Blackburn conceded two stoppage-time goals and needed extra-time to beat Newcastle 4-3 to book their place in the quarter-finals.
Givet header earns Blackburn dramatic cup victory
Blackburn Rovers conceded two stoppage-time goals and needed extra-time to beat Newcastle 4-3 to book their place in the quarter-finals of the Carling Cup.
Steve Kean will be a relieved manager after his team looked to be cruising into the next round but leaked late goals before scraping a winner deep in extra-time.
Blackburn started well by scoring twice through Ruben Rochina and Yakubu but the game seemed to change after both clubs made tactical changes with Kean looking to close the game out and Newcastle went on the attack.
Newcastle pulled stoppage-time goals back through Danny Guthrie and Yohan Cabaye to force extra-time only for Morton Gamst Pedersen to restore the lead before Peter Lovenkrands won and then converted a penalty for the visitors.
In a desperate finish Gael Givet converted a Christopher Samba cross to rescue Blackburn from throwing away a Carling Cup quarter-final place.
Early goal
Blackburn opened the score from Rochina inside five minutes when he pounced on a loose ball inside the box to fire high into the net from six yards.
The hosts saw a lot of the ball early on creating chances and forcing the play with Samba heading wide from a well delivered corner on 14 minutes.
Newcastle's only outlet was Demba Ba who looked isolated up front as he resorted to chasing balls played over the top of the Blackburn back-line.
Blackburn looked much improved with the dangerous Junior Hoilett jinking around the Newcastle defence and forcing a foul just outside the penalty area but Pedersen blazed over.
Guthrie played a ball across the six-yard box on the half hour that ran tantalising out of reach of an outstretched Hatem Ben Arfa who could not get studs to touch it in.
It took till the second half for Newcastle to have a clear-cut chance when Ba out-jumped the Blackburn back line to put a ball back across the box but Ben Arfa could only loop it on to the roof of the net.
Threat
Newcastle looked more of a threat as the second half progressed and had a good shout for handball waved away when the ball struck a hand inside the box.
The play became more stretched as both teams hit on the counter attack.
Ba went to ground inside the box but the shout for a penalty was waved away only for the long ball clearance to make it all the way down the other end where Rochina was caught by Krul on the stretch. Yakubu stepped up for the penalty and coolly sent Krul the wrong way to put Blackburn 2-0 up.
Sammy Ameobi replaced Danny Simpson as Newcastle looked to claw back the deficit with a more attacking option. Ameobi did pose the Blackburn defence problems by looping a dangerous ball to the back post on 75 minutes but none of the four advancing Newcastle players could reach it and it floated out of play.
Kean looked to shut up shop by taking Rochina and Hoilett off for Simon Vukcevic and Grant Hanley whereas Newcastle threw everything at it bringing Gabriel Obertan and Lovenkrands on for Sylvain Marveaux and Ben Arfa.
Comeback
Guthrie looked to have merely pulled back a consolation goal on 90 minutes with a shot from distance only for Blackburn to give a careless free-kick away under sustained Newcastle pressure and Yohan Cabaye curled the set-piece into the top corner deep into stoppage-time.
Into extra-time and Pedersen, who had threatened from set-pieces throughout the game, put Blackburn back in the lead from free-kick as he curled the dead-ball in from 30 yards and looked to have saved Blackburn's blushes.
Newcastle however continued to press and the Blackburn defence seemed run ragged. Substitute Hanley pulled back Lovenkrands in the box and the striker stepped up to slot the penalty home to pull Newcastle back level again.
The game seemed to be heading for penalties until Givet got on the end of a Samba cross with a low diving header. The Newcastle players looked for offside but the referee's assistant kept the flag down.
