FA Cup scores and updates as they happened: Blackburn 0-1 Liverpool

Coutinho's strike aside, it certainly was not pretty from Liverpool but victory was vital in the aftermath of such a disappointing result against Arsenal.

They probably will not trouble the top four now, but a cup semi-final means their season is still alive.

Liverpool will meet Aston Villa in the last four at Wembley on April 19. Before that, however, they play Newcastle at Anfield in the Premier League next Monday.

Next up for Blackburn is a trip to Reading. The Royals are yet to secure their Championship status for next season, but have their own FA Cup clash to contend with against Arsenal.

So, a narrow win for Liverpool.

Blackburn defended valiantly for the most part, but were undone by a quality finish from Coutinho that followed lovely interplay between the former Inter Milan playmaker and Henderson.

It's been a memorable run from the Championship outfit, including two notable Premier League scalps, but they just came up short tonight despite Gestede's introduction giving them more impetus in the final third.

Full-time score

Blackburn 0-1 Liverpool

Well, what an ending that would have been.

Blackburn win a throw in line with the edge of the Liverpool penalty area, Spurr hurls it in and the ball finds its way to the feet of goalkeeper Eastwood who makes good contact with the shot but cannot beat opposite number Mignolet.

The full-time whistle sounds.

A penalty claim from Liverpool as Joe Allen is outmuscled by Williamson as he looks to work the space for a shot from the left-hand side of the box. Nothing given.

Four minutes of additional time has been signalled. Blackburn in the ascendancy now, looking to use Gestede as a target man at every opportunity.

Blackburn are being urged forward by a capacity crowd as a Marshall volley is blocked following good work from the powerful Gestede.

Sterling again looks to capitalise on the counter-attack, but his shot goes over.

A chance for Lambert to extend the lead just moments after coming on. Henderson floats a free-kick towards the back post, but the striker sends his header wide.

A late change for Liverpool as Lambert replaces Sturridge.

A little under 10 minutes remaining now and it's Liverpool who look to be heading to the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley.

Blackburn have the firepower to get back into this, but at the moment they are being penned back deep in their own half of the pitch.

A brief break in play as Sterling is left in a heap after being handed off by Williamson as he raced up in support of Sturridge.

He is certainly not happy, but Friend is reluctant to dole out any punishment.

A second sub for Blackburn as centre-back Baptiste is replaced by Tommy Spur.

A chance for Sturridge to seal the victory as he collects a chipped pass from Sterling, moves past Alex Baptiste but sends his own lofted effort over the bar.

The angle was tricky, but that is still a real let-off for Blackburn.

71 minutes on the clock and we have our first goal of the evening. A Liverpool corner is initially cleared at the near post by Rhodes, before Henderson and Coutinho play a clever one-two that culminates in the latter smashing a low effort past Eastwood and inside the right-hand post.

Goal: Blackburn 0-1 Liverpool (Philippe Coutinho)

Gestede's arrival has already galvanised the hosts and his first contribution is to win a header for Rhodes, who strides forward but is eventually kept at bay by a block from Toure.

Liverpool attempt to break through Sterling after Mignolet punches away a cross, but the England international is felled by Evans near the halfway line.

The Blackburn midfielder is booked for his troubles and looks to have taken a knock.

That substitution looks a positive move from Blackburn's perspective, with Gestede moving into the final third to partner Rhodes.

Toure and Lovren will likely have a lot to contend with now, although a change in shape could leave more space in behind for Liverpool to attack.

64 minutes gone in the contest and Bowyer looks towards his bench for the first time. Gestede is the man to come on, replacing Conway.

Blackburn pour forward again as Marcus Olsson gets into the Liverpool box and asks for a penalty after being clipped by Johnson. Kevin Friend is unmoved.

Corry Evans has a shot comfortably saved by Mignolet.

A bit more noise reverberating around Ewood Park now as both teams begin to hit their respective strides.

Lovren comes close to making contact with a Henderson corner but Matthew Kilgallon clears in the nick of time.

The game is opening up a touch now, as Rhodes has a shot blocked and Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson almost breaks free before seeing the ball hastily booted away.

A bit more intent from Blackburn straightaway as Tom Cairney tests Mignolet with a shot from 25 yards that moves wickedly en route to goal.

