Liverpool relief but Brendan Rodgers knows his side will have to do better

Class told in the end. Blackburn collected two Premier League scalps on their FA Cup run but could not quite add Liverpool to Stoke and Swansea on their list of conquests. But it was close. Brendan Rodgers has accepted the FA Cup is now Liverpool’s only realistic hope of silverware, and knows he will need performances less disjointed than this one to bring in the first trophy of his Anfield reign.

Until Philippe Coutinho, Liverpool’s best hope all evening, beat Simon Eastwood with some determination 20 minutes from time, Liverpool were once again being comfortably held by a Championship side. The only difference was that the Premier League side could find a goal when it mattered, while Blackburn went 180 minutes without scoring.

It was not one of Liverpool’s most impressive attacking displays. Raheem Sterling was well contained and Daniel Sturridge still seems to be readjusting after his long lay-off, though with Coutinho on the pitch there is always the chance of something, and just when his side needed it the Brazilian conjured something from nothing inside the box.


In terms of creating clear-cut chances from open play that was more than anyone else on the field managed all evening, although the hero the Rovers manager Gary Bowyer was searching for nearly emerged in the closing seconds when Eastwood came up for a stoppage-time throw-in. The goalkeeper not only found the ball at his feet, he got in a shot and kept it on target, but Simon Mignolet held it on the line and reality reasserted itself as romance took a back seat for another season.

“You have to put yourself in a position to win trophies,” Rodgers said, reasonably enough. The Liverpool manager left out Kolo Touré after his erratic performance against Arsenal, and with two regular centre-backs out through suspension reverted to a back four, probably glad Rudy Gestede was not fit enough to start for Rovers.
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The Benin international had bullied the home defence in the scoreless draw at Anfield, and though Jordan Rhodes had the support of a slightly withdrawn Tom Cairney up front, Rovers did not carry the same physical presence in attack. It was the Liverpool defence that continued to cause concern, however.

Mamadou Sakho had already got away with one aberration after 12 minutes when he dithered too long over a penalty area clearance and almost allowed Ben Marshall to pick his pocket, then when he failed to cut out Marshall’s cross to allow Rhodes a free header it became evident he had a hamstring problem. Touré found himself taking the field just 28 minutes into the game, and such is the Ivorian’s reputation these days the Blackburn fans in the Ronnie Clayton end even gave the announcement of the substitution a generous cheer.

To say Liverpool’s back four looked shaky was an understatement. Even when fit Sakho had been ponderous, and one of Touré’s first interventions saw him launch the ball aimlessly downfield as if relieved just to see it cross the halfway line. Blackburn were patient, initially, as though reluctant to over-commit themselves in attack, yet the more they got forward before the interval the more encouragement they were given.

The only time the visitors looked like posing the Blackburn defence any problems was when Coutinho was on the ball. Sturridge still looked rusty after injury, his first touch occasionally letting him down, while Sterling shuttled back and forth on the left without managing any real penetration.

Booed from the outset by the home support, jeered whenever he lost possession and branded as greedy over his contract demands, the England winger did not have the most comfortable evening, though at least, like his team, he kept going.

“We need to get more balls into the box,” the former Blackburn manager and serial caretaker Tony Parkes, on the pitch to draw the interval raffle, offered at half-time. “Jordan needs a bit more support.” In the dressing rooms Bowyer must have been thinking exactly the same thing, not to mention Rodgers.

Both sides looked ordinary at the front but Liverpool seemed vulnerable at the rear. The Blackburn manager had spoken in advance of the game of the need to create some sort of goal threat. Concentration paid off at Anfield but to pull off a shock you need to score, Bowyer argued, probably aware that Liverpool’s greater squad depth, ability and freshness might come into the equation the longer the replay went on.

Blackburn certainly started the second half with more determination. Within minutes Cairney had brought a flying save from Mignolet with a more threatening shot than anything the first 45 minutes had produced, then the Liverpool goalkeeper did even better to tip away Marshall’s goalbound header at a corner. That had the effect of opening up the game, Liverpool found more attacking opportunities and with the crowd coming to life and the occasion finally resembling a cup tie, Bowyer sent on Gestede for the last half hour to enormous acclaim.

Unfortunately for the atmosphere that was when Liverpool took the lead, Coutinho collecting a return pass from Jordan Henderson and finding the net with a fierce shot in front of the travelling support in the Darwen end.

The celebrations were born of relief as much as anything. Liverpool might not win the FA Cup, might not even reach the final, but their season is not over just yet.