United held by battling Blackburn

Manchester Utd 0 Blackburn 0

Manchester United’s Premiership ambitions finally bit the dust at Old Trafford as Mark Hughes’ obdurate Blackburn side held them at bay.

In the first half alone, Wayne Rooney and Roy Keane both hit the post, Brad Friedel made superb saves to deny Mikael Silvestre and Cristiano Ronaldo, while Morten Gamst Pedersen cleared another Silvestre effort off the line.

But United could not force a way through and not even the arrival of sparky forward Alan Smith for Ruud van Nistelrooy could spark them into life after the break.