FA Cup 4th round: Sheffield Wednesday 0 Blackburn Rovers 3 - Peter White's big match verdict

DAMIEN Duff provided the Irish cream on top of Blackburn Rovers' FA Cup cake at what proved a very happy Hillsborough for Roy Hodgson's side last night.

The Rovers boss reckons the boy from Ballyboden is currently going through the "bread and butter" stage of his career.

But Duff struck a wonderful third goal to add the dream topping for Rovers and send them to West Ham for a fifth round tie as much in expectation as hope.

It could be an omen that the last time Rovers enjoyed a significant run in the FA Cup, to the quarter finals in 1993, their hopes were cruelly dashed a few miles across the city of Sheffield at Bramall Lane.

This time there was no mistake with as ruthless a display of clinical finishing as you could wish to see.

And, while Duff produced a sensational finale, it was certainly the more experienced members of the side who won this game for Rovers at an eerie Hillsborough.

The effects of televising so many games 'live' are finally coming home to roost, as last night's attendance underlined.

But the Rovers fans, perched high behind one goal, managed to sustain the atmosphere in contrast to a subdued home crowd, who sensed the game was up once Tim Sherwood claimed a superb second goal.

On what is not one of the better surfaces in the Premier League, both teams opted for a lot of long hooked balls over the top of the opposition defence, hoping to catch them out with a high, awkward bounce.

Yet all three Rovers goals came from superbly-worked moves, not to mention brilliant finishing.

For all their possession, Wednesday rarely showed the same cutting edge as Rovers. After going behind early on to a team who don't fritter away leads lightly, the turning point for the Owls came two minutes into the second half.

Paolo Di Canio, the biggest threat to Rovers, picked out Benito Carbone at the far post and it should have been 2-1 with all to play for.

But the diminutive Italian put an insipid header against a post and they waved goodbye to their FA Cup hopes for another season.

It was the sort of chance that, on the night, Rovers would have put away.

Let off the hook, they then proceeded to control the second half against an increasingly frustrated home team.

Although there would have been a lot of anxious faces if Wednesday had managed to pull one back, on reflection, it was men against boys at times in that second period.

And, showing the capacity to break quickly and with quality, Rovers were close to the third that made the result a formality through Kevin Gallacher and Jason Wilcox before Duff finally made it count.

The one blot on the evening was the early injury to Stuart Ripley which forced a reshuffle, Duff going to the right flank, Wilcox moving forward and Patrick Valery taking over at left back.

Happily, it didn't really affect the balance of the side.

Rovers have played more fluently but full marks to them for their effectiveness. It was a tremendous away performance against a side unbeaten in their previous six games.

I felt before the start that, if Rovers created the type of chances they had in the Boxing Day clash, which finished 0-0, then they would have a great chance of winning. They did and took them with style. The way they counter-punched in the first half was breath-taking for both goals.

Overall, it was probably an even 45 minutes but Rovers had the bite.

It had looked so different when Wednesday went forward straight from the kick-off for Carbone to hit an impressive shot just over.

But Rovers stunned the home fans by taking the lead in their first serious attack.

It owed much to brilliant work by Kevin Gallacher and a bludgeoned finish by Chris Sutton, but also an horrendous blunder by Jon Newsome.

Gallacher dipped deep into his box of tricks, first of all to control a difficult ball, then to beat his man. The striker also showed great vision and timing to release Ripley on a run down the right.

The low cross looked destined to be cleared but Newsome let it squeeze underneath his foot and it bounced just outside the six-yard box where Sutton gleefully smashed a superb volley high into the net.

Tim Flowers, looking much happier at seeing more action than normal, saved well from Newsome's header before Rovers enjoyed their best spell midway through the half.

They were indebted to Flowers again, when Guy Whittingham struck a wicked volley on the half hour but, with a goal in the bank, there was always a measure of comfort about Rovers' work.

Perhaps the half was encapsulated seven minutes from the interval when Wednesday went close and, within seconds, Rovers had all but finished them off. Stephane Henchoz got them out of trouble at one end with an outstanding piece of covering and, as Wednesday battled to pile on the pressure, they were stunned by a lightning counter attack.

Sherwood started it with a superb crossfield pass to Sutton on the left. He flicked the ball on to Wilcox and his cross to the far post was perfection.

Somehow Kevin Pressman kept out Gallacher's shot but the ball rebounded and Sherwood, who must have chased fully 50 yards to get there, raced in to hit his shot high past a couple of defenders and the recovering keeper - a great finish.

Things threatened to turn nasty at one stage with tempers rising on and off the pitch but Rovers survived Carbone's poor finish and took a firm grip.

Both keepers distinguished themselves, Henchoz produced at least three moments of sheer class and composure and Rovers grabbed the third their second-half display merited.

Jeff Kenna's throw was headed on by Sutton, touched cleverly inside by Gallacher and Duff produced an outrageous flick over the head of onrushing defender Ian Nolan before volleying the ball low past Pressman.

It was a classy end to another very professional team performance.

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