Blackburn Rovers ... 1 Manchester United ... 0: It had to happen. Blackburn Rovers ended Manchester United's eight-game unbeaten run, the new-look rearguard was breached at last and Ruud van Nistelrooy missed two sitters. Clearly strange forces were at work yesterday in the Lancashire mist. Mark Redding reports from Ewood Park.
United face a Stephen's Day journey to Middlesbrough four points behind Arsenal and two behind Chelsea in second place. With games to follow against Birmingham, Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion, they could still make up the difference in double-quick time.
Alex Ferguson did not deign to attend the after-match press conference, but he was heard to bemoan the chances his side missed.
"What's important is to get to New Year's Day in a challenging position because the second half of the season is a real battle," he said. "We need to be in the top three and in touch with the leaders."
The United manager's humour was unlikely to have been helped by reports that van Nistelrooy had told a Dutch magazine that he would like to go back to PSV Eindhoven when his contract ends in 2005.
He would have been even less happy at the way his side were frequently second to the ball yesterday, allowing Rovers to lead at half-time, courtesy of Garry Flitcroft's first goal of the season.
In the second half, far from turning the screw in the expected manner, United were for the most part on the back foot. They brought Roy Keane off the bench for his first game since August and then David Beckham, but to little avail. Rovers finished the stronger side and in good heart for their League Cup semi-final showdowns against United next month.
"It was a monster win for us," said Graeme Souness, who at least had something to celebrate after the news that a freak training-ground injury had left his new signing Hakan Sukur with a broken leg. The Turkish World Cup striker, a free signing from Parma, will be out for up to eight weeks.
United began, with Juan Sebastian Veron unexpectedly missing, in an ambitious 4-3-3 formation with Phil Neville, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs across the middle but biased towards the left, allowing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Gary Neville free rein down the right.
Blackburn, missing the suspended David Thompson, opted for a rigid back four with a fluid midfield and the United old boys Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke interlinking effortlessly up front, if a little slower than in their Old Trafford heyday.
After some tentative sparring United gave the misleading impression that they were ready to move up a gear. In the 31st minute John O'Shea beat Lucas Neill down the left, Diego Forlan's wild air-kick allowed the ball to run to Van Nistelrooy, but the Dutchman wafted his shot over the bar.
Worse was to follow for United's 18-goal top scorer. In the 66th minute, a clever flick by Scholes put him away down the right and bearing in on goal. As Rovers bellowed for a linesman's flag, van Nistelrooy blazed excitedly past the post.
Between times Rovers put an end to United's spell of five clean sheets. Scholes tripped David Dunn on the edge of the area and from Damien Duff's free-kick, Martin Taylor rose highest at the far post, headed the ball back and Flitcroft volleyed unerringly into Fabien Barthez's bottom right-hand corner.
"It was nice to put one over on them as an old Manchester City player," said the Rovers captain.
Blackburn could have had more. Duff flashed crosses across the United goal that no one was on hand to put a toe to, Cole banged the ball over the bar and wide of the post when he should have scored and it was United who looked the more grateful when the final whistle blew.
"It was a great performance from us," Souness said. "United are a top team and you're never going to be happy with just one goal because of the quality they've got in their side."
Guardian Service
BLACKBURN: Friedel, Neill, Taylor, Short, Johansson, Dunn (Gillespie 55), Tugay, Flitcroft, Duff, Cole, Yorke. Subs Not Used: Todd, Jansen, Ostenstad, Kelly. Goals: Flitcroft 40.
MAN UTD: Barthez, Gary Neville, Brown, Silvestre, O'Shea, Solskjaer, Phil Neville (Blanc 84), Scholes, Giggs (Beckham 70), Forlan (Keane 59), van Nistelrooy. Subs Not Used: Richardson, Ricardo. Booked: Gary Neville.
Referee: D Elleray (Middlesex).
