A more successful season in 2005–06 saw Blackburn reach the 5th round of the FA Cup, losing to West Ham United, the semi-finals of the League Cup and qualifying for the UEFA Cup. Following the end of the season, Emerton signed a new four-year deal at Blackburn in August 2006. Mark Hughes described him as ""...a player who gives me a lot of options. He can carry the ball from one end of the field to the other. That's why teams have coveted him this summer.""