Football Live

Saturday April 19, 2008 Finished Ewood Park

Blackburn Rovers 1 - Manchester United 1

Blackburn Rovers

  • Santa Cruz 21’

Manchester United

  • Tevez 88’
  1. United salvage vital point

    United salvage vital point

    A late Carlos Tevez header salvaged a 1-1 draw for Manchester United away to Blackburn Rovers, despite a majestic performance by Brad Friedel. More

  • Live Commentary

    Time:90'
    • Blackburn Rovers
    • Manchester United
    • 90+5' It's over! United will be happy with a point, and they remain in pole position for the title.
    • 90+4' Park plays it through for Tevez who is bundled over... no foul!!
    • 90+2' United have just run out of steam a little. They put everything into that equaliser, and have nothing left in the tank.
    • 90' Park Ji-Sung replaces the clearly injured Wayne Rooney as the fourth official shows four minutes of added time.
    • 89' Nani looks like he is brought down by Warnock but the referee says corner. Steven Warnock a lucky boy.
    • 88' GOOOOAAAALLLL!!! UNITED ARE LEVEL AT LAST!!! CARLOS TEVEZ!!! A corner is headed on by Scholes and Tevez heads into the roof of the net. Friedel finally succumbs!
    • 87' United win a free-kick 40 yards out and Nani will swing it into the box... BACK TO O'SHEA!!! SAVED BY FRIEDEL!!! INCREDIBLE SAVE!!
    • 86' Blackburn change: Aaron Mokoena replaces the knackered Johann Vogel.
    • 85' UNITED DENIED AGAIN!! Wayne Rooney is played through the middle but his shot is saved brilliantly by Brad Friedel!
    • 83' MASSIVE PENALTY SHOUT!! Carrick's header appears goalbound before Emerton stops it with his upper arm! That looked like a deliberate handball from here...
    • 83' Ronaldo down the left again, butting back for Evra who wins a corner.
    • 82' Ronaldo surges down the right and cuts it back for Tevez but the Argentinian's shot is blocked.
    • 81' Well, John O'Shea for Wes Brown might not seem like a title-winning substitution but we'll see.
    • 80' SO CLOSE UNITED!! Rooney squares for Ronaldo who appears to be fouled but the ball drops for TEVEZ!! Friedel gets a hand on the shot and scoops it up as it trickles on to the line!
    • 79' Rooney cuts inside from the left and drills a low shot, but it is too close to Friedel to cause any real trouble.
    • 77' Tevez heads on target but without pace, and it is cleared by Samba. Then Brown crosses towards Scholes but the ball is just not dropping for the men in red.
    • 75' Problems here for Wayne Rooney. He is now down to walking pace and holding his side. And he is not a player to make the most of injuries.
    • 74' Pedersen somehow weaves past three men on his way in from the left flank and strikes a shot from the angle... WIDE!
    • 72' Rooney gets Nelsen's left leg in his midriff and he takes a second or two to return to his feet. He then delivers a torrent of abuse at the linesman, and needs to be careful here.
    • 70' Rooney finally gets beyond the last man to latch on to a Tevez pass, but he is flagged offside.
    • 69' Now it is Pedersen's turn to go down with an injury. Carrick appear to tread inadvertently on his calf.
    • 68' Corner on the United right to be taken by Nani. It bobbles around a bit but ends up with Friedel.
    • 67' Warnock hits a 70-yard free-kick into the box and for some reason Kuszczak elects to to catch it just five yards out. Santa Cruz wins the header but the ball sails over.
    • 65' United go close again as the ball bounces off a defender and Friedel has to sprawl to his right to gather!
    • 64' OFF THE POST FROM RONALDO!! He cracks a left-foot shot from the edge of the box which beats Friedel but not the right-hand post!!
    • 62' United break down the left side through Nani, who cuts inside Steven Reid and blazes his shot over the bar.
    • 61' Tevez is brought down but plays the ball while on the ground and the game continues.
    • 59' It's a foul a minute here, as Vidic brings down Roberts with a clumsy tackle.
    • 58' Wes Brown takes out Warnock and Blackburn have another chance to slow the game down and break up the rhythm.
    • 56' Evra chases a long ball down the left that is cleared behind.. the linesman says goal kick.
    • 54' Ronaldo is taken out by a truly awful barge from Pedersen. How was that not a booking?
    • 52' Cristiano Ronaldo paces out his run-up very deliberately but hits his shot straight into the wall.
    • 51' A bad tackle on Nani by Steven Reid, and this is a free-kick right on the edge of the box. Yellow card.
    • 50' Rooney belts a low cross into the feet of Tevez but the ball just will not stick. The frustration continues.
    • 49' Warnock is back on and Tevez is back in the thick of it - he is penalised for a tackle on Vogel.
    • 47' Steven Warnock stays down after vigorous aerial challenge from Carlos Tevez. He'll be OK - just a little shaken up. He has no reason to hurry back to his feet.
    • 46' One half-time change. Nani replaces Ryan Giggs on the left for United.
    • 46' Second half under way, Blackburn boot it straight out for a throw...
    • 45+2' Ronaldo drills it in straight at Friedel and that is half-time. Manchester United trail!
