Man City 0-0 Blackburn

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Manchester City and Blackburn failed to produce a goal or much entertainment in an instantly forgettable match.

After a lifeless first period, City were fastest out of the blocks following the break, with Danny Mills' long-range effort flashing just over.

A lack of decent service meant Rovers' Craig Bellamy and Paul Dickov rarely had a chance to threaten the City goal.

David Thompson's hugely optimistic late attempt to lob City keeper David James summed up an underwhelming game.

Goalscoring chances were almost non-existent in a dismal first half.

Blackburn stifled play early on, pushing City back but rarely doing anything to seriously test James.

As the half wore on and with the home fans becoming increasingly frustrated, City finally began to impose themselves on the game.

But their midfield failed to supply Andy Cole or Darius Vassell with much to test Brad Friedel in the Rovers goal.

Blackburn played for a 0-0 rather than trying for a win From BC Have your say on 606

City boss Stuart Pearce evidently had strong words for his players at half-time as the first five minutes after the restart produced more passion and attacking intent than the entire first half.

Probably the best chance fell to Vassell, who saw the ball stolen off his toes by Ryan Nelsen as he lined up a close-range shot.

Mills' 25-yard effort just over the bar gave the fans something to cheer as City concentrated their attacking efforts on the right-hand side, mainly through Stephen Ireland and Lee Croft.

Later, Mills was lucky to escape the referee's attention after seeming to catch Morten Gamst Pedersen in the face in an off-the-ball incident.

But as a scrappy game wore on, neither side really took control and it drifted towards an inevitable goalless conclusion.

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Manchester City manager Stuart Pearce:
"We are the home team - we obviously want to set a tempo and I was asking the guys to do that all week, but Blackburn stifled the game.

"Every opportunity they had to slow the game down they did, but I won't knock them for that, as they are effective in doing so.

"They got what they deserved, and what they probably hoped for - a point."

Blackburn boss Mark Hughes:
"Given the week we have had - we had a lot of guys away on international duty - it was more difficult for us to prepare than possibly it was for them.

"I don't think they had anybody away, but both sets of defenders were on top.

"In the first half, we bossed the game and had plenty of possession without creating anything of note - the second half was a little bit more even."

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Man City: James, Mills, Dunne, Distin, Jordan, Croft, Ireland, Jihai, Musampa (Sinclair 70), Vassell, Cole (Wright-Phillips 86). Subs Not Used: Thatcher, Sibierski, Onuoha.
Booked: Dunne, Cole.

Blackburn: Friedel, Nelsen, Todd, Khizanishvili, Gray, Reid (Thompson 73), Tugay (Mokoena 85), Savage, Pedersen, Dickov (Kuqi 85), Bellamy. Subs Not Used: Enckelman, Bentley.
Booked: Khizanishvili, Dickov, Thompson, Savage.

Att: 44,032