FA Cup 2016/17: Blackburn Rovers 1-2 Manchester United, 5 Talking Points
Manchester United overcame a spirited Blackburn Rovers side to earn a hard-fought victory at Ewood Park and qualify for the quarter-finals of this season’s FA Cup.
Danny Graham gave Blackburn a deserved lead before Marcus Rashford finished off an excellent counter attack to level matters. Substitutes Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic combined to complete the turnaround for Jose Mourinho’s side, who had to hold off a late surge from the Marvin Emnes-inspired opposition to confirm their spot in the last eight.
Also read: FA Cup 2016-17: Draw Announced - Manchester United and Chelsea to clash in quarters
Here are the takeaways from a fantastic game at Ewood Park:
#1 Marvin Emnes stars for Blackburn
Blackburn approached this game with a positive mindset, opting to play 4-4-2 with Marvin Emnes and Danny Graham up front, while they deployed two lines of four to neutralise United’s possession.
As the game progressed, the decision to have a partnership in attack seemed to be paying off, as Emnes and Graham gave the centre-half pairing of Marcos Rojo and Chris Smalling plenty of problems.
Emnes, in particular, starred for Blackburn as he used his physical prowess to shrug off defenders and keep possession while preventing Michael Carrick in defensive midfield from locating a teammate with a forward pass.
The Swansea loanee was instrumental in the build-up to Blackburn’s goal, holding off Rojo before playing a reverse ball to Graham, who caught Smalling ball watching and used the space to get a shot away and into the back of the net.
Though their authority on the game waned in the second half due to Graham’s withdrawal and Manchester United pressure, this partnership can help them overcome their disastrous Championship campaign, where they currently sit second from bottom.