2009–10 Blackburn Rovers F.C. season

The end of the previous season saw the departure of first-team squad players. André Ooijer,[1] Aaron Mokoena[2] and Tugay Kerimoğlu[3] all left the club on free transfers. With that in mind, Sam Allardyce wasted no time in bringing new additions into the club, with the signing of the South African international winger Elrio Van Heerden[4] from Club Brugge on 2 June on a free transfer.

A few weeks later, Roque Santa Cruz[5] signed for Manchester City, ending 12 months of speculation. Two days later, Matt Derbyshire[6] completed a move to Olympiacos, where he had been on loan since January 2009. With the incoming cash, Blackburn quickly move to secure Gaël Givet[7] to a permanent contract following his successful loan spell from Marseille in the second half of the prior season.

He was swiftly followed into Ewood Park by another free transfer, right-back Lars Jacobsen,[8] who had been released from Everton following two years plagued by injury, and Steven Nzonzi,[9] a central midfielder who joined from French club Amiens for an undisclosed fee.

With the departure of two strikers and the lack of depth shown up front the prior season by being forced to play Christopher Samba as a striker for the most part, the attention was then shifted to strengthening the frontline. After being linked to numerous big-name strikers such as Bojan,[10] Ruud van Nistelrooy[11] and Christian Vieri[12] throughout the summer, Blackburn finally secured the signings of Franco Di Santo[13] on loan and the permanent signing of Croatian striker Nikola Kalinić[14] in early August. Due to the arrival of two new strikers, Paul Gallagher was allowed to leave the club, joining Championship side Leicester City in order to play regular first-team football.[15]

In mid-August, Míchel Salgado[16] became available on a free transfer after being released by Real Madrid. Given Allardyce's previous experience of prolonging older players careers, Salgado opted to join Blackburn. This would seemingly signal the end of any summer transfer activity as the board had requested that the wage bill be reduced and that a large amount of the transfer fees received from the sales of Santa Cruz and Derbyshire go towards paying off existing debt and supporting the upcoming season's wage bill.[17]

However, after the season had begun, Aston Villa began to pursue Blackburn's previous player of the season, Stephen Warnock.[18] Unable to resist the money on offer, Blackburn accepted the bid and allowed the player to leave. A reason behind allowing the move was that a ready replacement was already lined up, in the form of Pascal Chimbonda,[19] who joined on the same day as Warnock departed.

Barring loan deals to lower league teams, this would mark the end of Blackburn's summer transfer activities.

Cambridge v Blackburn Rovers

14 July 2009	Cambridge	0–4	Blackburn Rovers	Cambridge
		Report	Andrews  27' Diouf  37' Roberts  57' (79)	Stadium: Abbey Stadium Attendance: 1,813

Roma v Blackburn Rovers

16 July 2009	Roma	2–2	Blackburn Rovers	Bolzano
	Taddei  24' Riise  36'	Report	Gallagher  44' Doran  52'	Stadium: Druso Stadium Attendance: 9,074

Hajduk Split v Blackburn ROvers

18 July 2009	Hajduk Split	1–0	Blackburn ROvers	Split
	Ibričić  12'	Report		Stadium: Gradski stadion u Poljudu

Leeds United v Blackburn Rovers

25 July 2009	Leeds United	1–1	Blackburn Rovers	Leeds
	Beckford  50'	Report	Gallagher  89' (pen.)	Stadium: Elland Road Attendance: 11,885

Sheffield Wednesday v Blackburn Rovers

1 August 2009	Sheffield Wednesday	2–2	Blackburn Rovers	Sheffield
	Sodje  23' Tudgay  50'	Report	Nelsen  6' Roberts  21'	Stadium: Hillsborough Attendance: 5,579

Dundee United v Blackburn Rovers

8 August 2009	Dundee United	2–0	Blackburn Rovers	Blackburn
	Shala  27' Khizanishvili  71' (o.g.)	Report		Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 3,717

• The matches against Nacional and Hajduk Split were both 45 minutes in length as part of a mini tournament.
• The match against Roma ended with a penalty shoot-out which Blackburn lost 3–2.

