Blackburn v Man Utd ratings: Mkhitaryan and Carrick prove class

Manchester United snuck into the quarter-finals of the FA Cup with a 2-1 win over Championship strugglers Blackburn Rovers.

Danny Graham gave the hosts the lead with a powerful finish, but Marcus Rashford and Zlatan Ibrahimovic struck either side of the break to secure progression.

Blackburn ratings

Steele: May have expected a busier afternoon but produced a confident display. 6

Lowe: Was forced to stay back and didn’t venture forward much but did well. 6

Greer: Was relatively solid but had questionable positioning at times. 6

Lenihan: A well-rounded performance; did not make many mistakes at all. 7

Williams: Ran tirelessly and became a little jaded towards the end of the game. 6

Feeney: Had joy against Darmian on the right side, looking energetic and threatening. 7

Guthrie: United struggled to control the midfield at first partly due to Rovers’ guile. Guthrie worked hard throughout. 6

Mulgrew: Seemed to be at the centre of Blackburn’s energy.

Conway: Looked like he may be a key player for Rovers but never really got involved in the game, still bright in possession. 6

Emnes: Great assist for the goal and was a handful for the two United defenders. 7

Graham: Took his goal very well and looked like he had a point to prove with a determined performance. 7

Substitutes

Mahoney (for Feeney, 73′): 6

Stokes (for Graham, 77′): 6 

Tomlinson (for Guthrie, 81′): 6

Manchester United ratings

Romero: Could do nothing about the goal but apart from that made some good saves when called upon. 7

Young: Got forward a lot, playing as a right winger effectively. Could have done more and positioning is an issue. 6

Darmian: Failed to impress again. Rooted back, looked almost scared at time, and Liam Feeney was allowed to run free. 5

Smalling: Allowed Graham in for the opener but other than that was a rock at the back. 7

Rojo: Could have done better against Emnes for the goal though alongside Smalling he did well. 6

Carrick: Played the deep-lying role perfectly as usual. Mopped up in defence and played some excellent outlet passes. 8

Herrera: Was energetic in midfield and pressed hard but also was loose with a couple of passes. 6

Mkhitaryan: Great assists for the equalising goal. He was the touch of class in the United team that set them apart. 8

Lingard: Was in and out of the game, going anonymous for periods. Pogba had more impact. 5

Martial: Thought he would have a field day against lesser opponents after two good games, but he never really got into the game. 5 

Rashford: Took his goal very well, and also did well when moved out wide. 7

Substitutes

Pogba (for Lingard, 62′): Superb assist for the winning goal. 7

Ibrahimovic (for Martial, 62′): Another crucial goal. 7

Mata (for Rashford, 89′): N/A