Blackburn Rovers 2-0 Blackpool

Blackburn reached the fifth round of the FA Cup with a comfortable victory over 10-man Blackpool at Ewood Park.

A Sam Gallagher header and a long-range Elliott Bennett strike had Rovers in control by the interval before the second-half dismissal of Kelvin Mellor ended Blackpool's hopes of a fightback.

League Two Blackpool, managed by former Rovers boss Gary Bowyer, saw Tom Aldred's header ruled out for offside.

Will Aimson also hit the bar as the visitors exited with a valiant display.

There were protests outside at Ewood Park before kick-off, with fans of both sides uniting to voice dissatisfaction with their respective owners.

Tennis balls - a method of protest often deployed by Blackpool fans - were thrown on to the pitch from outside the stadium, but there was no disruption to play.

Rovers, currently second-bottom of the Championship, went ahead when Jason Lowe's cross into the area was met by the head of Gallagher for his 10th goal of the season.

The lead was doubled in superb style by Bennett, who collected the ball from Lowe and played a one-two with Craig Conway before lashing in an unstoppable effort from outside the area.

Rovers have now prevailed in all three FA Cup meetings with Blackpool. Their previous meetings - also in the fourth round - came in 1925 and 1960.