THE vultures were hovering over Maine Road on Saturday, eager to feast on one of two potential carcasses.

Manchester City's struggle to survive in the Premiership could have been on its last legs if they had lost this game.

And there would have been easy pickings too if Blackburn Rovers had gone down again after an unprecedented sick-list had seen them lurch to within one defeat of their worst sequence since climbing back into the top flight.

It's a pleasure to be able to report that the birds of prey went hungry.

For neither side really deserved to lose a pulsating, roller-coaster derby of raw emotion and huge excitement.

In a week when gossip of a Maine Road link-up between City and Oasis has been top of the charts, this clash was more of a Blur - all high-speed action and incident.

Rovers had the better of the beginning and end of the first half, City struck back convincingly in between.

When Alan Shearer (pictured) - who else? - gave them a platform for victory with his second half strike, the vociferous Rovers contingent were celebrating.

And there's no doubt that the win could have been wrapped up long before City's gallant rally, with a counter-attacking display reminiscent of Rovers' best days of the recent past.

But, whatever City's failings, you cannot fault the spirit that manager Alan Ball has instilled in his side.

It produced a superbly-taken equaliser from the impressive Steve Lomas with just seven minutes remaining and could even have brought a winner.

That would have been harsh on Rovers, in the light of their contribution to a truly entertaining spectacle.

Happily, it was clearly going to take something special to beat Tim Flowers who deservedly enjoyed the slice of good fortune that had deserted him the previous Saturday against Liverpool.

This time, the freakish bounce denied City striker Uwe Rosler, rather than the keeper.

The German rose majestically, headed down against the inside of the post and the ball rebounded onto Flowers' leg and away from goal!

But the rest of the keeper's work owed more to ability than luck, especially in a frantic final few minutes when City, encouraged by their equaliser, set up a bombardment.

If City were spirited, however, so too were Rovers.

They began the game showing few signs of a team affected by their dismal away record, looking positive and convincing and taking the game to the home side.

That is how they used to play on opposition territory and it brought deserved reward.

They also clearly had a game plan aimed at putting the block on the ever-dangerous Georgi Kinkladze, a player capable of single-handedly destroying the best-laid plans.

His surging runs from midfield can be a menace but Rovers closed down most available channels, stifling the Georgian's attacking threat and restricting him to the odd sortie deep into the danger area.

Perhaps that helped Lomas, who had a significant influence on the game.

While attention was focussed on his team-mate, Lomas looked the principal threat to change the course of the game and, in those closing minutes, so it proved with his point-saving goal.

An indication of Rovers' own attacking intentions came with the fact that Colin Hendry, enjoying his return to the ground where he spent two happy if, at times, frustrating years, could have had a first-half hat-trick!

Eike Immel made a fine save from the central defender as early as the third minute, was relieved to see a header cleared off the line and could only stand and watch as a blistering goalbound volley hit Keith Curle on the head and ricocheted to safety.

As expected, Mike Newell returned after suspension for Niklas Gudmundsson and Rovers also gave Matty Holmes a rare outing.

In the absence of Stuart Ripley and Jason Wilcox, they looked for width to Kevin Gallacher and ex-West Ham man Holmes who showed few signs of only playing occasionally on the first team stage.

He did an excellent job for the side.

But it was a team effort which began brightly with three corners in the first five minutes and Immel tested first by Hendry and then by a rasping 35-yarder from Billy McKinlay.

City took a little time to muster their attacking strength but caused a few problems and it needed a couple of timely interventions, as well as the safe hands of Flowers to keep them out.

As half time approached, Rovers should have taken the lead. Hendry was twice desperately unlucky, while McKinlay had a great chance from Shearer's knockdown.

The ball might have sat up a little but the Scot should have done better than blaze it high over.

Uncertainty in the heart of the City defence gave Rovers cause for hope, though the opening goal owed everything to Shearer's poaching instincts than any real error.

Henning Berg's cross was headed away to no man's land out on the left, but nothing is a lost cause to Shearer who chased it and turned towards the penalty area.

He was around the corner of the box with a defender in front of him when he let fly a vicious right-foot shot.

It seemed to take a slight deflection off his marker's shin to exaggerate the spin and swerve as the ball crashed into the net off the top of the far upright - another one for the collection.

City now had to abandon all pre-conceived ideas and just get forward, which they did.

That left them susceptible to the counter-attack and Rovers should have had the killer second goal.

But Immel made good saves from Gallacher and Holmes (twice) with another opportunity or two going begging because they seemed to have too much time!

City dug deep for a late furious onslaught and, when Rosler had a bit of luck, his first cross rebounding of the blocking defender, the German lobbed in a better effort.

Lomas, steaming in at full speed, met it with his head and the ball flew past Flowers.

The keeper then distinguished himself with two fine saves as City pressed frantically for a winner.

But a bigger than average Maine Road crowd was content to settle for what they had seen - from both sides.

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