Steven Gerrard’s hopes of a Wembley send-off were put on ice on Sunday after Liverpool were held to a 0-0 draw by Blackburn Rovers in their FA Cup quarter-final.

Gerrard will turn 35 on the day of the final, but he is not yet guaranteed even a semi-final appearance at the national stadium after second-tier Blackburn belied expectations they would be swept aside by Brendan Rodgers’s in-form Liverpool to take the game to a replay.

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Liverpool are on a run of 12 unbeaten games in the league, but with Gerrard absent due to injury and Martin Skrtel forced off after a heavy early fall, they were held at bay as Blackburn celebrated 20 years since winning the league at Anfield with a dogged display.

Despite having returned to training after missing six games with a hamstring injury, Gerrard – who leaves for the Los Angeles Galaxy at the season’s end – was not named in the Liverpool squad, while the inclusion of Glen Johnson in the back three saw Emre Can move into midfield.

Liverpool were forced to make further adjustments after Skrtel had to be stretchered off following a collision with Gestede that left him needing eight minutes of treatment, with Kolo Toure coming on.

Both teams might have had penalties on a different day, Liverpool when Matthew Kilgallon stepped across Adam Lallana’s run in the box and Blackburn when Raheem Sterling allowed a high ball to brush his right hand.

Rodgers sent on Mario Balotelli for Markovic, shifting Liverpool’s shape to a 3-5-2 and giving the hosts a better foothold in midfield, but though they succeeded in forcing Blackburn back, they continued to labour in front of goal.

Only in the last 15 minutes did Liverpool begin to prise their opponents apart, but Sturridge could only hook wide from Balotelli’s flick and when Jordan Henderson did find the target, Eastwood blocked with his feet.