    • 45+1' Reid pushes Rooney over and this is a good chance for United right on the brink of half-time. Ronaldo will cross from the left - or maybe Giggs.
    • 45' Just one minute of added time to be played before the break.
    • 44' Blackburn are playing a little fancy stuff of their own, knocking it around at the back and frustrating Carlos Tevez.
    • 43' RONALDO!!! He rises highest to deliver a header on target, but Friedel makes a fine save!
    • 41' Blackburn corner on the right that Kuszczak palms unconvincingly away. United break as Rooney finds Carrick, and his cross is turned behind by Vogel. Corner.
    • 39' Oh, you silly boy! Rooney launches himself into a two-footed tackle on Samba and that is a clear booking. A stricter ref might have sent him off. Pure frustration, but utterly stupid.
    • 36' Another poor touch from Rooney gives the ball back to Blackburn. Rooney is then hauled over but no foul is given. The England man is predictably furious about that one. Had it been outside the box he would have had a free-kick, but it would have been a massive penalty decision from referee Styles.
    • 34' The Blackburn fans are loving this. They are cheering every false move from the visitors. These sides are of course north-west neighbours and developed quite a rivalry in the 90s when Alan Shearer was on the scene.
    • 32' More Blackburn pressure, although it comes after the ball appears to go out for a throw. Luckily for referee Rob Styles, the move comes to nothing.
    • 30' David Bentley!! He unleashes a powerful dipping 30-yarder that Kuszczak does well to tip over!
    • 29' Ronaldo has a 30-yard free-kick that he smites goalwards but the effort is low and not all that powerful. A straightforward save for Friedel.
    • 27' A lovely feint opens up some space for Giggs, who slides a ball that has just too much pace for Evra.
    • 25' United are just struggling to find their rhythm. They have had plenty of possession but apart from that Tevez chance have created little.
    • 23' Well, it's up for grabs now! A few long faces on the United bench after that defensive horror show. They fell behind against Arsenal last weekend and must now pull off a similar comeback.
    • 22' United win a corner that Vidic gets a head to but he cannot generate any power and that goes straight to Friedel.
    • 21' GOOAAAALLL!!! Roque Santa Cruz gives Blackburn the lead after confusion at the back from United! Pedersen's long throw bounces off Ferdinand and Vidic into the path of Santa Cruz, who finishes gleefully from close range! Such a soft goal!
    • 18' But Blackburn take no credit for that; a Ryan Giggs cross that he booms straight out of play.
    • 17' United do like their little bits of intricate passing, and Blackburn are not the easiest team to do that against. There is always someone there to stick in a foot and disrupt things. They are excellent at refusing to let teams settle into their own style of play.
    • 15' Bentley crosses deep from the left and find the head of Santa Cruz, whose effort is neither a knockdown nor a shot and Kuszczak saves.
    • 14' Morten Gamst Pedersen chases a ball close to the touchline and runs into a ballboy, who looks less than chuffed at having one of his heroes barrelling into him. No pleasing some people...
    • 12' Santa Cruz knocks the ball past Evra who is committed to the challenge and has no choice but to foul the Paraguayan.
    • 10' Oh, Tevez, what a chance!! He races on to a low cross from Rooney but misses the ball completely! Should have been 1-0!
    • 9' A Giggs cross is deflected and nearly falls for Ronaldo at the back post but for once the Portugal forward cannot control it. Incidentally, he is now officially a forward and not a winger. In my book at least.
    • 8' Blackburn have definitely got the visitors somewhat unsettled - Rio Ferdinand boots an uncharacteristally hurried clearance high into the air.
    • 7' At the other end, a Ronaldo shot from the edge of the box takes a wicked deflection, wrongfooting Friedel, but the American has time to scramble across and save.
    • 6' Danger from Blackburn as United fail to clear a high ball and Roberts nearly gets in, but Kuszcak blocks him bravely. Blackburn want a penalty but they won't get one.
    • 5' Typical Paul Scholes challenge, clipping David Bentley late and a more draconian ref might have flashed the yellow card there.
    • 3' The corner comes to nothing but is soon back with United as Scholes finds Tevez on the left and the Argentinian commits a handball.
    • 2' Safety first from Nelsen, who clears for a corner with Ronaldo lurking.
    • 1' Game on! United get things uder way but immediately surrender possession. They have five days to recover ahead of their Champions League first leg against Barcelona, so Sir Alex Ferguson starts with all his top players.
    • - Manchester United make four changes and take on a strong look despite an injury to Edwin van der Sar that sees Thomas Kuszczak start. Nemanja Vidic is back for Gerard Pique, while Ryan Giggs and Carlos Tevez replace Owen Hargreaves and Park Ji-Sung.
    • - Welcome to LIVE coverage of Blackburn Rovers versus Manchester United from Ewood Park!

