Blackburn sealed a place in their first major cup final for 42 years but skipper Garry Flitcroft is almost certain to miss their big day in Cardiff.

Having established their superiority with the 2-1 win in the Worthington Cup semi-final first leg at Hillsborough, Rovers went on to rub the First Division team's nose in it at Ewood Park.

But Flitcroft's pointless red card, given for a shocking challenge on Trond Egil Soltvedt, means the midfielder faces being suspended for the final in the Millennium Stadium.

The dismissal also gave the Owls a brief flicker of hope on the night, but although the visitors did get on the scoresheet it was Rovers who continued to dictate matters until the final whistle blew.

Matt Jansen, Damien Duff, Andy Cole and Craig Hignett all scored for Blackburn, who were also guilty of wasting several other good chances. Goals by Efan Ekoku and Soltvedt only served to ensure some respectability for the Owls.

Despite conceding four goals, one man who could hold his head up high was the Wednesday keeper Paul Heald, who answered a goalkeeping crisis by signing on loan from Wimbledon only eight hours before kick-off and pulled off several excellent saves.

The opening half-hour was, somewhat predictably, low-key. Rovers were intent on preserving their advantage while Wednesday struggled with a hint of desperation to find the quality to break down the home side.

Nevertheless there were isolated spots of excitement. Martin Taylor, Rovers' ball-playing centre-half who many believe is destined to go places, gave a demonstration of his skill by neatly tricking Gerald Sibon, but then ruined the show by immediately misplacing his pass.

Alan Quinn intercepted and rolled the ball to Sibon who cut inside from the left and struck a shot that whistled past the near-post.

Twenty minutes had passed before either goalkeeper was really tested, and it was Heald who proved his worth. Cole's flick-on set up Jansen and the striker struck a drive on the run, but straight at Heald and the keeper fielded the ball comfortably.

Sibon enlivened proceedings when he skipped around a couple of lunges and hit a sweetly-struck shot from 20 yards which Brad Friedel only reached at the full limit of his dive, but his touch was enough to turn the strike aside.

A Wednesday goal would have made things interesting. As it was, Blackburn scored twice in two minutes and booked their trip to Cardiff.

First, in the 34th minute, Hignett's corner from the left ended up at Taylor's feet, he stabbed the ball against a post and Jansen reacted quickest to score from close range.

Jansen should have scored again when Cole put him through, but no matter as seconds later Duff did. Cole and Jansen linked to find Tugay, and his inviting rolling pass to his left just begged to be struck. Duff did not turn the offer down, giving Heald no chance.

Cole, acting as master provider rather than deadly finisher, again put Jansen clear but once again he failed to find the target.

Four minutes into the second half, the roles were reversed. Cole at least did get his shot on target but Heald made a tremendous block.

Then came that moment Flitcroft will long have cause to regret. A needless and horrible two-footed lunge at Soltvedt caused a mass scuffle. Incensed Wednesday players surrounded Rovers' captain, causing Cole to charge in recklessly and become involved in a shoving match with Ashley Westwood.

When the dust had settled, referee Mike Riley showed a red card to Flitcroft and yellows to Cole and Westwood.

Within minutes, Wednesday had forced themselves back into contention, but their task was still an uphill one. Stig-Inge Bjornebye was penalised for handling in the area and Ekoku made it 2-1 on the night from the spot.

Cole then showed Jansen he can miss chances with the best of them when he stabbed wide from close range and a minute later curled a shot narrowly over after excellent work by Duff.

With eight minutes left, Cole did finally score, and it was created and finished expertly. An interchange between Cole and Duff saw the Irish winger dash down the left while Cole nipped into the penalty area to guide the return pass beyond Heald.

Soltvedt then climbed well to head in Quinn's cross but the contest was already over - a fact emphasised by Hignett's finish to make it five goals in five starts for the midfielder.

Teams

Blackburn: Friedel, Curtis, Taylor, Johansson, Bjornebye, Flitcroft, Tugay, Hignett, Duff, Jansen (Mahon 61), Cole.

Subs Not Used: Berg, Hughes, Grabbi, Kelly.

Sent Off: Flitcroft (53).

Booked: Hignett, Cole, Mahon.

Goals: Jansen 35, Duff 37, Cole 82, Hignett 88.

Sheff Wed: Heald, Haslam, Bromby, Westwood, Geary (O'Donnell 71), Hamshaw (Bonvin 45), Soltvedt, McLaren, Quinn, Sibon, Ekoku.

Subs Not Used: Donnelly, Maddix, Roberts.

Booked: Haslam, Westwood, Ekoku, Geary.

Goals: Ekoku 59 pen, Soltvedt 85.

Agg (6-3) Att: 26,844

Ref: M Riley (Leeds).