No Short measures

But when the chips are down, few players rise to a challenge quite like the former Everton stopper who produced a colossal display to blunt the Premiership's hottest strike-force for the second time this season at a tension-gripped Ewood Park last night.

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Eidur Gudjohnsen have left a trail of destruction behind them wherever they have been on their way to ruthlessly plundering a staggering 52 goals in all competitions over the last seven months.

But whatever their qualities as an attacking duo, they have yet to get the better of Short and his central defensive colleague Henning Berg, who once again strained every sinew for the cause in what was an outstanding rearguard action.

To coin a popular phrase straight out of the Graeme Souness phrase-book, Short is a man of such substance and character that you could 'build a block of flats on top of him.'

And there was no doubting he was a tower of strength here as Rovers dug deep to grind out a point which could yet prove monumental in their quest to reach the Premiership's comfort zone.

Chelsea -- one of the league's most explosive sides -- arrived at Ewood desperate for a win to boost their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.

But they came across a fiercely determined Blackburn side who were Hell-bent on eliminating any lingering relegation concerns.

And, though a draw favoured neither side in resolving their respective destinies, at least Souness emerged from this vibrant encounter boosted in the knowledge that Rovers had stood toe-to-toe with one of the top-flight's leading lights.

"I'm happy that we've taken a point from tonight but I'm disappointed we haven't taken all three because I thought we had the better of the chances, I thought we had the better of the play and I thought we were ultimately the better team," mused the Ewood chief.

"When you are playing against top teams they are always going to create something against you over the course of 90 minutes but I thought we limited them to very little when you look at the fire-power they had out there.

"They have the top scorer in the league in Jimmy who has bags of pace and power and Gudjohnsen is a good player as well.

"But I thought we kept them quiet for most of the game."

With so much at stake in their battle to beat the drop, Souness could have been forgiven for adopting a safety-first approach but he was bold in his team selection, opting for a midfield quartet which was overloaded with attacking potential, and he was suitably rewarded.

Tugay and David Dunn dovetailed impressively in the centre where they enjoyed the upper hand over Manu Petit and Frank Lampard, providing a platform for Rovers to launch a series of dangerous raids.

And with Keith Gillespie and Damien Duff pouring forward with pace and purpose down both flanks, there was a menacingly quality to much of Rovers' work in the final third.

At times in the past, however, such a cavalier approach has left them vulnerable to swift counter-attacks.

But to a man, everyone stuck to their task, proving that it is possible to play with two out-and-out wingers in the same side.

"There's no doubting our ability when we've got the ball going forward but in terms of concentration we have sometimes let ourselves down and that's why we haven't won more games than we have done over the course of the season," reflected Souness.

"But I thought that aspect of our game was excellent tonight."

The last time Rovers were involved in a 0-0 draw was back in November when this corresponding fixture at Stamford Bridge also finished goalless.

But there was no shortage of goalmouth action here as both sides went for the jugular in an entertaining end-to-end encounter which could have gone either way.

In-form keeper Carlo Cudicini was the busier of the two keepers in an incident-packed first half.

The Italian shot-stopper denied both Duff and Lucas Neill with impressive saves as Rovers threw men forward in numbers at every opportunity.

But recalled striker Andy Cole then failed to make him work when he fired high and wide with the goal at his mercy after he had brilliantly fashioned a yard of space for himself with a neat turn past a defender.

In contrast, Chelsea's only real chance of the half fell to Gudjohnsen but his rasping drive flew inches wide of Brad Friedel's right-hand post after a sweeping three-man move involving Hasselbaink and Gianfranco Zola.

After the break, the visitors began to pose more problems on the break and Gudjohnsen should have broken the deadlock when he was presented with the game's best chance in the 48th minute.

Hasselbaink's vicious drive proved too hot for Friedel to handle and the big American only succeeded in parrying straight to the former Bolton striker but, uncharacteristically, he somehow skied his shot over the bar from six yards out.

Had that gone in it would have been harsh on Rovers who had established a territorial dominance and continued to pepper the visitors goal.

Cudicini came to Chelsea's rescue again as he saved from Duff while Tugay and Matt Jansen both failed to hit the target from similar inviting opportunities as Rovers mounted a grandstand finish.

But perhaps their best chance of the lot fell to Duff in the 72nd minute when he worked a brilliant one-two with Cole in the box only to see his shot from an acute angle creep wide of the far post.

Rovers were far from despondent, however, and in many respects a draw felt almost as good as a win in the wider scheme of things.

"I know people say you've got to win your home games but this was a big point for us, especially when you take into account our goal difference which effectively puts us four points ahead of Ipswich," said Short.

"We've now got Middlesbrough away a week on Saturday and they play Arsenal on the Sunday so whatever happens that weekend they can't go above us which makes a big difference and we'd still have a game in hand.

"But we don't want to be looking over our shoulders relying on other teams."

ROVERS... 0 CHELSEA... 0