Paul Dickov booked Blackburn's place in the Semi-Finals of The FA Cup with a dramatic 82nd-minute penalty at Ewood Park.

Dickov dumped his old club out of the competition after referee Neale Barry awarded a disputed spot-kick for a foul by Darren Kenton on the influential Morten Gamst Pedersen.

Barry incensed Leicester after taking his time over the decision before pointing to the spot.

Championship strugglers Leicester fought doggedly in a largely grim sxith-round tie, but the Premiership side finally got the break they needed to reach the Semis for the first time in 45 years.

Blackburn boss Mark Hughes, as a player the only man to pick up an FA Cup winner's medal four times in the 20th Century, is now eyeing a possible last-four date with former club Manchester United.

Hughes said: "We're obviously delighted to go through. It wasn't pretty and it wasn't a classic cup tie.

"But we're in the Semi-Finals and that was the order of the day, to make sure we were in the hat.''

Rovers were agonisingly close to taking the lead after only three minutes when Danny Tiatto was penalised for a foul on David Thompson, and set-piece specialist Pedersen curled the 25-yard free-kick against a post.

But it was a rare moment of excitement in a dour first half in which Blackburn looked more threatening, but neither side could exert any real authority.

Dickov failed to cash in on a couple of half-chances, while the Foxes' best effort came from Joey Gudjonsson, who was narrowly wide with a fiercely-struck shot.

Hughes decided to pep up Rovers' attack early in the second half with the introduction of lofty target man Jon Stead.

But it was winger Pedersen who supplied the knockdown for Thompson to fire over as another chance went begging.

Hughes then brought on Brett Emerton and he made an immediate impression.

The Australian midfielder crossed from the right and Pedersen headed in unchallenged, but the referee had already blown for a foul on Emerton and Blackburn's celebrations were cut short.

From the free-kick, Pedersen curled the ball across the face of goal, but no-one could get on the end of it to apply a finishing touch.

Emerton then delivered another teasing ball from the right for Lucas Neill, who looked a certain scorer before claiming he was impeded as he slid in to try to force home from around six yards.

But Dickov made no mistake when he drove the penalty straight down the middle.

Team Details

Blackburn: Friedel, Neill, Todd, Nelsen, Johansson, Mokoena (Stead, 56), Thompson, Flitcroft, Reid (Emerton, 67), Pedersen, Dickov.
Subs Not Used: Enckelman, Tugay, Matteo.

Leicester: Walker, Kenton, Dabizas, Dublin, Maybury, Gillespie, Williams (Hughes, 87), Gudjonsson, Nalis (McCarthy, 86), Tiatto (Connolly, 87), de Vries.
Subs Not Used: Hirschfeld, Stewart.