  • Team Stats

    Blackburn Rovers Stats Manchester United
    34% Possession 65%
    6 Shots 20
    2 Shots on target 9
    6 Saves 0
    3 Corners 8
    11 Fouls 14
    2 Offsides 3
    1 Yellow cards 1
    0 Red cards 0
    24 Tackles 32
    148 Accurate passes 352
    41 Bad passes 81

  • Player Stats

    G =
    Goals
    S =
    Shots
    SoT =
    Shot on Target
    F =
    Fouls
    FW =
    Fouls Won
    O =
    Offsides
    A =
    Assists
    AP =
    Accurate Passes
    BP =
    Bad Passes
    T =
    Tackles
    • Blackburn Rovers
      G S SoT F FW O A AP BP T
      1 Brad Friedel 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 6 0
      4 Christopher Samba 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 12 1 4
      3 Stephen Warnock 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 15 5 3
      6 Ryan Nelsen 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 20 6 1
      14 Steven Reid 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 10 1 1
      8 Johann Vogel 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 16 2 3
      11 David Bentley 0 2 1 3 1 0 0 9 6 1
      7 Brett Emerton 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 25 5 2
      12 Morten Gamst Pedersen 0 1 0 4 1 0 0 11 6 3
      9 Roque Santa Cruz 1 3 1 2 2 0 0 16 1 3
      30 Jason Roberts 0 0 0 2 1 2 0 5 2 3
      15 Aaron Mokoena 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0
      10 Benedict McCarthy 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      2 Andre Ooijer 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      32 Jason Brown 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      19 David Dunn 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
    • Manchester United
      G S SoT F FW O A AP BP T
      29 Tomasz Kuszczak 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 1
      5 Rio Ferdinand 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 38 3 3
      3 Patrice Evra 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 33 20 4
      6 Wes Brown 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 23 0 7
      15 Nemanja Vidic 0 1 1 1 2 0 0 41 6 3
      16 Michael Carrick 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 55 13 3
      18 Paul Scholes 0 2 0 2 0 0 1 57 8 6
      7 Cristiano Ronaldo 0 5 3 0 3 0 0 24 11 0
      11 Ryan Giggs 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 15 4 1
      32 Carlos Tevez 1 3 2 3 1 1 0 23 5 2
      10 Wayne Rooney 0 4 2 2 2 1 0 17 4 1
      17 Luís Almeida da Cunha 0 3 0 0 2 0 0 10 5 1
      13 Ji-sung Park 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0
      12 Ben Foster 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      22 John O'Shea 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 9 1 0
      19 Gerard Pique 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

