Form dip is natural - Rodgers

Johannesburg - Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said his side had paid the price for their stunning recent form after they were held 0-0 by Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup quarterfinals.

Having gone 12 games unbeaten in the league, winning seven of their last eight matches, Liverpool were expected to breeze past second-tier Blackburn and give captain Steven Gerrard a chance to lead his team out at Wembley at least one more time before leaving at the season's end.

But instead they were frustrated by a disciplined and hard-working Blackburn team, who will hope to pull off a repeat of victories over Stoke City and Swansea City in the replay at Ewood Park in early April.