Seven-time FA Cup winners Liverpool have been held to a goalless draw by Championship side Blackburn Rovers in this afternoon's quarter-final at Anfield.
It was a confident, fast-paced start from in-form Liverpool, but their early momentum was halted when centre-back Martin Skrtel was knocked out after an aerial challenge with Rudy Gestede.
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It took seven minutes for Skrtel to be stretchered off the pitch, but he had regained consciousness by that point and signalled to the supporters that he was OK by raising both thumbs in the air.
Blackburn gained the initiative from the restart and it was strong-in-the-air Gestede who went close to the opener with a back-post header that drifted wide.
Chances were few and far between in the remainder of the opening half as both sides felt that they should have had penalties.
However, referee Andre Marriner waved away multiple handball appeals even though the ball clearly struck both Gestede and Raheem Sterling on the arm in either box.
The clearest sight of goal in the opening period fell to Blackburn when a neat passing move ended at the feet of Craig Conway, who sliced his first-time shot high and wide.
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Kolo Toure, the man to replace Skrtel in the opening 10 minutes, had the ball in the net at the other end, but it was ruled out for offside, while Daniel Sturridge tested Simon Eastwood in first-half injury time with a rasping drive.
Blackburn forced Simon Mignolet into his first meaningful save of the match minutes into the second half when Alex Baptiste powerfully met a corner and saw his header tipped away by the Belgian.
From then on, Liverpool saw plenty of the ball in Blackburn's half but they didn't do too much to worry Gary Bowyer's side.
The closest they came was just before the hour mark when Toure was only able to head against the back post from Coutinho's free kick.
With Steven Gerrard absent from the matchday squad, stand-in captain Jordan Henderson almost netted the winner in the final 10 minutes, but his low drive was kept out by the feet of Eastwood.
Pascal Lemesre