  • Summary

    • 88' GOOOOAAAALLLL!!! UNITED ARE LEVEL AT LAST!!! CARLOS TEVEZ!!! A corner is headed on by Scholes and Tevez heads into the roof of the net. Friedel finally succumbs!
    • 85' UNITED DENIED AGAIN!! Wayne Rooney is played through the middle but his shot is saved brilliantly by Brad Friedel!
    • 83' MASSIVE PENALTY SHOUT!! Carrick's header appears goalbound before Emerton stops it with his upper arm! That looked like a deliberate handball from here...
    • 80' SO CLOSE UNITED!! Rooney squares for Ronaldo who appears to be fouled but the ball drops for TEVEZ!! Friedel gets a hand on the shot and scoops it up as it trickles on to the line!
    • 74' Pedersen somehow weaves past three men on his way in from the left flank and strikes a shot from the angle... WIDE!
    • 65' United go close again as the ball bounces off a defender and Friedel has to sprawl to his right to gather!
    • 64' OFF THE POST FROM RONALDO!! He cracks a left-foot shot from the edge of the box which beats Friedel but not the right-hand post!!
    • 43' RONALDO!!! He rises highest to deliver a header on target, but Friedel makes a fine save!
    • 30' David Bentley!! He unleashes a powerful dipping 30-yarder that Kuszczak does well to tip over!
    • 29' Ronaldo has a 30-yard free-kick that he smites goalwards but the effort is low and not all that powerful. A straightforward save for Friedel.
    • 21' GOOAAAALLL!!! Roque Santa Cruz gives Blackburn the lead after confusion at the back from United! Pedersen's long throw bounces off Ferdinand and Vidic into the path of Santa Cruz, who finishes gleefully from close range! Such a soft goal!
    • 10' Oh, Tevez, what a chance!! He races on to a low cross from Rooney but misses the ball completely! Should have been 1-0!
    • 6' Danger from Blackburn as United fail to clear a high ball and Roberts nearly gets in, but Kuszcak blocks him bravely. Blackburn want a penalty but they won't get one.

Live Team Line-Up

  • Referee: Rob Styles

  • Blackburn Rovers

    Manager: Mark Hughes

    Captain: Ryan Nelsen

    On the Field

    • Friedel
    • Emerton
    • Samba
    • Nelsen
    • Warnock
    • Bentley
    • Reid Yellow Card
    • Vogel Substitution Out (86′)
    • Pedersen
    • Roberts
    • Santa Cruz Goal

    Subs

    • McCarthy
    • Dunn
    • Ooijer
    • Mokoena Substitution In86′
    • Brown

    Injured

    None

    Suspended

    None

  • Manchester United

    Manager: Alex Ferguson

    Captain: Rio Ferdinand

    On the Field

    • Kuszczak
    • Brown Substitution Out (81′)
    • Ferdinand
    • Vidic
    • Evra
    • Ronaldo
    • Carrick
    • Scholes
    • Giggs Substitution Out (46′)
    • Tevez Goal
    • Rooney Yellow Card Substitution Out (90′)

    Subs

    • O'Shea Substitution In81′
    • Park Substitution In90′
    • Pique
    • Foster
    • Nani Substitution In46′

    Injured

    • Hargreaves
    • Saha

    Suspended

    None