Blackburn Rovers 1
Newcastle United 1
(After extra time; Newcastle won 4-3 on penalties)
MARTIN DUBRAVKA SAVED twice as Newcastle beat Blackburn 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in a compelling FA Cup fifth-round tie at Ewood Park on Tuesday.
The Newcastle goalkeeper denied Sammie Szmodics and Dom Hyam from the spot to secure a nervy victory after the Premier League outfit were taken all the way by the side 16th in the Championship.
Blackburn had enjoyed the upper hand for large spells of the game, but fell behind when Anthony Gordon broke the deadlock after 71 minutes.
Rovers hit back and forced extra time with an equaliser from the impressive Szmodics, but neither side could find a winner before it fell to spot-kicks to determine the outcome.
Szmodics was the main Rovers dangerman and went close when he lashed a shot into the side-netting.
Tyrhys Dolan broke into the box and drew a good save from Dubravka, whose fingertip touch deflected the ball past Szmodics.
Szmodics then tried his luck from long range, finding only the keeper, before beating Fabian Schar and testing Dubravka again.
Newcastle offered little before the break aside from an angled Sean Longstaff strike which did not trouble Aynsley Pears.
Rovers started the second half the brighter and Dolan called Dubravka into action again with a firm strike from the edge of the area.
Newcastle manager Eddie Howe changed the balance just after the hour as he sent on Miguel Almiron, Lewis Miley and Ashley Barnes in a triple change.
The Magpies began to take control, and Gordon made the breakthrough 19 minutes from time, calmly stroking home after a good run and neat cutback by Almiron.
It felt harsh on Rovers but, rather than lie down and accept defeat, the hosts rallied.
Newcastle’s lead lasted eight minutes as Arnor Sigurdsson broke down the right and picked out Dilan Markanday, who thumped a first-time shot against the bar. Szmodics was the quickest to react to the rebound and coolly guided the bouncing ball into the net.
Rovers almost snatched victory in stoppage time as Yasin Ayari’s deflected shot was saved by Dubravka with his legs.
After neither side could find a breakthrough in extra time, it was Dubravka who proved the hero in the shoot-out, saving from Szmodics and then tipping Hyam’s shot onto the post.
Bournemouth 0-1 Leicester City (after extra time)
SUBSTITUTE ABDUL FATAWU scored a stunning extra-time winner as Bournemouth lost 1-0 at home to Championship leaders Leicester.
Fatawu collected Kelechi Iheanacho’s pass on the edge of the penalty area before bending a powerful left-foot shot into the top corner to send the Foxes into the quarter-finals.
Leicester made nine changes from the side beaten at home by promotion rivals Leeds last week but still showed their Premier League credentials.
Bournemouth rested top-scorer Dominic Solanke and handed a full debut to January transfer window signing Enes Unal.
Turkey international Unal caught the eye with an industrious first-half display, although his ninth-minute 30-yard free-kick was a touch ambitious as it flew high and wide.
Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott should have done better after being picked out by Luis Sinisterra’s low cross but he blazed over from midway inside the penalty area.
The Foxes had another big let-off 11 minutes before half-time as left-back Milos Kerkez drilled a cross-shot towards the six-yard box but Unal could only stab wide.
Albrighton, one of the few survivors from Leicester’s 2021 FA Cup-winning side, was inches away from firing the Foxes ahead in the 41st minute when his low strike from the edge of the area slammed against a post.
Bournemouth’s Irish goalkeeper Mark Travers then made an acrobatic save to turn Wanya Marcal’s follow-up effort over the crossbar.
It was Bournemouth’s turn to be denied by the woodwork five minutes into the second half as Marcos Senesi’s long-range curler beat Leicester’s stand-in keeper Jakub Stolarczyk before hitting a post.
Yunus Akgun should have won it four minutes from the end of normal time when he found himself one-on-one with Travers but blazed over.
Just as the game looked to be heading for a penalty shootout, Ghanaian Fatawu won it in the final minute of the first half of extra time.
