Surely this did not happen. This could not happen. Just one look in the eyes of both goalkeepers before kick-off would have convinced anybody that most things were possible at Hillsborough, but a goalless draw was not one of them.

It was a rousing afternoon when the terrace refrain was "dodgy keeper" and when the nine goals these sides shared in August (well, hardly shared, Blackburn scored seven) might have been a mere aperitif.

No Premiership match was more laden with goalkeeping nerves. Blackburn's Alan Fettis, making his debut because of injury to Tim Flowers, was apprehensive because he had not been in the side all season; Kevin Pressman, for Wednesday, was paranoid because he had.

By the final whistle, though, Fettis and Pressman could approach New Year with self-respect intact. Fettis, a Northern Ireland international, had done all that could be asked of him; Pressman, too, had not been beaten.

Blackburn must have found that galling. In the final minute, they twice might have conjured up the goal that would have maintained the pressure on Manchester United. With Jason Wilcox's corners belatedly causing havoc, Chris Sutton crashed a header against the far post. From Wilcox's next corner, Tim Sherwood knocked the ball in with his hand.

Fettis's post was also hit, if not by the ball then certainly by his full-back, Gary Croft, as he cleared off the line from Petter Rudi's looping flick. With Croft still groggy, Sherwood recovered to block the follow-up from Niclas Alexandersson.

Fettis was then harassed by Colin Hendry's back pass, which forced him into an onerous spot of chest control, and a scuttle backwards to intercept Mark Pembridge's volley. A collision with Andy Booth further disorientated him, as did an overhead from Benito Carbone which faded beyond the far post.

Blackburn's strong second-half display deserved victory, but Wednesday had their moments, notably for Newsome, whose stooping header from a yard out sneaked wide.

In the Fantasy Land known as Premiership challengers to Manchester United, it is the opinion of Wednesday's manager, Ron Atkinson, that Blackburn will prove more durable than Chelsea, the same Chelsea who had hounded Wednesday for four goals at Hillsborough six days earlier. After days like this, it all sounds fairly arbitrary.

Sheffield Wednesday: Pressman, Atherton, Nolan, Pembridge, Newsome, Walker, Carbone (Whittingham 84), Booth, Stefanovic (Collins 68), Rudi, Alexandersson. Subs Not Used: Hyde, Clarke, Humphreys. Booked: Newsome.

Blackburn: Fettis, Kenna, Sherwood, Hendry, Ripley (Flitcroft 80), Gallacher, Sutton, McKinlay, Croft, Henchoz, Duff (Wilcox 84). Subs Not Used: Pedersen, Bohinen, Williams.

Referee: J Winter (Stockton-on-Tees).