βFor the first 30 minutes, United looked awesome and spurned a number of good openings. But what will have been a concern to Ferguson is that his strikers did not make goalkeeper Brad Friedel work during that period.
The let-offs had a noticeable effect as Rovers kept their discipline, defended superbly and started to attack with some self-belief. After Flitcroft had driven the ball home to secure the lead, Blackburn maintained their poise for the second half and even Roy Keane's first appearance since August 31 - he went on for the last half-hour - could not change the course of the game.
With Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke consistently posing difficult questions to their old club's defenders, Martin Taylor quite brilliant at the back - he was the brick wall - and Flitcroft crunching into tackles in midfield, it was the home side who looked more likely to score.
Both sides had played cat-and-mouse football in the opening minutes, feeling the opposition out, before United - despite the absence of Juan Sebastian Veron - strung together several good moves which Blackburn only kept out at full stretch.β
Five minutes before half-time, Blackburn made a nonsense of United's territorial possession by taking the lead. Damien Duff's free-kick by the right corner of the penalty area was headed back by Taylor, and Flitcroft drove the ball into the gap between Barthez and the post.
United launched a series of assaults and Friedel fielded easily after van Nistelrooy tried his luck, then the Dutchman beat the offside trap but the American goalkeeper came off his line like a shot, forced the striker wide and he could only find the side netting.β