- Fowler (29)
- Date:2006-04-16
- Kick-off:14:30
- Venue:Ewood Park
- Attendance:29142
- Referee:Wiley, A
Live Commentary
95mins
The referee blows up for full time as Liverpool take all three points.
92mins
Kromkamp is caught just offside as Liverpool push forward again.
90mins
Cisse misses a great chance when breaking through on goal before his the post.
89mins
Garcia blasts a shot over the bar from just inside the box.
86mins
Some great defending from Nelsen prevents Garcia making it 2-0.
85mins
Rovers win another corner but Hyypia is on hand to head clear Pedersen's cross.
83mins
Bellamy whips in a cross from the right but Pedersen cannot get enough on his shot at the far post.
82mins
Liverpool make their final change as Jan Kromkamp replaces Morientes.
80mins
Reina does well to punch clear Pedersen's whipped in cross from the left.
79mins
Pedersen tries his luck from range but his shot is tame and is easily dealt with by Reina.
77mins
Liverpool win a corner but Rovers manage to scramble Kewell's cross clear.
74mins
Morientes misses a great chance when heading wide following a great cross by Kewell.
72mins
Savage hits back at the other and shoots just wide of the post following a neat passing move.
71mins
Savage's mistake almost puts Sissoko clean through but Friedel is on hand to boot the ball clear.
69mins
Liverpool make their second change as Harry Kewell comes on for Warnock.
67mins
Blackburn make a change as Shefki Kuqi replaces Dickov.
64mins
Liverpool make a change as Fowler makes way for Luis Garcia.
63mins
Warnock tries his luck from range but it goes miles wide of Friedel's post.
62mins
Rovers continue to dominate and Carragher does well to clear Pedersen's near-post cross.
60mins
Dickov just fails to connect properly with Pedersen's cross and his header is gathered by Reina.
58mins
Bentley fires in a shot but the ball is easily gathered Reina.
56mins
Rovers waste the free kick though and Reina easily gathers Pedersen's cross.
55mins
Alonso is booked following a late tackle on Reid.
52mins
Dickov is again caught offside as Rovers continue to push.
50mins
Rovers force a corner and Nelsen just can't get enough on Pedersen's cross and the ball flashes wide.
48mins
Bentley's cross to the far post almost finds Bellamy but Reina is on hand to gather the ball.
46mins
Paul Dickov is caught just offside as Rovers try to mount an early attack.
45mins
The second half gets underway.
45mins
The referee brings the first half to an end.
44mins
Reid is booked following a late tackle on Cisse.
44mins
Cisse misses a great chance when going clean through on goal and can only blast his shot at Friedel.
42mins
Reid wins a free kick in a dangerous position but Liverpool manage to clear the danger.
39mins
John Arne Riise tries his luck from the edge of the area but his shot goes miles over.
37mins
Stephen Warnock puts the ball out for a corner but Neill's cross is headed clear by Sami Hyypia.
33mins
Rovers hit back and force another corner but again Pedersen's cross is poor and the danger passes.
30mins
Robbie Fowler fires home from close range after latching on to a cross from Morientes.
27mins
Mohamed Sissoko is booked following a late tackle on Reid.
25mins
Lucas Neill whips in a dangerous cross but Sami Hyypia is on hand to clear the danger for Liverpool.
23mins
Morientes feels he has good claims for a penalty turned down when he is brough down by Ryan Nelsen.
18mins
Craig Bellamy breaks into the box and wins a corner but Liverpool scramble Morten Gamst Pedersen's kick clear.
14mins
Savage is booked following a late lunge.
13mins
Rovers force a corner at the other end but Jose Manuel Reina is on hand to punch clear Robbie Savage's cross.
11mins
Liverpool win a free kick but Xabi Alonso's cross is blocked and Blackburn clear the danger.
10mins
Djibril Cisse is again caught offside as the game continues to be scrappy.
7mins
Fernando Morientes is caught just offside as Liverpool try to push forward.
4mins
The game has got off to a scrappy start with both sides struggling to get a foot on the ball.
1mins
Blackburn go on the attack and Steven Reid is unlucky to see his shot on the edge of the area blocked.
0mins
The referee blows up to get the clash underway.
Match Preview
Craig Bellamy will be keen to continue his rich vein of form when fifth-placed Blackburn entertain a Liverpool side that is two places and 16 points above them in the Premiership table.
