At least Blackburn spurned the rubber dinghies and went down fighting but it
was still not enough to wrench the title out of the reach of Manchester United
at Ewood Park.
For while Alex Ferguson will have been content to accept the point which keeps
his side on course for the Premiership crown, his former assistant Brian Kidd
must have been forced to bite his lip as he shook his former mentor's hand.
For however creditable a goalless draw at home to United was - especially for
Arsenal - it was not enough to save Blackburn from relegation just four years
after winning the title.
In truth, it was not Ferguson who relegated Blackburn though.
That was down to a season of massive under-achievement in which they won just
seven games, scored only 37 times and conceded a total of 51 goals.
At least Rovers responded to the wrath of Kidd following their home defeat
against Nottingham Forest last weekend, when he accused his players of running
to the rubber dinghies at the first sign of trouble and failing to show any
spirit or pride.
But while United were hardly openly celebrating at the end themselves, they
were able to rest assured in the knowledge that victory at home to Tottenham on
Sunday will bring the title back to Old Trafford - whatever happens at
Highbury.
The game itself was hardly a classic, indeed both sides showed a distinct lack
of adventure, perhaps because of the importance of the occasion.
For all their effort, it was - for long periods - all that Rovers, inspired by
midfielder Lee Carsley, could do to contain United.
Ashley Ward foraged up front mainly on his own as Matt Jansen and Keith
Gillespie largely stayed out wide to cut off the supply lines to David Beckham
and the fit-again Ryan Giggs.
In central midfield, Carsley, Jason Wilcox and David Dunn attempted to cope
with Nicky Butt and Phil Neville as Ferguson, in the absence of Roy Keane but
with Paul Scholes still available, possibly experimented ahead of the Champions'
Cup final.
To a large extent it worked even though centre-backs Stephane Henchoz and
Darren Peacock were often the busiest players on the pitch, but Rovers thereby
lacked a cutting edge up front.
The nearest that United came to scoring was when Beckham crossed from the
right early on and Giggs' header thudded against the foot of the post to rebound
for Andy Cole to blaze a shot over the bar even though a corner was awarded.
At times it was frantic stuff but Blackburn, who were frantically willed on by
their vociferous supporters, were just hanging on.
John Filan tipped over an effort from Dwight Yorke before Cole's predatory
instincts enabled him to beat the offside trap and instantly control a long-ball
from Gary Neville only to shoot far too close to the keeper.
Rovers meanwhile threatened only intermittently on the break, with Croft
having a shot deflected just wide and Ward cutting inside only to shoot at Peter
Schmeichel.
Beckham was nevertheless being frustrated by a perceived lack of protection amid
some committed challenges and showed signs of being rattled as his team-mates
urged him to control his fragile temperament.
His crossing nevertheless suffered as a result and United were further
hampered by the loss of Jaap Stam to an Achilles tendon injury at half-time,
with former Blackburn defender David May replacing him.
The visitors' defence came under gradually increasing pressure as Rovers began
to attack with more conviction after the interval and a flowing move involving
Carsley and Ward ended with Schmeichel tipping Dunn's drive over the bar.
However, they still could not commit too many players forward for fear of
going behind and United continued to threaten with Filan blocking out Giggs and
Ronny Johnsen's header from a corner being cleared off the line by Carsley.
May headed into the side-netting and only Yorke's true sportsmanship prevented
him bearing down on goal as he voluntarily stopped play to allow Peacock to
receive treatment on the floor.
Substitute Damien Johnson did almost make an immediate impact with 10 minutes
left as he just failed to connect with Jansen's cross.
But then came the moment that Blackburn had been waiting for all game - and
they fluffed it.
Johnson crossed from the right and a weak clearance fell to the feet of Ward,
near the penalty spot and with Schmeichel off his line.
Instead of blasting his shot, the striker tried to place it and even though
Jansen tried to deflect the ball back on target with his chest, it dribbled
harmlessly wide.
That was effectively the end for Blackburn as they seemed to accept their fate
from then on, with no hopeful long-balls pumped forward for strikers, defenders
or even a goalkeeper to capitalise on.
And so the tears flowed but, to their credit, the home supporters stayed
behind to chant the names of Kidd and owner Jack Walker, who has invested
countless millions into the club.
Indeed if only the Blackburn players had showed the two men the same
appreciation this season, they might have stayed up.
United meanwhile move on remorselessly. Only a certain George Graham stands
between them and the title now.
Teams:
Blackburn: Filan, Croft, Henchoz, Peacock, Davidson, Gillespie,
Dunn, Carsley, Wilcox, Ward, Jansen, Broomes (Johnson 81).
Subs Not Used: Davies, Duff, Broomes, Flowers.
Man Utd: Schmeichel, G. Neville, Johnsen, Stam (May 45), Irwin,
Beckham, Butt, P. Neville (Scholes 75), Giggs, Yorke,Cole (Sheringham 71).
Subs Not Used: Solskjaer, Van Der Gouw.
Booked: Butt, Beckham.
Att: 30,436
Ref: M Reed (Birmingham).
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