United escape with the honours

Manchester United1 Blackburn Rovers0

It was a day for champions, not pretenders, at Old Trafford yesterday as Manchester United gained a richly deserved and passionately acclaimed victory over Blackburn Rovers.

Their goal was scored not by Andy Cole, the new hero of the red hordes, but Eric Cantona, their established darling and a man seeking his fifth successive championship medal.

While Cole, playing his first match since signing for £7m from Newcastle, missed good chances in the opening and closing minutes, Cantona took his with intelligence and precision, heading in Ryan Giggs' cross with 10 minutes to go.

Rovers, forced to attack for the first time in the match, thought they had equalised but Tim Sherwood's late headed goal was controversially disallowed.

United, had they lost, would have been eight points behind. Now the champions can regain the lead, for the first time since November, by winning at Crystal Palace on Wednesday. Rovers, two points ahead, retain their game in hand but they have been beatentwice by United this season and their confidence will be shaken.

On both occasions they will argue - indeed, Kenny Dalglish, their manager, does argue - that referees were to blame. That was true at Ewood Park, where they led until Gerald Ashby mistakenly dismissed Henning Berg and awarded the penalty that brought United back into the game.

The crucial decision yesterday was less clear-cut. With the match already into injury-time, Berg swung a deep ball to the far post, Roy Keane appeared to mis-judge the flight and Alan Shearer headed it back across goal for Sherwood to score. However the referee, Paul Durkin, saw a push by Shearer on Keane.

Television evidence did show Shearer raising his arm but any contact was mild. However, by raising his arm Shearer took the risk of being penalised and, however slight the touch, it does not take much to push a defender out of position in such circumstances.

But, however unlucky Rovers were at Ewood, they did not deserve a draw yesterday. For weeks they have been playing positive, increasingly attractive football. Yesterday they reverted to stereotype, sat back and looked to hit United with long hoofs from the back.

It took them 33 minutes to have a shot and that, by Sherwood, was both wide and from long range. United had, by then, created five good chances, the first of which had fallen to Cole.

The stage had been set for him. The United fanzine apologised for previously abusing him, shirts bearing his name and number (17) were prominently sported and there was even a fairly accurate rendition of "Blaydon races" from the Warwick Road End to helphim feel at home.

But what Cole really needed to settle was a goal, especially as he had joined United while suffering the longest goalless streak of his career - nine games and nearly two months. The barren run has, apparently, mystified rather than worried him but it cannot have helped his ability to deal with what was already a daunting debut.

Beforehand he would have prayed for an early chance - and an early goal. Instead he experienced the worst possible scenario, being gifted an excellent chance after 90 seconds, only to waste it.

Brian McClair's long ball was inadvertently headed into his path by Paul Warhurst. As Tim Flowers rushed from his goal it must have seemed to Cole that the ball took an age to fall. When it did he haplessly miscued his volley and the ball went wide.

From then on he was about as anonymous as it is possible for a man to be when millions are watching his every move. He combined with Giggs to set up McClair, who chipped wide after eight minutes. He neatly controlled another long ball from McClair 22 minutes later and nearly fed Giggs. But that, apart from some occasional good running off the ball, was it until, in the final minute, he shot over after Cantona and Andrei Kanchelskis had combined.

While neither of Blackburn's expensively acquired strikers, Shearer and Chris Sutton, did any more than Cole they had to feed off scraps; Cole was playing for a side that dominated possession. And, unlike Sutton in particular, his contribution in other areas was negligible.

However, a difficult debut is over and, though he may not have played well, his team won. There will be better days and it is already clear that United are adjusting their style by hitting more long balls to suit his pace. But he needs a goal. His uncertainty means he now often waits to see where crosses are going rather than hitting the space in advance. This showed on 53 minutes when Keane whipped the ball into prime strikers' territory and Cole was two yards short.

More encouragingly for United is the return to form of Giggs, who tormented Rovers throughout. He created good chances for Cantona, Ince and Sharpe in the first half and could have scored himself.

Finally, having switched wings upon Kanchelskis's introduction, he won the match. Receiving the ball from Cantona he lost it to Berg, won it back and crossed deep. As Hendry and Le Saux ball-watched, Cantona met it late, but decisively.

Manchester United (4-4-2): Schmeichel; Keane, Pallister, Bruce, Irwin; Giggs, McClair, Ince, Sharpe (Kanchelskis, 76); Cantona, Cole. Substitutes not used: May, Walsh (gk).

Blackburn Rovers (4-4-2): Flowers; Berg, Warhurst, Hendry, Le Saux; Wilcox (Pearce, 90), Atkins (Newell, 90), Sherwood, Wright; Shearer, Sutton. Substitute not used: Mimms (gk).

Referee: P Durkin (Portland).

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