Blackburn v Manchester City

15 August 2009	Blackburn	0–2	Manchester City	Blackburn
15:00	Warnock  84' Gallagher  90'	Report	Adebayor  3' Ireland  90+1' Richards  79'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 29,584 Referee: Mike Dean

Sunderland v Blackburn

22 August 2009	Sunderland	2–1	Blackburn	Sunderland
15:00	Jones  32', 53' Cattermole  45+1' Bardsley  81'	Report	Givet  21' McCarthy  90+1'	Stadium: Stadium of light Attendance: 37,106 Referee: Alan Wiley

Blackburn v West Ham United

29 August 2009	Blackburn	0–0	West Ham United	Blackburn
15:00	Dunn  75'	Report	Collins  9' Noble  54' Parker  79'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 23,421 Referee: Phil Dowd

At the end of August, Blackburn were sitting 18th in the table, taking only 1 point from a possible 9.

Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points

Blackburn v Wolves

12 September 2009	Blackburn	3–1	Wolves	Blackburn
15:00	Diouf  19' Roberts  56' Dunn  64' Andrews  81'	Report	Maierhofer  88' Stearman  66' Berra  86'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 24,845 (7,448 away) Referee: Steve Bennett

Everton v Blackburn

20 September 2009	Everton	3–0	Blackburn	Liverpool
15:00	Saha  22', 54' Yobo  58' Heitinga  18'	Report	Dunn  37' Diouf  65'	Stadium: Goodison Park Attendance: 35,546 Referee: Lee Mason

Blackburn v Aston Villa

26 September 2009	Blackburn	2–1	Aston Villa	Blackburn
15:00	Samba  24' Dunn  89' (pen.),  60' Grella  34'  68'	Report	Agbonlahor  3' Delph  55' Petrov  66'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 25,172 Referee: Mark Clattenburg

From the September fixtures Blackburn had taken 6 points from a possible 9 and moved up to 13th in the table.

Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points

Arsenal v Blackburn

5 October 2009	Arsenal	6–2	Blackburn	London
13:30	Vermaelen  17' Van Persie  33'  45+3' Arshavin  37' Fàbregas  57' Walcott  75' Bendtner  89'	Report	Nzonzi  4' Dunn  30' Di Santo  11'	Stadium: Emirates Stadium Attendance: 59,431 Referee: Peter Walton

Blackburn Rovers v Burnley

18 October 2009	Blackburn Rovers	3–2	Burnley	Blackburn
13:00	Dunn  9' Di Santo  21',  22' Chimbonda  43' Nzonzi  51' Samba  87'	Report	Blake  5' Eagles  90+2' Carlisle  83' Mears  86' Jensen  90+3'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 26,689 Referee: Chris Foy

Chelsea v Blackburn

24 October 2009	Chelsea	5–0	Blackburn	London
17:30	Givet  20' (o.g.) Lampard  48', 59' (pen.) Essien  52' Drogba  64'	Report	Pedersen  45+1'	Stadium: Stamford Bridge Attendance: 40,836 Referee: Alan Wiley

Manchester United v Blackburn

31 October 2009	Manchester United	2–0	Blackburn	Manchester
17:30	Berbatov  55' Rooney  87'	Report	Emerton  35' Chimbonda  37'	Stadium: Old Trafford Attendance: 74,658 Referee: Phil Dowd

From the October fixtures Blackburn had taken 3 points from a possible 12 and moved down to 17th in the table.

Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points

Blackburn v Portsmouth

7 November 2009	Blackburn	3–1	Portsmouth	Blackburn
15:00	Roberts  53', 86' Nelsen  73',  40' Chimbonda  35' Givet  36'	Report	O'Hara  15',  35' Boateng  56' Brown  65'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 23,110 Referee: Peter Walton

Bolton Wanderers v Blackburn

22 November 2009	Bolton Wanderers	0–2	Blackburn	Bolton
13:30	Taylor  41' Muamba  44' Klasnić  79'	Report	Dunn  31',  44' Ricketts  72' (o.g.)	Stadium: Reebok Stadium Attendance: 21,777 Referee: Mike Dean

Fulham v Blackburn

25 November 2009	Fulham	3–0	Blackburn	London
20:00	Nevland  43' Dempsey  67', 88'	Report		Stadium: Craven Cottage Attendance: 21,414 Referee: Stuart Attwell

Blackburn v Stoke City

28 November 2009	Blackburn	0–0	Stoke City	Blackburn
15:00	Di Santo  60'	Report	Whitehead  37' Wilkinson  89'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 25,143 Referee: Howard Webb

At the end of November Blackburn were sitting 13th in the table taking 7 points from a possible 12.

Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points

Blackburn v Liverpool

5 December 2009	Blackburn	0–0	Liverpool	Blackburn
15:00	Diouf  55'	Report		Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 29,660 Referee: Martin Atkinson

Hull City v Blackburn

12 December 2009	Hull City	0–0	Blackburn	Hull
15:00	Marney  9'	Report	Kalinić  63' Samba  71'	Stadium: KC Stadium Attendance: 24,124 Referee: Chris Foy

Birmingham City v Blackburn

15 December 2009	Birmingham City	2–1	Blackburn	Birmingham
20:00	Jerome  12', 48',  48' Ferguson  90+3'	Report	Nelsen  69',  57' Nzonzi  45+1'	Stadium: St Andrews Attendance: 23,187 Referee: Michael Jones

Blackburn v Tottenham Hotspur

19 December 2009	Blackburn	0–2	Tottenham Hotspur	Blackburn
15:00		Report	Crouch  45+2', 82' Ćorluka  34'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 29,490 Referee: Peter Walton

Wigan Athletic v Blackburn

26 December 2009	Wigan Athletic	1–1	Blackburn	Wigan
15:00	Rodallega  53' Thomas  90+3'	Report	McCarthy  29' Salgado  14' Givet  37' Chimbonda  43' Nzonzi  84'	Stadium: DW Stadium Attendance: 20,243 Referee: Mark Clattenburg

Blackburn v Sunderland

28 December 2009	Blackburn	2–2	Sunderland	Blackburn
15:00	Pedersen  53' Diouf  77' McCarthy  62'	Report	Bent  52', 65' Nosworthy  30' Meyler  36' Bardsley  88' Da Silva  90+4'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 25,656 Referee: Mike Dean

At the end of December Blackburn remained 13th in the table taking 4 points from a possible 18.

Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points

Manchester City v Blackburn

11 January 2010	Manchester City	4–1	Blackburn	Manchester
20:00	Tevez  7', 49', 90+1' Richards  39' Zabaleta  61'	Report	Pedersen  71'  78'	Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium Attendance: 40,292 Referee: Chris Foy

Blackburn v Fulham

17 January 2010	Blackburn	2–0	Fulham	Blackburn
15:00	Samba  25',  28' Nelsen  54'	Report	Baird  82' Nevland  85' Gera  90'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 21,287 Referee: Kevin Friend

Blackburn v Wigan

27 January 2010	Blackburn	2–1	Wigan	Blackburn
20:00	Pedersen  20' Kalinić  76' Reid  59' Nzonzi  83' Robinson  90+1'	Report	Caldwell  58' Diamé  71'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 22,190 Referee: Lee Mason

West Ham United v Blackburn

30 January 2010	West Ham United	0–0	Blackburn	London
15:00		Report	Emerton  38'	Stadium: Boleyn Ground Attendance: 33,093 Referee: Peter Walton

At the end of January Blackburn were sitting 10th in the table taking 7 points from a possible 12.

Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points

Stoke City v Blackburn

6 February 2010	Stoke City	3–0	Blackburn	Stoke on Trent
15:00	Higginbotham  8' Sidibe  45+2' Etherington  67' Shawcross  37' Fuller  73'	Report	Samba  37'  59' Nzonzi  52' Andrews  90+3'	Stadium: Britannia Stadium Attendance: 27,386 Referee: Steve Bennett

Blackburn v Hull City

10 February 2010	Blackburn	1–0	Hull City	Blackburn
19:45	Myhill  16' (o.g.) Nelsen  75'	Report	McShane  51' Altidore  61' Gardner  77' Boateng  40'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 23,518 Referee: Lee Probert

Blackburn v Bolton Wanderers

21 February 2010	Blackburn	3–0	Bolton Wanderers	Blackburn
14:00	Kalinić  41' Roberts  73' Givet  84'	Report	Steinsson  75'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 23,888 Referee: Chris Foy

Liverpool v Blackburn

28 February 2010	Liverpool	2–1	Blackburn	Liverpool
13:00	Gerrard  20' Torres  44' Lucas  90+2'	Report	Andrews  40' Salgado  17' Olsson  48' Nzonzi  50' Kalinić  50' Diouf  70'	Stadium: Anfield Attendance: 42,795 Referee: Alan Wiley

At the end of February Blackburn were sitting 10th in the table taking 6 points from a possible 12.

Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points

Tottenham Hotspur v Blackburn

13 March 2010	Tottenham Hotspur	3–1	Blackburn	London
12:45	Defoe  45+1' Pavlyuchenko  55', 85'	Report	Samba  80'	Stadium: White Hart Lane Attendance: 35,474 Referee: Howard Webb

Blackburn v Chelsea

21 March 2010	Blackburn	1–1	Chelsea	Blackburn
16.00	Diouf  70'	Report	Drogba  6' Zhirkov  88'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 25,554 Referee: Steve Bennett

Blackburn v Birmingham City

24 March 2010	Blackburn	2–1	Birmingham City	Blackburn
20.00	Dunn  5', 67' Dunn  68' Andrews  89'	Report	McFadden  55' Carr  86'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 23,856 Referee: Mark Clattenburg

Burnley v Blackburn Rovers

28 March 2010	Burnley	0–1	Blackburn Rovers	Turf Moor
12:00		Report	Dunn  20'	Attendance: 21,546 Referee: Mike Dean

At the end of March Blackburn were sitting 10th in the table taking 7 points from a possible 12.

Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points

Portsmouth v Blackburn

3 April 2010	Portsmouth	0–0	Blackburn	Portsmouth
15:00	Vanden Borre  43',  60' Brown  74'	Report	Dunn  50'	Stadium: Fratton Park Attendance: 16,207 Referee: Steve Bennett

Blackburn v Manchester United

11 April 2010	Blackburn	0–0	Manchester United	Blackburn
13:30	Salgado  23'	Report	Neville  70' Gibson  87'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 29,912 Referee: Peter Walton

Blackburn v Everton

17 April 2010	Blackburn	2–3	Everton	Blackburn
15:00	Nzonzi  69' Roberts  81' Pedersen  20' Andrews  65' Roberts  82'	Report	Arteta  4' (pen.) Yakubu  79' Cahill  90' Arteta  20' Distin  76'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 27,022 Referee: Andre Marriner

Wolverhampton v Blackburn

24 April 2010	Wolverhampton	1–1	Blackburn	Wolverhampton
15:00	Ebanks-Blake  81'	Report	Nelsen  28' Pedersen  54'	Stadium: Molineux Stadium Attendance: 28,967 Referee: Mark Clattenburg

At the end of April Blackburn were sitting 11th in the table taking 3 points from a possible 12.

Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points

Blackburn v Arsenal

3 May 2010	Blackburn	2–1	Arsenal	Blackburn
17:00	Grella  25' Dunn  43' Pedersen  59' Samba  68'	Report	Van Persie  13' Silvestre  65' Campbell  90'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 26,138 Referee: Martin Atkinson

Aston Villa v Blackburn

9 May 2010	Aston Villa	0–1	Blackburn	Birmingham
16:00	Dunne  7' A. Young  78'	Report	Dunn  58' Dunne  84' (o.g.)	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 41,799 Referee: Steve Bennett

At the end of the season Blackburn finished 10th in the table taking a maximum 6 points out of 6 in May.

Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; F = Goals for; A = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points

Aston Villa v Blackburn

2 January 2010	Aston Villa	3-1	Blackburn	Birmingham
15.00	Delfouneso  12' Cuéllar  37' Carew  90+1' (pen) Reo-Coker  31'	Report	Kalinić  55' Salgado  37' Diouf  42'	Stadium: Villa Park Attendance: 25,453 Referee: Howard Webb

Both managers seemed to have placed the mid-week League Cup semi-final higher on the priority list as, between them, they made a total of 16 changes from the teams that started their previous matches.

Villa's line-up was the stronger of the two and the home side went ahead after 12 minutes. Cutting in from the left, Ashley Young centred the ball to Nathan Delfouneso, who opened the scoring with a straightforward header from 10 yards out. Young could have extended the lead himself before Villa conceded a penalty when Nigel Reo-Coker was adjudged to have brought down Steven Reid, but Brad Guzan saved from David Dunn. The miss was made worse when Young's free-kick was glanced in by Carlos Cuéllar to give Villa a 2–0 lead six minutes later. Things got even bleaker for Rovers when El-Hadji Diouf was given a straight red card before the break when he recklessly brought down Habib Beye.

Blackburn's attempts to get back into the match were given an unexpected lift when Guzan dropped an inswinging corner to allow Nikola Kalinić to score. Villa suddenly looked perturbed and Kalinić could have levelled matters after being sent clear by substitute Morten Gamst Pedersen, but Villa restored their authority when Reo-Coker had a shot turned round the post and, in the 90th minute, Gaël Givet brought down John Carew in the box with the Norwegian sending Rovers keeper Jason Brown the wrong way from the spot to send Blackburn crashing out at the first hurdle.

Gillingham v Blackburn

25 August 2009	Gillingham	1–3	Blackburn	Gillingham
19:45	Jackson  70' (pen.) Gowling  31' Fuller  53'	Report	Dunn  5' Hoilett  47' Pedersen  74' Kalinić  38' Reid  45' Olsson  61' Brown  69'	Stadium: Priestfield Stadium, Attendance: 7,293 Referee: Kevin Friend

As one of the 13 Premier League teams not involved in European competition, Blackburn entered at the second round along with the winners from the first round plus Newcastle United and Middlesbrough, who also received a first round bye. The draw for the second round took place on 12 August, after the first round had been completed.[20] Blackburn were drawn away to Gillingham; the match was played on 25 August.[21]

Blackburn started the game brightly and, within 5 minutes, were 1–0 up when David Dunn slotted home Nikola Kalinić's through ball. Gillingham pressed for an equaliser and went closest when Mark McCammon headed just wide. Two minutes after the break, Rovers doubled their lead when Keith Andrews crossed the ball for David Hoilett to score his first goal for the club with a diving header. In the 70th minute Zurab Khizanishvili brought down Simeon Jackson in the box; Jackson himself got back up and scored from the spot to bring Gillingham back into the game. It proved not to be for Gillingham as Blackburn's progress into the next round was sealed 4 minutes later when Morten Gamst Pedersen scored direct from a corner on the right hand side.

