Carlitos Snatches Vital Point

Blackburn 1 - Manchester United 1
Scorers
Blackburn: Santa Cruz (20)
Manchester United: Tevez (88)

Team: Kuszczak, Rio, Vidic, Brown (O'Shea 80), Evra, Carrick, Scholes, Giggs (Nani 46), Tevez, Ronaldo, Rooney (Park 90)

First off, an apology for typing this late. I got a terrible headache after yesterday's game due to too much beer (root beer).

Tevez saved our skins with a late late equalizer that shifted the momentum of the title race back into our favour. Had we lost this game, Chelsea would have had their own destiny in their hands, by winning all their remaining games. As it stands now, we can afford to lose that game at the Bridge and still go on to win the title, a vital psychological edge to have as both teams ready themselves for the final straight.

We had a nervy start to the game, and it was made worst by losing possession every now and again. Blackburn's physical approach bothered both Scholes and in particular Giggs to give away the ball far too often for anyone's liking. And seeing the two elder statesmen falter under demanding circumstances, it did little for the morale of the entire team.

Despite not playing well, we still curved out the clearer chances in the opening 20 minutes. Then disaster struck in the most unfathomable fashion. From a long throw, both Rio and Vidic got into one another's way. Rio jumped too early, while Vidic was caught dry humping Jason Roberts. The ball hit Rio's trailing leg as he landed and Santa Cruz was left with an entire goal to aim at. A striker of his quality put it away with ease.

For a huge part of the first half, we pressed forward but with Giggs leading the line, we were quite honestly terrible. Giggs was abysmal. Already with the pressure of the fans on his back, his performance on the day did little to justify his continual selection. With his pace gone, and his confidence sapping, it's quite honestly painful to watch him struggle to put on a dignified front. And this is coming from a huge huge Giggs fan.

At half time, Fergie took off his favourite son and replaced him with fit-again Nani. Once again the football flowed. We pressed forward for the equalizer at the same time exposing ourselves to Blackburn counters. Jason Roberts was a handful holding up the ball, giving both Rio and Vidic a torrid time.

On the other end, chances came in waves but Brad Friedel was having a game of his life. He was making saves that a keeper normally just didn't and shouldn't have a right to. And on the occasion he couldn't, the post came to his rescue. Blackburn's goalmouth was leading a charmed life.

Just when it all looked lost, Scholes headed on from a corner a little Tevez flicked it beyond Friedel. It was a goal we desparately needed and the players knew it. Vidic and Rio were the first to congratulate Tevez as his goal made up for the terrible mess they got us into. In the end our persistence paid off.

Squeezed between the two legs of the semis against Barcelona, we're going to face Chelsea on Saturday, undoubtedly going to be the most important game in the race to the summit. The Bridge in recent years has been a fortress. They haven't lost there in over 3 years.

I'm super confident we're going to march there and tear down the castle walls, burning the bridge as we ransack London. It's a record we would relish to take down, just as we did so against the 'Invincibles' of Arsenal. It should have ended last season, but by the time we faced them at Stamford Bridge, the title was already sewn up. Hence we could afford to field our token Chinese guy, Dong. This season it's totally different, and the winner takes all. Bring it on!