The Wales international scored two magnificent goals in last weekend's entertaining 2-2 draw at Portsmouth to bring his tally for the season to 13 in only 18 starts and he has found the net six times in his last six matches.
Rovers remain in the hunt to finish fourth after a five-game unbeaten run but they would have expected to take more than two points from their last two games at home to Wigan Athletic and at Pompey.
However, with three of their last five games to be played at Ewood Park, Mark Hughes' side remains on course to battle with Tottenham and Arsenal for that coveted Champions League place until the final game of the season.
Liverpool still hope to finish second but Manchester United's nine-match winning sequence looks set to consign Rafa Benitez's side to third this time.
However, they have made great strides since last term's inconsistent Premiership campaign and have already amassed 70 points - 12 more than last season - and still have four games to play.
Last Sunday's narrow 1-0 victory against Bolton Wanderers was their fifth successive Premiership win a run that has seen them score 14 goals and concede only three. They have also reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup after thrashing Birmingham City 7-0 at St Andrew's.
Rovers have no injury worries going into the game while Liverpool's only absentee will be Bolo Zenden who is out for the season with a knee problem.
Earlier this season at Anfield, the Reds won 1-0 courtesy of a late Djibril Cisse goal after Rovers had been reduced to ten men in the first half when Zurab Khizanishvili, who sealed a permanent switch to Blackburn from Rangers earlier this week, was sent off.
It was only Liverpool's second win of the Premiership season in their seventh game of the campaign.
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Match Report
Rovers target Robbie Fowler put an end to Blackburn's hopes of a place in the Champions League with a controversial first-half strike.
Djibril Cisse looked to be in an offside position as Fowler bagged his third goal in as many games.
The European Champions snuffed out the threat of the in-form Craig Bellamy, as Mark Hughes' side slipped to their first home defeat in 13 games.
With Turkish playmaker Tugay still sidelined with a calf injury, Hughes named an unchanged side following last weekend's 2-2 draw at Portsmouth.
Steven Gerrard and Peter Crouch were the surprise absentees from the Liverpool squad, as Rafael Benitez clearly had one eye on next weekend's FA Cup semi-final.
Fernando Morientes partnered Fowler in attack, whilst Stephen Warnock and man of the match Mohamed Sissoko both returned to the starting line-up.
A minute's silence to mark the 17th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster was impeccably observed, but as play got underway, both sides remained relatively flat-footed for the opening half an hour.
The game sprung into life however in controversial circumstance on 29 minutes.
John Arne Riise's long throw to Fowler was chested into the path of Morientes, but with Cisse standing five yards offside, play was allowed to continue and Morientes squared the ball back to Fowler, who slotted home with a crisp right foot shot.
As the half-time whistle approached, the visitors almost doubled their lead with a swift break.
After a brilliant tackle on Bellamy, Sami Hyypia's long ball to Morientes was headed down to Fowler. The Liverpool legend then played in Cisse with a ball over the top, but the Frenchman's well struck shot was brilliantly saved by Brad Friedel, with the ball bouncing up onto the bar and out for a corner.
Fresh from the break, Rovers looked more of an attacking threat in the second half. After skipping past three Liverpool defenders, David Bentley fired low across goal, only for Jose Reina to smother the ball with Morten Gamst Pedersen arriving at the back post.
On 51 minutes, an in-swinging Pedersen corner was headed inches wide of the far post by Ryan Nelsen and just 20 minutes later, Rovers almost pulled level with their best move of the game.
Steven Reid's long ball out to the left was headed into the centre by Pedersen, Bellamy played in Robbie Savage with a deft first touch, but the midfielder's left foot strike found the side netting.
Morientes headed wide just a minute later, before Cisse ought to have wrapped up the points in the 90th minute.
The former Auxerre striker was played clean through down the left and after former Liverpool keeper Friedel saved his initial effort, the big number nine struck the post with the goal at his mercy.
Blackburn Rovers Team
Liverpool Team
Blackburn Rovers | Liverpool |
Corners
| 6 | 4 |
Fouls
| 12 | 11 |
Goal attempts
| 6 | 7 |
Shots off target
| 3 | 4 |
Offsides
| 5 | 5 |
94mins
Alonso wins a corner but his short kick to Kewell is wasted and Rovers clear.