It’s Zlat man again for Reds
Ibrahimovic strike sees United through after Rovers scare
ZLATAN Ibrahimovic continued his remarkable debut season in English football to keep Manchester United on course for a Treble at Ewood Park.
The Swedish veteran scored his 24th goal of the season to see off Blackburn’s spirited challenge and guide United into the FA Cup quarter-finals – and a return trip for manager Jose Mourinho to Chelsea.
Ibrahimovic has now scored in six different national cup competitions in his career – Sweden, Holland, Italy, Spain, France and now the oldest one of them all in England – but it is unlikely he has scored such a valuable goal as his latest effort.
With United struggling to break down Owen Coyle’s Rovers in this fifth-round tie, manager Mourinho had to send for the cavalry in the shape of Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba just after the hour. And the two combined for United’s 75th-minute winner.
Pogba lofted a superb pass over the Rovers defence from just inside his own half and Ibrahimovic timed his run to perfection to beat the offside trap. He allowed the ball to drop before spinning to angle his shot past Jason Steele.
It was typical of him to mark his debut in the FA Cup with a goal. And he has now scored in each of the five competitions he has played in this season, starting with the Community Shield back in August and continuing in the Premier League, EFL Cup and Europa League. He now looks a certainty to break the 30-goal mark this term, which makes a nonsense of suggestions that he might struggle with the intensity of English football.
United struggled with the quality of Rovers, who belied their lowly position in the Championship. Right from the kick-off, Coyle’s team rattled the Premier League club and took a deserved lead in the 17th minute.
Marvin Emnes had already tested Sergio Romero early on when he turned past Marcos Rojo to thread the ball through for Danny Graham to slip away from Chris Smalling and fire home. Mourinho applauded the goal but was soon punching the air in admiration and relief at the quality of United’s equaliser after 27 minutes.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan controlled Romero’s clearance before threading an inch-perfect ball through the Rovers defence for Marcus Rashford’s pace to do the rest. The youngster dribbled round Steele before scoring into an empty net. Rashford is struggling for a Premier League goal – his last was in September – but the FA Cup is providing some solace, as he also scored two in the third-round win over Reading.
United established more control in the second half without threatening too much. Mourinho was starting to fear a replay and further complications for United’s crowded fixture list when he sent on Pogba and Ibrahimovic
Top clubs pay the big bucks for players like these to make the difference in games like this, and the duo did not disappoint. The Swede wasted an early chance but he made no mistake from Pogba’s pass.
Rovers refused to throw in the towel and made United fight to the end. They caused some real scares for Mourinho’s men,
none more so than when Romero spilled a shot from substitute Connor Mahoney. The goalkeeper then parried Emnes’ follow-up effort before Anthony Stokes turned the ball home – only to be flagged offside.
Coyle went into the game praying for a ‘Robbie Blake moment.’ Blake scored a stunning volley to secure Coyle’s newly promoted Burnley a famous victory over United in August 2010. But if a triumph eluded Blackburn yesterday, their performance bodes well for their fight to stay in the Championship.
It was just sad that for such a tie there were plenty of empty seats at Ewood Park – underlining the antipathy towards the club’s controversial owners, the Venkys. United will be hoping this was a good omen. The last time they played Rovers in the cup in 1985 they went on to lift the trophy. But they are going to need to get past champions-elect and Mourinho’s former club Chelsea in the next round to repeat that feat.