Brendan Rodgers says he is deeply concerned with his squad as Championship outfit Blackburn Rovers humiliate his side in a shock FA Cup win.
Championship high-fliers Blackburn upset Premier League Leicester in the fifth round of the FA Cup, surprising the nation and Rovers fans.
Rovers who currently sit fourth in the table, aiming to return to the top flight, which they haven’t been in for over a decade, dominated against the 2021 cup winners Leicester.
The underdogs should have scored more goals than they ended up netting, but nonetheless done enough to book a place into the final eight for the first eight years in eight years.
After being denied by Daniel Iversen’s flying save, Tyrhys Didlan ran past Leicester’s Danish goalkeeper to find the opener.
Ryan Hedges missed a good chance to extend his side’s lead at the beginning of the second half, failing to score from 10 yards out.
Thankfully, Sammie Szmodics made up for that missed opportunity but converting Rovers’ second goal on the 52nd minute, and also saw another goal of his disallowed for offside.
Substitute Kelechi Iheanacho slotted in from close range for the hosts, but it was too late to spring a comeback, with Rovers making it a disappointing night for Brendan Rodgers’ side.
“It’s a very disappointing night,” Rodgers told LCFC TV. “You’re playing at home, with a chance to get to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, and we didn’t take it. I think it says everything that Daniel Iversen was the Man of the Match.
“We couldn’t keep the ball for one and then we didn’t defend well enough. For the first goal, we gave it away so cheaply. It’s just decision making and then they end up going one up. For the second goal also, we gave the ball away and then we failed to defend it.
“When you do that consistently in the game and you keep giving the ball to the opposition, then they can punish you and that’s what happened. We weren’t good enough on the evening but congratulations to Blackburn.”
The 50-year-old went on: “At 2-1, we get back into it, but I always think 2-0 is an easy scoreline to play in. We showed spirit, but you have to have more quality than that.
“It’s just not good enough, we have to accept that. It’s been very inconsistent over the course of the season. We’ve had some great performances here but the best team one.
“We always analyse the games and see where we went wrong but I think after that we’ve got to draw a line under it. There’s massive games left in the league, starting on Saturday.”
“They were a lot better than us and we have to be worried about that!”
Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers reacts to his side’s FA Cup exit…🦊🔵 pic.twitter.com/IzYQUduZlA
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) February 28, 2023
Rodgers said in his post match press conference, as per Sky Sports: “Congratulations to Blackburn, they were the better team. We presented them with a couple of the goals, giving the ball away cheaply to concede for the first.
“Likewise with the second. We give it away and the player gets through the middle of our defence too easily and gets his finish.
“Then you’re chasing it and 2-0 is not an easy scoreline to score freely in. We showed spirit and a drive but you have to show that when it’s 0-0 and impose your game.
“We were unable to do that. It’s consistency, it’s mentality, an ambition and a drive to succeed and that’s been too up and down for us. It doesn’t help when you continually present opportunities to teams.
“Disappointed for the supporters, it’s been a real challenge for them this season. The FA Cup was an opportunity for us to get to the quarter-finals, playing against a Championship team at home, but they were a lot better than us.
“We have to be worried about that.”
Kelechi Iheanacho said: “It’s so disappointing, especially at home. It wasn’t good enough. If you don’t do what you need to do, you get punished. Obviously, that’s gone now, we need to look forward to the Premier League, but we need to do more.
“It was a good ball from Barnsey (Harvey Barnes), on the flank, taking it well and working the man, cutting it back,” he explained. “It was the right cross at the right time. Hopefully there’s more to come, but we’re out of the competition now.
“It’s a tough one to take. As I said, we need to do more, to stay in the league and get up there.”
“If you don’t do what you need to do, you get punished.” 💬 pic.twitter.com/GFLIscu5JH
— Leicester City (@LCFC) March 1, 2023
Blackburn’s Jon Dahl Tomasson said to RoversTV: “It was an unbelievable night to go through to the last eight in the biggest cup in the world with so much tradition.
“It’s been a special night for the club and I thought we were extremely good tonight.
“We played all parts of the football game on a high level.
“We created chances in possession, we were brave, we played football, we moved the ball forward and were patient when we had to be.
“We were extremely intense out of possession and I think the lads should be proud of their excellent efforts.
“We should have been out of sight and it was tough in the end,” he said with a smile.
“The lads showed great spirit to dig in, the fans were happy and we could hear them singing even 15 minutes after the game was over.”
