Wolves beat Blackburn after quick-fire double
Premier League Wolves scored a quick-fire first-half double to overcome second-tier Blackburn Rovers and progress to the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Wolves recovered from a slow start by scoring twice in the space of 100 seconds at Ewood Park, but only after Rovers had an opener ruled out by a marginal offside call during an encouraging start by the Championship hosts.
Joao Gomes squeezed a shot beneath Rovers goalkeeper Balazs Toth as Wolves punished the hosts' attempts to play out from the back in the 33rd minute.
And Vitor Pereira's side seized control of the tie with an immediate second when Matheus Cunha found the bottom corner with a composed finish from Nelson Semedo's pass.
However, Rovers may believe they should have had the lead after Dominic Hyam guided a header past Sam Johnstone at the back post from John Buckley's free-kick.
With no Video Assistant Referee technology in the competition until the fifth round, the linesman's offside call stood but the replays proved inconclusive.
Rovers' lively January signing Augustus Kargbo was also penalised for simulation after driving into the Wolves penalty area and going down under minimal contact from Emmanuel Agbadou, before Wolves sparked into life to effectively kill the tie before the break.
Both sides had chances as a largely uneventful second half opened up in the closing stages with Rovers pushing for a lifeline.
But Johnstone denied Makhtar Gueye with a fine stop to avoid any late drama and send Wolves through to the fifth round in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1995.
The draw for the FA Cup fifth round takes place at about 19:10 GMT on BBC One on Monday.
Cunha quality helps Wolves overcome Rovers
Nine places separate Wolves and Blackburn Rovers in the English football pyramid
Although Premier League survival is undoubtedly Wolves' priority this campaign, boss Pereira named a strong line-up as he sought to maintain momentum after last week's important victory over Aston Villa.
Having watched his side initially struggle to get going in the blustery east Lancashire conditions, the former Porto manager's decision paid off as Wolves eventually asserted themselves and efficiently settled the contest.
Brazilian forward Cunha, who was linked with a big-money move away from the club in January, led by example with quality and composure, producing an assured finish to ensure Wolves' place in the last 16 had long appeared a formality by the full-time whistle.
Cunha would have had a second in a rare second-half opening for a Wolves side content to manage their two-goal advantage, but for an excellent stop by the outstretched Toth.
Rovers, sixth in the Championship, are well placed to push on for a play-off place in the final third of the campaign - despite losing four of their past five league games.
Yet that has not stopped manager John Eustace being linked to the vacant Derby County position - a club ranked 16 places below Rovers in the table - with reports breaking on Sunday, external that the club have made a formal approach.
But while frustrations over the club's recent transfer windows has been sighted as one reason why Eustace might depart, the 45-year-old will have been encouraged by the performances of January additions Kargbo and Emmanuel Dennis, and the positive impact they could have as Rovers aim to end their 13-year top-flight absence.
Player of the match
After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users.
