Beckham saves red-faced United

Yet the outcome should have been academic by half-time. Once Ryan Giggs had given United the lead, they were so much in control it was almost embarrassing. Playing keep-ball at will, they hit the woodwork twice and the wonder was that they were only the one goal to the good at half-time.

Whatever Graeme Souness' instructions at half-time, it transformed Blackburn. Though their equaliser came courtesy of a misdirected-Beckham header, they took the lead with a finely-taken goal. United are in danger of becoming victims of their own self-belief. Their showcase football needs to have a more positive outcome and they need their passing football to be more penetrative.

The solid foundation referred to by Ferguson was missing again, with Fabien Barthez needing to palm away a Gillespie shot in the first minute and Grabbi heading the corner against the bar.

Two incidents midway through the half were pivotal to the game. Grabbi, busy and committed, wasted the easiest of chances at the far post from a mere five yards. United broke forward and Juan Veron, with a laser pass, sent Giggs darting past Short to drill past Friedel. So quick, so simple.

United were then show-boating, stringing dozens of passes together but all they had to show was a driven Paul Scholes shot from 30 yards, which came back off the upright and a Beckham free-kick that hit the bar.

Blackburn, even without the drive of David Dunn, clawed their way back with Grabbi reminding Barthez that his insistence on showing his footwork in his own penalty area will soon land him in trouble.

Their equaliser, however, came from an own goal. Silvestre, for the umpteenth time, fouled Gillespie and Alan Mahon's free-kick from the right was back-headed into the corner of his own net by Beckham.

Rovers rallied and Henning Berg, one of the three Old Trafford old boys in the Ewood side, headed against the bar as the home side enjoyed a period of control. That culminated in a second goal, with Rovers switching the ball from left to right. Gillespie turned superbly inside Silvestre and from a difficult angle beat Barthez at his near post.

Ferguson withdrew Scholes and Ruud van Nistelrooy, who had often been too isolated on his own up front, and sent on Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole.

Yorke was upended by Short in the 78th minute, his second cautionable offence, and as he ambled away from the action Beckham slapped the ball down and chipped it over the unprepared Friedel.

The protests followed with referee Wiley backing away to the half-way line pursued by furious Rovers defenders. Meanwhile Beckham stood with arms aloft, knowing he had caught them unawares.

A year ago, United drew their first away game to promoted Ipswich, so they will lose no sleep over this loss of two points. But they should beware their own complacency.

Ferguson said: 'From a position of great control, when we played football you won't see for a long time, we were scrambling to get a point. There was casualness and slackness at the back, and we deserved what we got.'

Souness said: 'I'm thrilled for my lads. They were like a battered boxer coming back out for one more round.'