Scruffy stalemate looks ominous for Wilkinson

"Tuesday was a football match. This will be a scrap." In one pithy comment, the Blackburn manager, Graeme Souness, summed up the difference between playing Manchester United in the Worthington Cup and Sunderland in their battle against relegation. Given the ex- Liverpool captain's pedigree, his remark was something of a double-edged compliment, as Sunderland have a reputation of fighting for the cause. But a match full of errors and missed chances was less of a scrap and more just plain scrappy.

Sunderland's injury crisis continues to resemble a rather gory episode of ER, with 11 casualties crowding in for treatment. Thomas Sorensen reclaimed his place in goal after an absence of 16 games and Gavin McCann recovered sufficiently to bolster a still depleted midfield. Damien Duff returned for Blackburn, but Rovers' other alliterative double diamond, David Dunn, succumbed to a persistent calf injury. Matt Jansen was still to make a Premiership start following his road accident in June, but his recovery is a sobering reminder that football actually isn't more important than life or death. It just seems like it.

Sunderland dominated most of the opening play but couldn't match Blackburn's neat passing game. Kevin Phillips was seeking the goal that would make him Sunderland's all-time leading scorer in the Premiership, but was getting little joy out of Rovers' 6ft 4in defender, Martin Taylor (known as "Tiny"). The first chance fell to Blackburn after 14 minutes following a neat move down their left flank by Garry Flitcroft and Duff. The winger's pass found Andy Cole unmarked just 10 yards out, but he blasted his shot well wide.

The miss signalled a period of Blackburn pressure with chances for both Duff and Dwight Yorke, who hit the post. Sunderland's attacks often floundered with a poor final pass, Tore-Andre Flo and Phillips having yet to develop a partnership that looks like solving the Wearsiders' scoring problems.

Otherwise, the first half presented little threat from either side, other than the brooding presence of Graeme Souness, who with his third touchline ban approaching, prowled the technical area like a hungry wolf.

The second half opened with little improvement in the generally dour pattern of play. Even Souness sat down. A clever run and shot by Yorke produced a good save from Sorensen, who also did well to block a Cole header two minutes later. The largest cheer of the afternoon greeted the return for Sunderland of Julio Arca after his long lay-off. The Argentinian winger immediately produced a telling cross for Sunderland's best chance of the game and their overall play started to improve.

With 20 minutes remaining, the game finally picked up. Jody Craddock hit the post for the home side on 68 minutes, and Blackburn should have scored soon after when Yorke fired over the bar from close range. Paul Thirlwell, Phil Babb and McCann all had opportunities in the closing minutes to give Sunderland a much-needed win. But the match ended as untidily as it had begun with neither side taking much credit from the afternoon's performance.

Blackburn have now lost only one of their last twelve games, and their league and Worthington Cup positions continue to offer a double tilt at Europe. Sunderland's failure to win yet another vital home game leaves them firmly stuck in the relegation mire. Their fans may be talking of the great escape, but given the fate of most of those escapees, it is not perhaps the most optimistic of analogies.