Nottingham Forest v Blackburn

22 September 2009	Nottingham Forest	0–1	Blackburn	Nottingham
19:45	Earnshaw	Report	McCarthy  37' Salgado  16'	Stadium: City Ground, Attendance: 11,553 Referee: Michael Oliver

The draw for the third round took place on 29 August, after the second round had been played. The seven Premier League teams involved in European competition entered at this stage, joined by the winners from the second round. Blackburn were drawn away to Nottingham Forest; the tie was played on 22 September.[21]

Both teams created a few chances in an opening period where Forest looked more than a match for their Premiership rivals, although it was Blackburn who took the lead in the 37th minute when Benni McCarthy's cross-cum-shot-cum-free kick bypassed everyone in the box and nestled in the far corner. Forest were nearly level soon after when Robert Earnshaw's freekick struck the corner of the goal frame with Jason Brown beaten. Forest continued to press after the break and were awarded a penalty on 70 minutes when Steven Reid handled in the box. Dexter Blackstock stepped up to take the penalty but it was saved by Jason Brown. In the 90th minute Earnshaw had an even better chance to draw his team level but managed to blast over from a yard out.

Blackburn v Peterborough

27 October 2009	Blackburn	5–2	Peterborough	Blackburn
20:00	Pedersen  4' Reid  45' (pen) Salgado  57' McCarthy  72' Kalinić  74' (pen ) Givet  26'	Report	Whelpdale  17' Boyd  50' Lewis  43'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 8,419 Referee: Anthony Taylor

The draw for the fourth round took place after the third-round games had been played, on 26 September; the matches were played in the week beginning 26 October.[21] Blackburn were drawn at home to Championship side Peterborough.

Sam Allardyce opted to make seven changes from the team beaten at Chelsea and was swiftly rewarded when Morten Gamst Pedersen rifled home a free kick in the fourth minute. Peterborough fought back and after a dangerous free kick of their own equalised when Chris Whelpdale headed Chris Rowe's cross back across Jason Brown and into the back of the net. Just before half-time Peterborough were reduced to ten men when goalkeeper Joe Lewis was sent off when he brought down Pedersen after a defensive header had fallen short. Steven Reid stepped up to take the penalty and, despite slipping whilst taking the kick, still scored.

5 minutes after the restart Peterborough once again got themselves on level terms when George Boyd hit a fierce left-foot effort past Brown. The game was effectively ended as a contest in the 57th minute when Míchel Salgado collected Brett Emerton's pass and blasted in his first goal in English football. In the 72nd minute Benni McCarthy calmly slid the ball past substitute keeper James McKeown after being put through by Nikola Kalinić and, when Blackburn were awarded a penalty for handball two minutes later, Kalinić stepped up to the spot and converted for his first goal for the club. Blackburn were successfully through to the fifth round for the third successive season.

Blackburn Rovers v Chelsea

2 December 2009	Blackburn Rovers	3-3 (a.e.t.) (4 – 3 p)	Chelsea	Blackburn
20:00	Kalinić  9' Emerton  64' McCarthy  93' (pen.) Grella  106'	Report	Drogba  48' Kalou  52' Ferreira  120+1' Bruma  101'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 18,136 Referee: Alan Wiley
	Penalties
	McCarthy Emerton Grella Kalinić Hoilett		Ballack Drogba Malouda Zhirkov Kakuta

The fifth round draw took place on 31 October, with Blackburn being handed a home tie against Chelsea. The match was played on 2 December.[21]

The tie started at a fast and frenetic pace, with both teams showing a willingness to attack from the opening whistle. Nikola Kalinić shot wide under pressure from Ferreira shortly before his ninth-minute opener, a well-constructed goal that saw Morten Gamst Pedersen play in Pascal Chimbonda, who in turn drilled the ball low across the face of goal for Kalinić to slot home. Chelsea were unusually wasteful in possession and struggled to create clear-cut openings. Even so, Salomon Kalou, John Obi Mikel, Joe Cole, Michael Ballack and Yuri Zhirkov all either forced regulation saves from Paul Robinson or missed the target before the break. Kalou's miss was the most glaring, heading wide from six yards at the far post.