Marshall comes agonsingly close to notching the opener from the resulting corner, but his thumping header is pushed on to the post by the Liverpool 'keeper.

Magnificent save.

The second half has kicked off. No substitutions for either side at the break.

A fairly attritional first half ends with no goals. Liverpool have been the dominant team, but they have struggled to carve out many clear-cut chances.

Blackburn, meanwhile, look compact and are defending in numbers, allowing preciously little space on the edge of their own box. Service to Rhodes has been in short supply, but they are having a lot of success in stifling the likes of Sturridge, Sterling and Coutinho.

Half-time score

Blackburn 0-0 Liverpool

Another low shot from Johnson poses no real threat to Eastwood as the first half draws to a close.

The visitors are spending a lot of time camped outside the opposition penalty area but their crossing has been wayward and they are finding it visibly difficult to break down Blackburn's resilient defence.

For all Liverpool's dominance in the last 10 minutes, they are still largely being restricted to unconvincing long-range efforts.

Bowyer will be content with his side's defending thus far.

Liverpool are enjoying a sustained spell of possession now. Johnson cuts in from the right-hand side before rolling the ball to Coutinho, but the Brazilian's shot is wild and soars well over the frame of the goal.

Liverpool come close to taking the lead as Williamson fails to clear effectively from a corner and Coutinho's shot travels through a sea of bodies before being palmed wide by Eastwood.

35 minutes gone and it's still 0-0.

Once again, Blackburn are not being overawed by their more reputable opponents and you sense the first goal could be absolutely crucial tonight.

A little word in the ear of Williamson by referee Friend after an uncompromising aerial challenge on Coutinho.

Eastwood called into action again as he saves a tame effort from Johnson at his near post.

Sakho had not started brilliantly tonight, but his absence will be a concern for Rodgers with Can and Skrtel suspended.

A Toure/Lovren partnership could be very vulnerable indeed.

First real chance for Blackburn. Sakho is clearly struggling with a hamstring injury and he is unable to reach Conway's cross. Rhodes gets up to meet it, but can only head wide.

Rodgers forced into an early substitution as Sakho makes way for Toure.

There is a bit of a battle developing here between Lee Williamson and Moreno. With the latter having been caught by an accidental arm to the face earlier on, he is confidently turned by the Rovers midfielder before executing a superb sliding challenge.

Little for Blackburn supporters to get excited about as of yet, although their team are competing well physically in midfield.

Rhodes has a phenomenal scoring record over recent seasons, but he relies on good service to inflict his damage.

Sturridge tests Eastwood with a curled effort from long-range that the Blackburn goalkeeper clearly tips over the bar. Referee Kevin Friend, however, gives a goal kick.

It is exactly that sort of lapse in concentration from his defenders that Rodgers will be desperate to avoid tonight after the well-documented failings at Arsenal.

At the other end, a well-worked corner routine from Liverpool sees Coutinho break clear of his marker before having a shot blocked by Ben Marshall.

A moment of madness from Sakho as he tries to shield the ball for Simon Mignolet to collect on the edge of the penalty area.

It's safe to say the Belgian was never going to come for that and luckily Sakho recovers to block Conway's shot.

Having said that about the pitch, Bowyer commented before the game that it was in the best condition it had been for a long while so cannot be used as any sort of an excuse in the event that Liverpool fail to advance tonight.

Blackburn have made their first real foray forward after 12 minutes, but a searching cross is headed away by Moreno.

The Spanish full-back needs a strong performance tonight, having been pinpointed along with Toure as one of the major weak links against Arsenal.

A couple of early half-chances for Liverpool, with Joe Allen scuffing well wide and Sterling firing over Eastwood's crossbar from distance.

It looks like Liverpool have reverted to a back four in the absence of Can and Skrtel, with Johnson at right-back, Alberto Moreno on the opposite flank and Lovren partnering Sakho in central defence.

Blackburn's pitch, while obviously much better than the likes of Blackpool and Bradford's, is quite dry and bobbly so may not be conducive to a great match for the purists.

We are now underway at Ewood Park. Can Blackburn join fellow Championship outfit Reading in the semi-finals?

