Manchester United overcame a spirited Blackburn Rovers side to earn a hard-fought victory at Ewood Park and qualify for the quarter-finals of this season’s FA Cup.
Danny Graham gave Blackburn a deserved lead before Marcus Rashford finished off an excellent counter attack to level matters. Substitutes Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic combined to complete the turnaround for Jose Mourinho’s side, who had to hold off a late surge from the Marvin Emnes-inspired opposition to confirm their spot in the last eight.
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Here are the takeaways from a fantastic game at Ewood Park:
#1 Marvin Emnes stars for Blackburn
Blackburn approached this game with a positive mindset, opting to play 4-4-2 with Marvin Emnes and Danny Graham up front, while they deployed two lines of four to neutralise United’s possession.
As the game progressed, the decision to have a partnership in attack seemed to be paying off, as Emnes and Graham gave the centre-half pairing of Marcos Rojo and Chris Smalling plenty of problems.
Emnes, in particular, starred for Blackburn as he used his physical prowess to shrug off defenders and keep possession while preventing Michael Carrick in defensive midfield from locating a teammate with a forward pass.
The Swansea loanee was instrumental in the build-up to Blackburn’s goal, holding off Rojo before playing a reverse ball to Graham, who caught Smalling ball watching and used the space to get a shot away and into the back of the net.
Though their authority on the game waned in the second half due to Graham’s withdrawal and Manchester United pressure, this partnership can help them overcome their disastrous Championship campaign, where they currently sit second from bottom.
#2 United are threatening on the counter with Rashford up-front
United’s response to going behind was prompt, as they equalised within six minutes of Danny Graham’s impressive finish. A Blackburn free-kick was dealt with and the resulting counter-attack was reminiscent of Jose Mourinho’s title-winning Real Madrid side of 2012.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan picked up a pass from Romero, played a sumptuous ball with the outside of the boot to locate an onrushing Rashford – who beat the offside trap against a Blackburn defence desperately trying to get bodies behind – and rounded the keeper to coolly slot home the leveller.
The move was a testament to the fact that with the likes of Rashford upfront, United are extremely dangerous on the counter-attack thanks to his pace and brilliance on the ball. However, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic netting goals aplenty at the moment, it may be a couple of seasons before the youngster is seriously considered for the number nine role.
#3 Substitutes Pogba and Ibrahimovic settle the tie
With a congested fixture list and games coming thick and fast, Mourinho knew that he had to make sure the tie was settled within 90 minutes in order to avoid a replay at Old Trafford.
With an hour gone, he gave FA Cup debuts to high-profile summer signings, Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The duo combined to give United the lead within 12 minutes of their introduction, with Pogba playing a perfectly weighted long ball into the path of the Swede, who was played onside by left-back Derrick Williams.
Ibrahimovic waited for the perfect moment to get the shot away – ultimately sliding it past the reach of goalkeeper, Jason Steele to take his season tally to an astonishing 24 goals. Mourinho can take immense credit for the timing of Pogba and Zlatan’s introduction. The influence the duo had in deciding the tie at Ewood Park itself gives fans hope that their team has the mettle and character to grind out wins even when they are not in top gear.
#4 Connor Mahoney lifts Blackburn spirits after coming on
Despite going behind. Owen Coyle’s side were not ready to throw in the towel. Substitute Connor Mahoney’s introduction in place of Liam Feeney in the 73rd minute injected a new sense of life into Blackburn’s attacking prospects, which had seemingly died out after the first half.
His quick thinking on the ball gave Matteo Darmian a headache on the wings. Blackburn’s best chance to equalise was created by him, as he skipped past two United defenders, cut in, and saw his thumping shot saved by Romero. He parried it into the path of Emnes, who saw his shot brilliantly saved by the keeper again.
The resulting follow-up fell into the path of Anthony Stokes, who scored from a blatantly offside position. Though Blackburn suffered a defeat in the end, Mahoney’s cameo gives an injury-hit Blackburn side some optimism going into the business end of the season as they look to avoid relegation into the third tier.
#5 Ashley Young deserves praise for a good performance
His career at Manchester United may well be coming to an end owing to high competition for places and his declining pace, but Ashley Young’s performance at Ewood Park was one to cherish.
The 31-year-old made a number of purposeful runs high up the pitch from right-back, linked up well with Ander Herrera to find space near the byline, skipped past Blackburn left-back Derrick Williams on a number of occasions, drew a couple of fouls and provided a few zipping crosses in for his forwards to attack.
He may not have the pace or the vision of Antonio Valencia, but Young’s commitment to help his side eke out a result in a tough game gives Mourinho some assurance of cover at right-back as the business end of the season approaches.