Carlo Ancelotti made a bold triple substitution at half-time, introducing Jeffrey Bruma, Gaël Kakuta and Didier Drogba. It looked like a good decision as, after being on the pitch for just three minutes, Drogba climbed above Ryan Nelsen to head home Florent Malouda's cross. Four minutes later, Chelsea took the lead when Zhirkov collected a loose ball and released Kalou, who closed in on goal before slotting the ball beyond Robinson. Rovers levelled in the 64th minute when Kalinić attempted to head Brett Emerton's deflected cross at the near post. The striker didn't appear to get anything on the ball but, regardless, did enough to distract Hilario and the ball went in at the far post.

Chelsea were reduced to ten men when Kalou limped off; due to the triple change at half-time, they were unable to bring on a replacement. Rovers thought they had snatched a dramatic victory in injury-time but McCarthy's effort was ruled out for offside. Kalinić then forced a good save from Hilário but Chelsea survived to take the match into extra-time.

Rovers' pressure eventually told when the home team regained the lead from the penalty spot early in extra-time. Zhirkov clearly fouled substitute David Hoilett and McCarthy sent Hilário the wrong way from the penalty spot. Ferreira equalised with just about the last action of extra time with a neat finish from a tight angle after Robinson had flapped at a cross.

Kakuta missed the crucial spot kick as Rovers won the shoot-out 4–3 to seal a place in the last four. The 18-year-old struck the ball straight at Paul Robinson, who had earlier sensationally tipped Michael Ballack's spot kick on to the post.

Blackburn v Aston Villa

14 January 2010	Blackburn	0-1	Aston Villa	Blackburn
20.00	McCarthy  89'	Report	Milner  23' Agbonlahor  38'	Stadium: Ewood Park Attendance: 18,595 Referee: Mark Clattenburg

Originally scheduled for 5 January 2010, the first leg was postponed as police advised that the travelling conditions for both sets of supporters were unsafe.[22] The game was rearranged for 14 January.[23]

Aston Villa v Blackburn

20 January 2010	Aston Villa	6-4	Blackburn	Birmingham
19.45	Warnock  30' Milner  39' (pen.) Nzonzi  52' (o.g.) Agbonlahor  57' Heskey  62' Young  90+3' Milner  27' Heskey  60'	[ Report]	Kalinić  10', 26' Olsson  63' Emerton  84' Givet  35' Samba  38' Nzonzi  52'	Stadium: Villa Park Referee: Martin Atkinson

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 10 FW  RSA Benni McCarthy (to West Ham United)

Current squad

No.	Pos.	Name	League		FA Cup		League Cup		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	Paul Robinson	35	0	0	0	3	0	38	0
2	DF	Lars Jacobsen	11 (2)	0	0	0	1 (1)	0	12 (3)	0
4	DF	Christopher Samba	30	4	0	0	3	0	33	4
5	DF	Gaël Givet	33 (1)	2	1	0	3	0	37 (1)	2
6	DF	Ryan Nelsen	25 (3)	4	0	0	4 (1)	0	29 (4)	4
7	MF	Brett Emerton	17 (7)	0	0	0	5	2	22 (7)	2
8	MF	David Dunn	20 (3)	9	1	0	3 (1)	1	24 (4)	10
9	FW	Jason Roberts	15 (14)	5	0	0	1 (1)	0	16 (15)	5
11	MF	Vince Grella	10 (5)	0	0	0	0 (2)	0	10 (7)	0
12	MF	Morten Gamst Pedersen	27 (6)	3	0 (1)	0	5	2	32 (7)	5
13	DF	Zurab Khizanishvili	0	0	0 (1)	0	1	0	1 (1)	0
15	MF	Steven Nzonzi	33	2	0	0	5	0	38	2
16	MF	Steven Reid	1 (3)	0	1	0	3 (2)	1	5 (5)	1
17	MF	Keith Andrews	22 (10)	1	0	0	1 (2)	0	23 (12)	1
18	MF	El Hadji Diouf	24 (2)	3	1	0	0	0	25 (2)	3
19	MF	Aaron Doran	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
20	MF	Yıldıray Baştürk	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
21	DF	Martin Olsson	19 (2)	1	1	0	4 (1)	1	24 (3)	2
22	FW	Nikola Kalinić	14 (12)	2	1	1	6	4	21 (12)	7
23	FW	David Hoilett	8 (15)	0	0	0	3 (1)	1	11 (16)	1
25	MF	Alan Judge	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
26	FW	Franco Di Santo	15 (7)	1	1	0	0 (1)	0	16 (8)	1
27	DF	Míchel Salgado	16 (5)	0	1	0	4	1	21 (5)	1
28	DF	Phil Jones	7 (2)	0	1	0	2	0	10 (2)	0
29	DF	Gavin Gunning	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
32	GK	Jason Brown	3 (1)	0	1	0	3	0	7 (1)	0
34	GK	Frank Fielding	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
38	GK	Mark Bunn	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
39	DF	Pascal Chimbonda	22 (2)	1	1	0	3 (1)	0	26 (3)	1

