Blackburn Grind Out Replay

When referee Martin Atkinson blew full time at the Emirates Stadium after the 0-0 draw that nobody expected, Blackburn Rovers manager Mark Hughes, who had characteristically spent the entire game looking the very picture of misery and disputing every decision against his players, allowed a thin smile to break out, just for a second.

It was a smile of satisfaction, the kind you get when you return to a stadium where you have been hammered 6-2, defend in depth and stubbornly carve out a 0-0 F.A. Cup draw which Hughes will no doubt regard as a tactical triumph.

To a certain extent he would be right. Blackburn did defend doggedly and resolutely and in the process were sufficiently uncompromising in many of their challenges to warrant the club changing its name to ‘Fouls R Us’. Fortunately for them, the naïve Mr Atkinson, who like most of his colleagues has clearly never played the game at a level which would command respect, failed to recognise most of their offences and in the 76th minute excelled himself by turning down a blatant penalty when Warnock brought down Aliadiere (the referee had a clear view and the foul was so obvious that even Brad Friedel admitted as much in a post-match interview).

What was also fortunate for Blackburn is that Arsenal, clearly jaded after their epic midweek struggle at Bolton, were unable to capitalise on the few chances they created. In the first few minutes, a clever pass from Hoyte presented Gunners captain Thierry Henry with a wonderful chance, but to Blackburn’s relief he blazed his volley over from six yards and late in the game the same player’s tame volley allowed Friedel to palm the ball away. And when Rosicky broke through and flicked the ball goalwards in the dying minutes, Friedel was there again to save the day.