Blackburn Rovers 3, Leeds United 0: Back in the days when David O'Leary managed Leeds United and European glory seemed within touching distance, Brett Emerton was rumoured to be on the brink of a move to Elland Road.
Instead the Australian ended up at Ewood Park where he has all too often failed to convince but last night scored his first goal of the season, thereby helping propel Blackburn into the fourth round.
Signficantly both Emerton's goal and Paul Dickov's late second were made by Craig Bellamy, as the second-half substitute proved the difference between the two sides. Lukas Neill's last minute goal rub salt into Leeds' wounds.
Winning promotion from the Championship is Kevin Blackwell's priority and he brought a diluted Leeds team across the Pennines last night. Rob Hulse, his leading scorer, sat alongside Eddie Lewis and Jonathan Douglas on the bench but Gary Kelly was given the night off.
Mark Hughesnamed a strong team with his decision to start Bellamy on the bench more to do with the striker's recovery from knee trouble than conserving his energies for the Premiership.
Set-pieces seemed the likeliest route to goal for Blackburn and Neil Sullivan performed wonderfully to tip Robbie Savage's 30-yard free-kick to safety. From Morten Gamst Pedersen's in-swinging corner Andy Todd was offered an inviting headed chance but miscued horribly.
Both Hughes and Blackwell belong to a select handful of managers who hold the applied football management certificate from Warwick University. Yet possession of this blue-riband qualification failed to prevent their teams from beginning the second half in similarly huff-puff, strictly non-inspirational, mode.
All too typically, when Savage conjured a curling, defence bisecting cross and found Shefki Kuqi unmarked the striker could not get a proper purchase on his header. The time had come for Kuqi's replacement by Bellamy and the introduction of the striker created a frisson among a hitherto lacklustre home crowd.
At least it had stopped raining and there was also a Blackburn goal to celebrate before too long.
Not surprisingly Bellamy proved a catalyst - Graeme Souness's bête noir received a square ball from Pedersen before passing to the previously anonymous Brett Emerton. Entering the area on the right, the Australian beat Sullivan with a low drive which Matthew Kilgallon's flailing challenge did nothing to deter.
BLACKBURN ROVERS: Friedel, Neill, Todd, Khizanishvili (Mokoena 68), Gray, Emerton, Savage, Tugay, Pedersen, Kuqi (Bellamy 53), Dickov (Jansen 78). Subs not used: Enckelman, Bentley. Booked: Emerton, Tugay. Goals: Emerton 60, Dickov 76, Neill 89.
LEEDS UTD: Sullivan, Richardson, Butler, Kilgallon, Harding, Moore, Einarsson, Gregan (Douglas 70), Pugh (Lewis 72), Healy, Blake (Hulse 77). Subs not used: Bennett, Walton. Sent off: Einarsson (86). Booked: Einarsson.
Referee: C Foy (Merseyside).
