Arsenal:
                      Almunia
           Hoyte Toure Senderos Gallas
Walcott (Adebayor 69) Cesc Flamini Freddie (Rosicky 69)
                  Henry Aliadiere

No-one wants a replay but better than than drop 2 points against a team like Rovers. We got 6 points off them in the league that's the main thing.

One of those wins was a slightly flattering 6-2 at home, when Rovers tried to play football and got stung by 3 quick goals at the end after we'd managed to stay ahead through the dodgy spells. The other was a 2-0 at Ewood Park when we were reduced to 10 men but weathered whatever kind of storm they were able to whip up and won with 2 great goals.

This time, Rovers came with little intention of playing and, to be fair to them, it worked. They had 11 men behind the ball for long periods and a weak Arsenal side failed to break through. I was surprised they didn't go for it a bit more towards the end though, since Arsenal must have a good chance of getting a result at their place in the replay on the 28th. This looked their best chance of getting through.

Arsenal might have done better with a League Cup style second string. A couple of them were playing in Jeremie Aliadiere and Theo Walcott, the latter having another poor game and the former another very promising one. Aliadiere was arguably our best player. The real weakness was up the left wing where we had 2 players just back from injury in William Gallas and Freddie Ljungberg. They're top players, obviously, but neither is quite up to speed yet (Freddie's goal in the replay win at Bolton on Wednesday notwithstanding, and it left us much weaker than normal on both wings. Compare Hoyte/Walcott and an under-strength Gallas/Freddie with Eboue/Hleb and Clichy/Rosicky and, well, there's no comparison.

Still, this Arsenal team ought to have been able to beat the injury-weakened Rovers they faced.

It started reasonably promisingly. Theo Walcott went on a good run and got shouldered off the ball by Warnock; fairly, apparently. Then Justin Hoyte floated the ball into the far side of the box from the right touchline. Thierry Henry's run got him there, but he volleyed over the bar.

Then Cesc Fabregas floated a free kick into the box from halway into the Rovers half. Gallas did well to get his head to it under pressure but this one went over too.

Mathieu Flamini played a great low through ball forward for Aliadiere to run onto. He took it on but Ryan Nelson got back to make a great tackle.

On 14 minutes Rovers had their first half chance to attack when Walcott gave the ball away, but Devid_Bentley's 35 yarder, when he had at least 2 other options, indicated something about their fear of commitment.

We continued to press. Nice balls from Cesc and Kolo Toure found Henry (via Aliadiere in the first case) but first a tackle and then a punch from Brad Friedel denied him. Henry won a free kick on the left and whipped it in low. Theo flicked the ball on but straight at the keeper.

Flamini hit a long range shot well wide after good work from Aliadiere, bringing the ball in from the left touchline.

Cesc slipped and let Dunn through but his diagonal ball for Nonda to run onto was far too strong and Manuel Almunia got a rare touch. Rovers had a brief spell, the most dangerous moment being when Nonda got put through on their right but checked looking for support (which wasn't there yet) when a quick lob might have caught Almunia out.

On 35 minutes the ref played a really dumb 'advantage' when Walcott was pushed over in the inside right position. We had the ball but way out wide on the right and with loads of defenders around. Advantage is rare when they have everyone behind the ball.

Then Henry broke and played the ball wide for Walcott, whose decent cross was cut out by Nelson.

On 40 Almunia was drawn to the right of his box by a back pass and sliced his clearance. It went to Dunn outside the box but he sliced his shot too.

The second half started with a great rampaging break from Toure, who got into the box on the right only to have his shot blocked.

Cesc went down under challenge bringing the ball into the D, looking for space. Nothing given. It looked a foul to me but perhaps he went down a tad easily.

On 55 Henry brought the ball in from the left wing before scuffing a shot through to Friedel.

We put the ball out of play so Freddie could get treatment. They gave the ball back from the throw, the expected and correct response only it wasn't actually any different from what they did most of the other times they got the ball.

Aliadiere again did well, making space with a neat change of direction and finding Theo with a pass. He showed good feet in the box, too, then hit a right footed shot from an angle on the right, which went into the side netting.

With half an hour to go, Gael Clichy came on for Gallas, who'd had a solid half, not needing to defend much but doing it well, but without getting involved up front as much as he could have. While playing him at left back didn't help Arsenal today, it was probably an ideal game for his first one in ages.

On 64 minutes there was finally a dangerous moment in our own box. A free kick was lofted in from their left wing. Senderos let Samba get free and he headed it down and towards goal but Flamini was able to clear. They kept up pressure until Dunn tried an audacious long range chip. Almunia had to back-pedal but it was an easy enough high take once he got there.

With 21 minutes left they brought on Derbyshire for the amazingly ineffective Berner, and we brought on Emmanuel Adebayor and Tomas Rosicky for Theo and Freddie. It was the obvious change, and had been for some time. But while Adebayor put himself about well as usual, Tomas seemed a little flat compared to normal. He did break into space quite soon after coming on, though, playing the ball forward for Henry who went over under challenge just inside the box but didn't appeal for anything.

15 minutes to go and Derbyshire tried what Dunn had, with an outrageous hook goalwards. Again Almunia back-pedalled but this time it weren't so easy an he had to reach up and tip it over the bar. Good keeping, again.

Aliadiere went down in the box, probably our best shout for a penalty. Hoyte's cross found Henry who did well to control the high ball but who was falling as he struck the shot and only hooked it well wide. Another Hoyte cross found Henry, the ball fell back to Cesc who tried a shot but the ball was bouncing up at him and he sliced it.

Henry and Cesc combined well then the latter was the other half of a one-two with Rosicky. The Czech dribbled past 3 defenders and into the box, then got a lucky ricochet off another attempted tackle, the ball staying with him but taking him closer to the keeper than he'd have liked, and when he tried to lift it Friedel was there to make a point blank save.

Right at the end was our best chance, when good work from Adebayor set up a chance for Henry which was saved... the ball moving from left to rigt across the face of goal with Arsenal players lining up for a chance. It fell to Hoyte who hit his shot well but from a narrow angle, and Friedel had recovered well enough to get across and save.

In the last minute Toure went on a terrific run all the way from defence, playing a one-two to get into the box and winning a corner - only the ref gave it the wrong way.

In injury time Flamini got himself into a good position on the break but hit his cross to the right far too strong. Hoyte could only keep the ball from going out by running at it at pace and stepping on the ball as he ran over the touchline. But the ball stayed on the touchline while Hoyte's nomentum took him over the advertising hoardings, and Dunn was able to pick the ball up and bring it forward. This was one of those moments when I thought the visitors should be going hell-for-leather for a shock winner. Instead Dunn took the ball to the corner flag and took his time about winning a throw. Then Mark Hughes made a substitution and, inevitably, as the player furthest from the dugout it was Dunn whose number came up.

The replay kicks off at 8pm on the 28th and the draw for the quarter-finals is this afternoon (Monday) at 1.30.