Liverpool produced an "outstanding team performance" according to Brendan Rodgers, as they battled for a slim 1-0 win over Blackburn Rovers to reach the FA Cup semi-finals.

Having drawn 0-0 at Anfield, Rovers were equally as determined to give the Reds' a good challenge at Ewood Park as they came close to scoring first on a number of occasions.

But it was the Reds who prevailed winners, in front of 7,000 enthusiastic Liverpool supporters on east Lancashire, as Philippe Coutinho's moment of magic set up an encounter with Aston Villa a week on Sunday.

Rodgers insisted that he stressed the importance of bouncing back from recent Premier League defeats to his players, with the added incentive of the opportunity for many of his squad to visit Wembley for the first time also on offer. 

"We mentioned before the game that the semi-final is played at Wembley, which is one of the great stadiums in the world," the Northern Irishman admitted. "But you've got to do the dirty work and get there first, and tonight they did that very well.

"We were heavily criticised and disappointed in both of the games that we played [against Manchester United and Arsenal], because of the standard that we had set.

"So we knew this was vital for us and the supporters - they have given us great backing this evening.

"We felt we disappointed them in those couple of games so this was as much for them, to give them hope that this team is still progressing and still working its way forward.

"But you have to win matches and you have to get into competitions and win trophies to do that. It's going to be a terrific game against Villa and this will hopefully give us a little spark in the league as well."

Rodgers' Liverpool were massively improved from their back-to-back losses against Arsenal and Manchester United in the league, and the 42-year-old was keen to commend his side.

He said: "I thought we played very well, both in attack and our defending was very strong.

"Of course you have some moments when the ball is going long into your box, but I thought we stood up to that incredibly well and our positioning and possession was good in the game on a difficult field.

"It was an outstanding team performance, the players deserve a huge amount of credit and they achieved what we wanted to - which was to get to the semi-final.

"It will be a terrific game. Obviously we have got an important game before that as well, but certainly we'll look forward to that.

The Reds' boss further added that a Melwood team meeting, held after their comprehensive 4-1 defeat at Arsenal a week ago, was the trigger for an improved display.

"You could see that tonight," Rodgers said. "A lot was made of that, but I'm a coach who speaks openly with players. Part of the coaching philosophy is about reviewing and reflecting on performance.

"It's something we've done all year, even when we were winning games. That analysis provides us with the lever to move forward: how can we be better? How can we improve?

"Because we lost a couple of games, there was a lot made of that meeting, but that review is very, very important for how we want to work. If you don't review and analyse your performance, how can you improve and be better?

"I think you saw the outcome of that. The players were very focused. We made points in that [meeting] about how we can improve our performance level, we agree on it, we commit to it and we move forward."

The Liverpool manager saw Blackburn as an opportunity to switch the system having relied on a 3-4-3 since mid-December. But after recent performances nullified the formation's threats, Rodgers insisted that the shape of the team, fielding a back-four, was much better on Wednesday night - as players outside of the first-team stepped up to contribute to a monumental victory. 

"You saw tonight the shape of the team - we reintroduced 4-3-3 again - we had good positions on the field, were able to keep possession and got into the final third of the field very well with real bright, creative, attacking players," Rodgers said.

"It was something we always learn from and we will improve from. It wasn't about saving our season. We want to compete at the top end of the league and challenge for trophies.

"We wanted to win a trophy this year - that has been clear. We just needed to stay calm in the game and focus back on our performance because the two performances against Arsenal and Manchester United weren't up to the standard we had set for three months.

"But you saw tonight the positioning of the team was good. Glen Johnson and Dejan Lovren haven't played a lot recently and they were both outstanding; I thought Joe Allen was magnificent in midfield.

"And I thought Raheem Sterling was absolutely incredible tonight again. It was a very good team performance and one that of course we're happy with."