Man Utd 2 Blackburn 1 (Man Utd win 3-2 on agg): Edwin van der Sar's duties extended well beyond goalkeeping on the night Alex Ferguson's team booked a place in the final against Wigan Athletic.
Both clubs should be grateful for United's goalkeeper preventing Sky's television cameras filming the disorder, with Robbie Savage inevitably at the epicentre, that took place inside the tunnel at half-time.
The absence of any incriminating evidence will leave the Old Trafford crowd - and the Football Association's disciplinary department - with little but educated guesswork to imagine the extent of the clashes. After Rio Ferdinand had deliberately barged into Savage the Blackburn midfielder pursued him down the tunnel, followed by nearly every other player on the field, plus the substitutes, the odd member of coaching staff and several stewards.
A fractious evening was then completed by Louis Saha's winning goal edging United closer to a possible consolation prize in what has otherwise been a turbulent and difficult season.
These are strange times, of course, when the League Cup is suddenly regarded at Old Trafford with dewy-eyed fondness. To Ferguson, it used to be a hindrance, another fixture cluttering up an already congested fixture list. These days he cannot be so choosy.
If Ferguson is to get a favourable end-of-season verdict from the Glazer family he will need to prove he has not totally forgotten what it is like to win a trophy or two. Out of the Champions League before most people had finished their Christmas shopping and very much also-rans in the Premiership, United's new-found zest for this competition could be seen in his bold use of three centre-forwards, in the disconsolate grimace from Ryan Giggs when his night was curtailed by injury and in Ferguson's own expression after Ruud van Nistelrooy's first-half penalty was saved by Brad Friedel.
Giggs did not even last a quarter of an hour in his role as a makeshift central midfielder but he at least had the satisfaction of leaving his team-mates in a position of strength, a prolonged spell of early pressure culminating in a nerve-soothing goal after eight minutes.
It was a goal that owed much to Ruud van Nistelrooy's predatory instincts, but even more to the flimsy defending of Blackburn's left-back Michael Gray. Not only was it Gray's careless pass that gave possession to the home side, he had recovered his ground and was well positioned to cut out the danger from Wayne Rooney's through-ball. When Gray got himself in a tangle, the ball ran for Van Nistelrooy to beat Brad Friedel.
By the half-hour Blackburn had still not concocted their first chance worthy of the description. Theirs was a conservative opening and there was a genuine sense of surprise when Steven Reid made it 1-1 on the night and 2-2 on aggregate.
Just as Gray had been forced to wave an apologetic hand after Van Nistelrooy's strike, the goal was accompanied by some remorseful gestures from United's players. Van der Sar, whose form has dipped since August, will wince when he sees the replays of how he let Reid's shot flick past his glove.
United were justified in believing themselves to be hard done by, but the referee Graham Poll was generous in the extreme to award them the 42nd-minute penalty that Van Nistelrooy subsequently squandered. Zurab Khizanishvili's handball was clearly accidental and some form of justice was meted out when Friedel pulled off an excellent save.
Friedel saved splendidly again from Van Nistelrooy on two more occasions in the second half, but the American goalkeeper was rooted to the spot when Saha re-established United's lead. Darren Fletcher dispossessed Tugay and released Rooney, who surged down the right before picking out Saha just inside the penalty area. His instinctive volley left Friedel wrong-footed and nestled in the corner of the net.
Guardian Service
MANCHESTER UTD: Van der Sar, Neville, Ferdinand, Brown, Evra (Silvestre 80), Rooney, Fletcher, Giggs (Smith 13), Richardson, Saha, van Nistelrooy (Vidic 86). Subs Not Used: Howard, Rossi. Booked: Smith, Richardson. Goals: van Nistelrooy 8, Saha 51.
BLACKBURN ROVERS: Friedel, Neill, Nelsen, Khizanishvili, Gray, Reid, Savage, Tugay (Peter 86), Pedersen, Kuqi (Emerton 76), Bentley. Subs Not Used: Enckelman, Todd, Mokoena. Booked: Neill. Goals: Reid 32.
Referee: G Poll (Hertfordshire).