Tis is what fans had to say with Brendan Rodgers deeply concerned as Blackburn humiliate his side in a shock FA Cup win…
@DeanFre54089857: Oh dear he is sweating Quite abit there!!! 😲 bad result!!!
@thefoxesarms: What a shower of shit that was. Blackburn dominated for 70 minutes against a Premier league team away from home. It was the FA CUP WE SHOWED NO PRIDE NO PASSION NO FIGHT NO LEADERSHIP #LCFC #LEIBLB
@WTFox1884: If I’m honest I’m just sick of the pathetic performances week in week out. Once in a blue moon we play well or we have 20-30 minute stints in a game. We can’t do the basics right under Rodgers. So many goals come from our own basic errors. Tired of it. #lcfc
@lcfckini: Sack him
@jayjay_allen: What a shambles last night was, from tryna get in a 3/4 full ground to the shit overpriced lager to yet another abject home showing where we are rumbled by average oppo. All whilst our elite £10M py coach makes excuses, but not subs. One of our poorest recent showings #lcfc 🚮
@richjacques10: Shocking result. Amartey and Thomas are League 1 players somehow getting starts for a Premier League team 🤷♂️🤯
@wtfh21: If you are stuck with a passionless, irresponsible Manager, it will inevitably be portrayed in players performances. His negativity this season, in team selection, substitutions & post match interviews, are proving to be a season too far, both for him, & the fans. Toxic #LCFC 🦊
@Ryanlcfc2: Shambolic again, didn’t start playing until last 15 minutes. Nowhere near good enough. Credit to Blackburn, deserved it and should’ve been more. Amartey, Thomas and Soumare not fit to wear shirt last night with lot of errors. Only positive was Ricardo given 70 mins. #LCFC #LEIBLB
@Ashleypp1986: Congratulations to Blackburn were the better team for 65 mins battered us at times! Piss poor performance yet again from us! Very worrying signs! Defence shambolic,passing dire,and players simply not good enough! Thomas, Amartey and Soumare get out! No doubt Rodgers will blame that performance on the drizzle! Let’s not kid ourselves losing 2-1 flatters us! That wasn’t even Blackburns best 11 either! Rodgers totally underestimated Blkburn 2nite by playing the likes of Thomas, Soumare & deservedly got punished for it! Let’s face it those 3 wouldn’t even get in the Blkburn side! Losing mentality creeping back into the squad after another false dawn! Soton game is massive! Feels like we are just going round in circles this season! Players & manager making the same mistakes week in week out I’m not sure what goes on at the training ground because we can’t even get the basics right most weeks it’s piss poor from top to bottom! KDH tried bless him but his passing is atrocious at times if he sorts that side of his game out he will be class! How many times in the past 18 months have we heard Rodgers say ‘we’ve not been good enough’?? Well no shit sherlock!! That’s why you are paid mega dough to get us playing good enough but I’m afraid you are failing Brendan and you have no excuses left! Lose to Soton on Saturday and we are in big trouble and dare I say it I think we could go down! Losing mentality getting back into the squad after another false dawn this season. Maddison coming back will be a huge lift but he can’t do it on his own! I don’t want to see Amartey anywhere near our team again! He’s a fucking liability! I’d sooner have an Easter Egg playing centre back than him!! #LCFC
@EdCollins14: Without any doubt one of the worst #lcfc performances I’ve seen for a long time. Pedestrian levels, devoid of quality, idea and fight. Same again this weekend and we will be serious trouble
@VonRoginald: How is Brendan Rodgers still in a job? He surely has to go after tonight! #LCFC will go down on that performance.
@lcfcprits: Back home after witnessing what must be the most frustrating performance I’ve seen at King Power. Vardy practically a statue all game. Zero movement. Tete doesn’t do rain. KDH was all over the shop. Awful, lethargic, brain draining football. Side to side. #lcfc
@smashermalkin: 44 years I’ve supported leicester, and I guess after spending 38 of them seeing mainly despair,I guess I’m like most of our fans these days. I just expect more from my club these days. I don’t like Rogers though and think we really need to change now. we’re relegation bound #LCFC
@TomSimmonds86: Going bed. Fuck Brendan Rodgers, the absolute massive cunt #lcfc
@sammerts: That was absolutely dire. Blackburn were everything we weren’t and could/should have scored five. There goes any chance of European football/keeping James Maddison next season. So a relegation battle it is then, and frankly we don’t seem to have the stomach for it. #LCFC 🦊🔫
— Joosh 🇧🇷 (@justjuush) February 28, 2023
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