Blackburn Rovers 0 Manchester Utd 2:IT WAS another night when Manchester United showed they are not in the mood to relinquish their grip on the championship trophy. For long spells, Alex Ferguson's team had looked strangely bereft of ideas but authentic champions always tend to find something when the pressure is at its least tolerable and, in that respect, this was a devastating reminder of their title credentials.
As the game entered its closing stages, Manchester City were being encouraged to believe their own situation was not, perhaps, as desperate as it had looked at the weekend. United had lost their early momentum and were actually indebted to David de Gea, their renascent goalkeeper, for keeping out a Blackburn side that now drop back into the relegation places.
On 81 minutes, Antonio Valencia advanced from the right wing, cut inside and unleashed a diagonal shot to beat Paul Robinson in the Blackburn goal.
Valencia is increasingly emerging as United’s key player as they bear down on a 20th title and five minutes later he supplied the pass for Ashley Young to control, spin and turn to score the second goal with another clever shot.
United had not played particularly well but they had shown their class and it was enough to take them five points clear of Roberto Mancini’s side at the top of the table, with seven games to go. It has been a 10-point swing in the space of a month and Ferguson’s men now take on another three teams – QPR, Wigan and Aston Villa – from the bottom six.
City, in contrast, have won only one of their last four league fixtures and have greater reason to be apprehensive. They looked desperately short of belief and momentum during a grumpy, dishevelled performance against Sunderland on Saturday, and United’s supporters revelled in a form of malicious pleasure. “City’s cracking up,” they sang.
Mancini had accepted at the weekend that if United won here and then beat QPR at Old Trafford on Saturday the title race would be “finished.”
He had also predicted United would manage only a draw at Blackburn, even offering a bet to anyone who disagreed. Perhaps the City manager was aware they had won only two of their previous 12 visits to Ewood Park. Or maybe it was an attempt at something that could be lumped in the mind-games bracket.
United had lost the corresponding fixture 3-2 at Old Trafford in December but, back then, they had a debilitating list of injured players while Wayne Rooney had been left out on the back of one of his intermittent fallouts with Ferguson. The team that arrived at Ewood was considerably stronger, and a pattern was quickly established whereby long spells of the game were spent in the opposition half.
As has been the case so often this season, there was still the sense of a team a few notches below their best. Blackburn often lacked belief, unable to get any rhythm going. There was almost a sense of resignation in the stands and, by half-time, United had played with enough control and domination to be frustrated that it had not brought an opening goal.
Yet there were moments of vulnerability, too, and they were indebted to De Gea, who gave another demonstration that he has overcome the erratic form that led to him being dropped for the game at Newcastle at the start of January.
Since returning to the team, the young Spaniard has been exceptional and there were three spectacular saves inside the opening 45 minutes.
That apart, Blackburn had scarcely emerged as an attacking threat and the pressure from United continued at the start of the second half, though again lacking sharpness in attack.
De Gea had to be alert to keep out Morten Gamst Pedersen’s free-kick and the same player then lashed a shot beyond him only for the goal to be ruled out because the ball had gone out before Steven Nzonzi crossed the ball. When it mattered, however, United delivered.
Guardian Service
BLACKBURN:Robinson, Lowe, Dann, Grant Hanley, Martin Olsson, Orr, Pedersen, Nzonzi, Marcus Olsson, Hoilett, Yakubu. Subs not used: Bunn, Dunn, Modeste, Formica, Petrovic, Rochina, Henley.
MANCHESTER UTD: De Gea, Rafael Da Silva, Evans, Ferdinand, Evra, Carrick, Scholes (Young 79), Jones (Giggs 63), Valencia, Hernandez (Welbeck 61), Rooney. Subs not used: Amos, Smalling, Park, Pogba.
Referee: H Webb(S Yorkshire).
MANCINI READY TO CONCEDE IF UNITED WIN ON SUNDAY
ROBERTO MANCINI fears Manchester City’s hopes of winning the Premier League could be over before their next match, at Arsenal on Sunday. Prior to Manchester United’s victory against Blackburn last night Mancini said he believed the champions would be uncatchable if they won that match and Sunday’s game at home to QPR,
City are now five points behind United and Alex Ferguson’s team host Queens Park Rangers in Sunday’s lunchtime kick-off, hours before City go to the Emirates Stadium.
“If we go eight points behind, then it is finished,” said Mancini of the title race.
All the same Mancini is not a fatalist. “I believe always that we will win the title,” he said, “and it is important that our players have concentration about this championship.”
Guardian Service