Aston Villa await the winner of this contest. Tim Sherwood captained Blackburn to the Premier League title in 1995 and the potential for an FA Cup semi-final date at Wembley against his former club should certainly appeal to the Villa boss.

Blackburn beat Charlton, Stoke and Swansea to progress to the quarter-finals, while Liverpool overcame Wimbledon, Bolton and Crystal Palace.

Kick-off is now just moments away.

Rodgers has spoken about Balotelli's continued absence in his pre-match interview, confirming that the controversial striker, who ruled himself out of the trip to Arsenal after taking a knock to his knee in training, travelled with the squad to Blackburn before being taken ill last night.

It seems he has not recovered sufficiently to feature and Rickie Lambert comes on to the bench.

Liverpool's last taste of cup success came in 2012, when a side led by Anfield favourite Kenny Dalglish needed penalties to finally dismiss the spirited challenge of Cardiff at Wembley.

With the furore surrounding Raheem Sterling having finally died down somewhat in recent days, the focus tonight will be on the defence following their abject effort in the 4-1 defeat at Arsenal.

Lovren has not impressed since moving from Southampton last summer, but he has the chance to stake his claim ahead of Toure. If Rodgers plans to stick with his 3-4-3 formation, then it seems that Johnson will have to play at centre-back alongside the Croatian and Mamadou Sakho.

Sturridge scored on his last appearance before sustaining a hip injury, so the onus will be on him to link-up with Sterling and Philippe Coutinho to produce more of an attacking threat than they managed in the first match against Blackburn on 8 March.

Blackburn have had to contend with something of an injury crisis of late and the sight of Gestede limping off in their last outing was far from ideal in preparation for this replay.

The towering Benin international, who is on the bench, is arguably equally as crucial to Gary Bowyer's side as 17-goal Jordan Rhodes and his aerial prowess will be sorely missed during the early exchanges.

Former Liverpool midfielder Jay Spearing has featured regularly for Rovers since joining on loan from Lancashire rivals Bolton in January, but he is also unavailable tonight having played in the FA Cup for his parent club already this season.

Blackburn, who had their previous Championship fixture against Millwall rearranged in preparation for this tie, show three changes from the side who beat Leeds on Good Friday.

Simon Eastwood returns in goal at the expense of the cup-tied David Raya, while Corry Evans and Craig Conway replace Jay Spearing and Rudy Gestede.

Liverpool are without the suspended trio of Emre Can, Martin Skrtel and Steven Gerrard tonight, while Adam Lallana and Jordan Ibe miss out with groin and hamstring problems respectively.

Mario Balotelli was due to face a late fitness test to determine his involvement, but he is not listed among the substitutes.

Rodgers also makes three changes, with Daniel Sturridge restored up front and the defensive duo of Dejan Lovren and Glen Johnson in for Kolo Toure and Can. Lazar Markovic drops to the bench.

Blackburn team to face Liverpool: Eastwood, Henley, Baptiste, Kilgallon, Olsson, Conway, Williamson, Evans, Marshall, Cairney, Rhodes

Subs: Steele, Spurr, Songo'o, Nyambe, Lenihan, Mahoney, Gestede

Liverpool team to face Blackburn: Mignolet, Johnson, Lovren, Sakho, Lucas, Allen, Henderson, Moreno, Sterling, Coutinho, Sturridge

Subs: Jones, Toure, Lambert, Manquillo, Borini, Brannagan, Markovic

Good evening and welcome to IBTimes UK's live coverage of tonight's FA Cup quarter-final replay between Blackburn and Liverpool at Ewood Park.

The first encounter between these two sides was a relatively dour affair, with an impressive rearguard performance from the Championship outfit ensuring that they now have the chance to secure a first semi-final appearance for a decade in front of their own supporters.

Blackburn have no real chance of reaching the playoffs despite their recent 3-0 victory over 10-man Leeds, so their season rather rests on tonight's result.

Liverpool, meanwhile, have been fiercely criticised in the aftermath of consecutive defeats at the hands of Manchester United and Arsenal.

With their chances of qualifying for the Champions League now looking extremely remote, success in this competition could alleviate some of the pressure that may start to build on manager Brendan Rodgers in the coming weeks.

Team news to follow...