show.
Biggest gaffe
Blackburn were almost gifted an opener in the first half when Mamadou Sakho inexplicably tried to let the ball run through to his keeper as it was trickling along outside the box. Craig Conway nipped in, but the Liverpool defender quickly atoned for his error by blocking the subsequent shot.
Referee performance
Kevin Friend had a comfortable match this evening, showing just two yellow cards throughout. He was perhaps a little lenient at times and turned down a penalty claim for either side that could have been given, but all in all it was a solid display.
What next?
Blackburn: Blackburn take on Reading in the Championship on Saturday as they look to end an inconsistent league campaign on a high note.
Liverpool: Liverpool, meanwhile, will hope to breathe new life into their ailing top-four hopes when they host Newcastle United at Anfield on Monday night.
Barney Corkhill
