Manchester United missed the chance to move top of the Premier League after a frustrating afternoon saw them held to a goalless draw at Blackburn. Paul Robinson made an excellent save after Antonio Valencia had been played clean through and later held a shot from an unmarked Dimitar Berbatov.
Rovers created little but Gary Neville blocked from Steven Nzonzi late on.
United would have moved a point clear of Chelsea with victory but are one point behind having played a game more. It was a must-win game for United, who were looking for a positive response to the twin disappointment of Premier League defeat to Chelsea and the Champions League exit at the hands of Bayern Munich.
But without the injured Wayne Rooney, the visiting team lacked a cutting edge and with four games of their league season left United must now be viewed as unlikely to end the campaign with their fourth consecutive Premier League title. Manager Sir Alex Ferguson had stressed before the match the importance of victory and his increasingly frustrated demeanour as he prowled his technical area underlined the importance of his team finding a winning goal.
But it was never going to be an easy task against a Rovers team who have been defeated only twice at home this season and, at least until United notably increased the tempo in the closing stages, Sam Allardyce's side looked relatively comfortable.
If it was a largely forgettable afternoon for United, in their first goalless draw of the season, then there was little for the neutral to savour either. (BBC Sport)
Rovers created little but Gary Neville blocked from Steven Nzonzi late on.United would have moved a point clear of Chelsea with victory but are one point behind having played a game more. It was a must-win game for United, who were looking for a positive response to the twin disappointment of Premier League defeat to Chelsea and the Champions League exit at the hands of Bayern Munich.
But without the injured Wayne Rooney, the visiting team lacked a cutting edge and with four games of their league season left United must now be viewed as unlikely to end the campaign with their fourth consecutive Premier League title. Manager Sir Alex Ferguson had stressed before the match the importance of victory and his increasingly frustrated demeanour as he prowled his technical area underlined the importance of his team finding a winning goal.
But it was never going to be an easy task against a Rovers team who have been defeated only twice at home this season and, at least until United notably increased the tempo in the closing stages, Sam Allardyce's side looked relatively comfortable.
If it was a largely forgettable afternoon for United, in their first goalless draw of the season, then there was little for the neutral to savour either. (BBC Sport)
