When it all seems to be losing at Blackburn, Carlos Tevez stands out in the 88th minute to equalise and rescue a point for Manchester United, as the title bid runs down to a thin wire. It was undoubtedly that the Red Devils were the poorer side for the entire of the match. There is definitely little to claim about the referee denying them three penalties, as replays have shown that they were almost none.
Penalties aside, in general, the team play was particularly poor. Ryan Giggs did not have a good game in the first half and he was immediately replaced by Nani during the start of the second half. Critics about him that his age is closing to an end of his career is about to be true. Paul Scholes, another stalwart of the Manchester United squad, was not at his peak either. His passing was rarely met with the incisively run of the players, nor did his ball managed to find his target. He was undeniably not at his best yesterday.
If you think the veterans are not doing well, so were some of the younger players. Cristiano Ronaldo, normally at his magical best, was often found to have his ball stolen from his feet. Wayne Rooney was working aimlessly hard, but most of the time found dropped deep back into defence as the midfield play was extremely weak.
The partnership between Rio Ferdinand and Vidic was not on form either, as the latter has just returned from injury. The confusion around the 6-yard box between the two players and the Reds goalkeeper eventually brought about the first goal scored by Blackburn.
This match is not particularly at its best and honestly dreadful to watch, judging from the past standards of Manchester United. Of course, there is always an off-peak period when teams do not perform well, however, with 3 more games left; this is not to be an excuse if Manchester United is aiming to win the championship.
Thanks to Carlos Tevez, the equaliser means that Manchester United will probabilistically be crowned Champion if they manage to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge this coming Saturday afternoon, because of the massive goal difference between the two teams. If it’s a draw, Manchester United must win at least one and draw one game. If Manchester United lost, then they need to win the next two games to ensure the title. So, the next Premiership game could go right down to the wire.