THEY are still a long way off their free-flowing best, but at least Newcastle United are through to the FA Cup quarter-finals. A season that has stuttered badly in the last couple of months could yet have a glorious end.

Martin Dubravka was the Magpies’ hero as they scrambled past Blackburn Rovers, making three important saves in normal time, another crucial stop in extra-time, and then keeping out two of the home side’s spot-kicks in the penalty shoot-out that settled things.

Harvey Barnes missed for Newcastle, cancelling out Sammie Szmodics’ effort that was saved, but when Fabian Schar, Bruno Guimaraes, Elliot Anderson and Anthony Gordon all scored, Dom Hyam had to find the net with Blackburn’s final spot-kick.

Dubravka touched the defender’s effort onto the post, sending the 7,000-strong away end into ecstasy and taking the Magpies into the last eight of the competition. Win in the quarter-finals, with the draw due taking place this evening, and they will be back at Wembley.

The shoot-out success came at the end of a game that saw Gordon open the scoring when he slotted home with 19 minutes remaining, only for Jamaal Lascelles’ error to enable Blackburn to equalise through Sammy Szmodics eight minutes later.

Extra-time was a frantic affair, with both sides having great opportunities to win it, only for Dubravka and Aynsley Pears to perform goalkeeping heroics between the sticks. Pears did his best during the shoot-out, but it was Dubravka who finished as the match-winner.

With Joe Willock back in the starting line-up for the first time since November, and Jacob Murphy also restored to the side in place of Miguel Almiron, the Magpies looked rusty as they controlled possession from the off without ever really looking like they were going to create anything of note.

Guimaraes saw a first-time volley blocked inside the area after Kieran Trippier, booed throughout by the home fans because of his Burnley connections, worked a slick short-corner routine, but it was the 33rd minute before Blackburn goalkeeper Pears was called into action for the first time. Even then, the former Middlesbrough shot-stopper was hardly extended as he blocked Sean Longstaff’s drive at his near post.

Blackburn are 16th in the Championship, just four points clear of the relegation zone, but in Szmodics, they boast the leading scorer in the second tier this season, and the hosts had gone close themselves on two occasions before Pears made his first save.

Szmodics should perhaps have done better when he slashed at a shot and sent the ball flying into the side-netting from the left of the box, but Tyrhys Dolan was more composed when he was presented with a shooting chance of his own four minutes later. Dolan’s angled low strike was heading for the far corner before Dubravka, back in the side after recovering from the illness that kept him out of Newcastle’s weekend defeat at Arsenal, clawed the ball away down to his right.

The Magpies’ sloppiness in possession was holding them back, with passes repeatedly going astray and no one able to penetrate beyond the Blackburn defence. On the one occasion when a Newcastle player did manage to break into the 18-yard box before the interval, the opportunity was wasted when Murphy made a complete mess of his cross into the box.

At the other end, Dubravka made his second big save of the first half when he tipped Szmodics’ rising effort over the crossbar on the stroke of half-time, and was involved again seven minutes after the interval, parrying John Buckley’s side-footed strike.

Newcastle’s lack of energy and zip was becoming increasingly alarming, with Alexander Isak cutting an increasingly frustrated figure in attack and neither Murphy nor Gordon able to make any kind of in-roads on their respective flanks. Too much of the visitors’ passing play was tentative, with players seemingly reluctant to take a risk in an attempt to fashion a breakthrough.

The visitors’ lack of attacking threat was acknowledged when Howe made a triple change midway through the second half, bringing on Lewis Miley, Barnes and Almiron. Nine minutes later, and the latter would be playing a pivotal role in creating the opener.

Almiron broke into the right of the box, and whereas too many other Newcastle players had rushed their passes or failed to successfully find a team-mate, the Paraguayan displayed some welcome composure as he held onto the ball and waited for the right pass.

Having picked out Gordon, he slid a perfectly-weighted pass towards the penalty spot, and the winger, who had been moved up front to replace the departed Isak, did the rest, slotting home a clinical first-time finish.

It felt as though one goal might be enough, but Newcastle’s lead lasted just eight minutes before an error from Lascelles enabled Blackburn to equalise.

The Magpies skipper failed to win a header close to the left byline, ceding possession to Arnor Sigurdsson, who picked out Dilan Markanday. Dubravka did superbly to tip the substitute’s rising drive onto the underside of the crossbar, but the ball rebounded to Szmodics, who fired home the rebound.

The goal took the game into extra-time, but Barnes and Miley both saw efforts blocked as Blackburn’s players continued to lay their bodies on the line. Even when Newcastle twice thought they had scored just before the interval in the extra period, they were denied by Pears, who produced a brilliant double save to keep out shots from Gordon and Longstaff. When Guimaraes’ goal-bound effort was blocked midway through the second extra period, penalties were on their way.