Blackburn Rovers failed to reach the semifinals of the FA Cup

Blackburn Rovers failed to reach the semifinals of the FA Cup after a 1-0 loss to Liverpool in the fifth round replay.

This was a major disappointment for manager Gary Bowyer, who had pinned a lot of hopes upon this match after getting a credible 0-0 draw at Anfield. The home advantage was seen as a major factor towards propelling Blackburn to the FA Cup semifinals at the Wembley. The winners of this tie would be up against Aston Villa and it was seen as a great route towards the final of the competition itself. As it is, Blackburn will have to wait another season for glory.

Their season has effectively ended after this result, as the club do not have much hopes of promotion even through the play-offs.Bowyer has seen his side struggle for consistency in the league, but they were always confident of getting past Liverpool in this one-off match. However, their hopes were destroyed after a string of excellent saves from Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet denied them a chance to even take the match into extra time. Philippe Coutinho, who has been impressive in the competition this campaign, scored the winner in the 70th minute. Blackburn had a number of chances to equalise but found Mignolet in excellent form.

“I thought the players were tremendous and over the two games we’ve given Liverpool a really good go – as have our supporters.The noise levels they produced were tremendous and even at the death they were still making a racket and still showing their appreciation.I’d like to thank every single one of them for the support that they gave the team, myself and all the staff.They were phenomenal and they showed the country what great fans they are and to make Ewood rocking like that was a very proud moment for me,” said Bowyer.