Former players

No.	Pos.	Name	League		FA Cup		League Cup		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
(3)	DF	Stephen Warnock	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
(10)	FW	Benni McCarthy	7 (7)	1	0	0	3 (2)	3	10 (9)	4
(14)	FW	Paul Gallagher	0 (1)	0	0	0	0	0	0 (1)	0
(20)	MF	Elrio Van Heerden	0	0	0	0	0 (2)	0	0 (2)	0
(24)	MF	Keith Treacy	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Substitution appearances in brackets

• Last Update: 31 January 2010[25]
• Data does not include appearances/goals obtained whilst at another club
• Substitution appearances in (brackets)
• League – Premier League
• FA Cup – FA Cup
• League Cup – League Cup

As of 31 January 2010

Top scorer As of 28 January 2010 P. Player Position Premier League FA Cup League Cup Total 1 David Dunn Midfielder 9 0 1 10 2 Nikola Kalinić Forward 2 1 4 7 3 Morten Gamst Pedersen Midfielder 3 0 2 5 4 Benni McCarthy Forward 1 0 3 4 5 Jason Roberts Forward 5 0 0 5

Most appearances As of 6 May 2010 P. Player Position Premier League FA Cup League Cup Total 1 Keith Andrews Midfielder 32 0 3 35 2 Morten Gamst Pedersen Midfielder 33 1 5 39 3 Gaël Givet Defender 34 1 3 38 4 Paul Robinson Goalkeeper 35 0 3 38 5 Steven Nzonzi Midfielder 33 0 5 38 Substitution appearances counted as full

Current squad

As of 13 May 2010

No.	Pos.	Name	League		FA Cup		League Cup		Total
1	GK	Paul Robinson	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
4	DF	Christopher Samba	5	1	0	0	0	1	5	2
5	DF	Gaël Givet	3	0	0	0	2	0	5	0
6	DF	Ryan Nelsen	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
7	MF	Brett Emerton	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
8	MF	David Dunn	7	0	0	0	0	0	7	0
11	MF	Vince Grella	2	1	0	0	1	0	3	1
12	MF	Morten Gamst Pedersen	5	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
15	MF	Steven Nzonzi	6	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
16	MF	Steven Reid	1	0	0	0	1	0	2	0
17	MF	Keith Andrews	4	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
18	MF	El Hadji Diouf	3	0	0	1	0	0	3	1
21	DF	Martin Olsson	1	0	0	0	1	0	2	0
22	FW	Nikola Kalinić	2	0	0	0	1	0	3	0
26	FW	Franco Di Santo	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
27	DF	Míchel Salgado	3	0	1	0	1	0	5	0
32	GK	Jason Brown	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
39	DF	Pascal Chimbonda	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
		TOTALS	54	2	1	1	8	1	63	4

Former players

No.	Pos.	Name	League		FA Cup		League Cup		Total
(3)	DF	Stephen Warnock	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
(10)	FW	Benni McCarthy	2	0	0	0	1	0	3	0
(14)	FW	Paul Gallagher	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
		TOTALS	4	0	0	0	1	0	5	0