The authors propose a model reference control (MRC) structure that is different from existing MRC structures. The new approach that we discuss is based on state-space techniques; however, it is not simply an alternative form of the input-output transfer function approach. The method we use to achieve our result is obtained through a concept often called ’filtered transformation’. The filtered transformation has the effect of transforming the plant into a ’big’ system that is composed of two subsystems. One subsystem satisfies the standard matching condition, which is not enjoyed by the original plant, while all the unmatched and unmodelled dynamics are drawn into the other unmatched subsystem. The control objective for the original plant is transferred into the control of the matched subsystem while also ensuring that the unmatched subsystem remains uniformly bounded. A robust control approach and the backstepping method are used to guarantee that the overall states are globally uniformly bounded and that the output tracking error is globally uniformly ultimately bounded.