BLACKBURN Rovers boss Gary Bowyer cut a delighted figure after his injury ravaged side warmed up for Wednesday’s massive FA Cup quarter-final replay with Liverpool in perfect fashion with a 3-0 victory at 10-man Leeds United on Saturday.

Rovers ran riot after Rudy Austin was sent off with Tom Cairney, with his first goal since August, leading marksman Jordan Rhodes, with his 17th goal of the season, and Jay Spearing, with his first goal for the club, all scoring in a one-sided second half.

It was Rovers’ third straight league win away from home and their fourth in succession over Leeds.

And Bowyer said: “I’m absolutely delighted. We played some great stuff and could have scored more than we actually did.

“I think it was a really impressive display of playing against 10 men. You’ve seen numerous times in games when the 10 men rally. We knew Leeds would do that but I thought we were very professional and very disciplined with our performance.

“Some of the football was really good and the chances we created were pleasing and the quality of the goals was magnificent.”

The success came at a cost, though, with strikers Rudy Gestede and Chris Brown being taken off with ‘tightness’ in their hamstrings.

Bowyer had already lost goalkeeper Simon Eastwood and midfielder Chris Taylor to injuries sustained in training before the clash.

It means he has 10 players – Eastwood, Taylor, Gestede, Brown, Craig Conway, Grant Hanley, Josh King, David Dunn and long-term victims Shane Duffy and Jason Lowe – either carrying knocks or sidelined ahead of the Liverpool replay at Ewood Park.

Bowyer will certainly be without the ineligible Spearing, Paul Taylor, David Raya and John O’Sullivan against Brendan Rodgers’ side whose own selection problems mounted when Emre Can was sent off in their 4-1 Premier League defeat at Arsenal earlier in the day.

Can, Steven Gerrard and Martin Skrtel will all be suspended on Wednesday.

Highly rated 19-year-old keeper Raya came in for his Rovers debut after Eastwood, who has kept goal for the club throughout its thrilling run to the last eight of the FA Cup, was ruled out.

That means Jason Steele, Bowyer’s first-choice stopper in the Championship, could be needed to start against Liverpool, a match the cup-tied Raya will not be able to play in after starring in Southport’s third-round defeat at Derby County in January while on loan at the Conference Premier outfit.

“We lost Simon Eastwood to a knock in training and David’s cup-tied for Wednesday so we couldn’t take the risk of anything happening to Steeley,” said Bowyer, who was impressed by the performance new loan signing Paul Taylor produced after coming on for his debut in the second half.

“It wasn’t an easy decision because Steeley wants to play but it was a sensible decision and it’s one that paid dividends.

“I thought David made one outstanding save and for a 19-year-old, on a really difficult day in terms of the atmosphere, he looked really assured.”