Kuszczak: Didn’t cover himself in glory at critical moment when the clean sheet run ended 5

Rafael: The young Brazilian never fully shut off the threat of Pedersen 5

Ferdinand: The senior man had work cut out at times keeping the defence intact 7

Evans: Had had a mixed time of it. Got in some key blocks but also looked rusty at times. Went off injured 6

Evra: The full back made a handful of vital clearances and was the pick of the Reds defence 8

Ronaldo: Excellent free kick but the winger wasn’t on fire otherwise 6

Carrick: Had a battle on hands to stamp his authority and never full achieved it 6

Scholes: Not the virtuoso display he turned on versus Fulham but impressive in bits 7

Nani: Started well with excellent cross for Rooney goal but then hardly put a foot right after that 4

Rooney: Started in fearsome form, slackened off, then stoked the fire late on 8

Berbatov: The Bulgarian never really seemed to get himself into the action 5

Subs:

Tevez (sub Nani 60) Haircut didn’t sap strength 6

Vidic (sub Evans 60) Steadied Reds at back 7

Giggs (sub Scholes 82) Not much time to impose himself 5

Not used: Fletcher, Welbeck, Fabio, Foster

Blackburn Rovers: Robinson, Ooijer, Warnock, Nelsen, Dunn (Tugay 73), Santa Cruz, Grella (McCarthy 79), Pedersen, Andrews, Diouf (Treacy 82), Givet

Goals:

United: Rooney (23) Ronaldo (60)
Blackburn: Santa Cruz (32)

Bookings:

United: Ronaldo (56)
Blackburn: Andrews (59) Givet (67)

Battle of the Bosses:

Sam Allardyce engineered the biggest danger Reds have faced for a while

Referee: Howard Webb - Let United off hook with Pedersen penalty appeal 5

Atttendance: 75,000

Sir Alex will face a serious selection dilemma should Jonny Evans be ruled out of United’s Champions League clash with Inter Milan on Tuesday.

The young defender limped off against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday evening with a reccurrence of a recent ankle injury.

“It’s a bit sore,” Evans told MUTV after the final whistle. “I kicked the ground when I tried to make a long clearance and now it’s a bit tender.

“I don’t know [if I’ll be ready for Tuesday’s game]. The doctor said he’d have a look at it on Sunday. We’ll have a better idea then.”

The Reds were always going to face the Italian champions without the suspended Nemanja Vidic, but Sir Alex was counting on Evans to plug that gap. Gary Neville and Wes Brown are also out injured, further curtailing the manager’s options in the centre of defence.

“We’ve got some injury issues,” the boss told Setanta Sports. “I just hope I can get two centre-halves fit for the match. At the moment it’s doubtful.

“I’m hoping I’ll have John O’Shea fit as I won’t have Vidic, Neville or Brown either.”

O’Shea injured his heel against Fulham last Wednesday but if neither he nor Evans is fit for Tuesday, the boss could be forced to emply unconventional measures.

On MUTV's Matchday Review programme, United legend Lou Macari said he thought Sir Alex might play Rafael on the right, his brother Fabio on the left and bring Patrice Evra into the middle to partner Rio Ferdinand.

Sir Alex Ferguson says United's 2-1 win over Blackburn shows the Reds must “fight for our lives” to win the title.

United can expect 12 more battles to clinch an 18th league title. Wayne Rooney put the Reds in front, but Roque Santa Cruz levelled for a spirited Rovers team, and it took a fabulous free-kick from Cristiano Ronaldo to seal the win.

“It was a great lesson for us,” said Sir Alex. “It tells you what this league is like. There’s no way we can forecast winning the league when you get difficult games like this. Blackburn are down at the bottom, they’re going to fight for their lives. That’s what you expect from every team in the bottom eleven. It’s a difficult league.

“A lot of people are talking about us winning the league, but we must dismiss it. This was a great reminder that we’re going to have to focus on every game. Just as the teams at the bottom are fighting for their lives, we have to fight for ours.”

Sir Alex wasn’t wholly convinced by his team’s display. “We probably just deserved it, but only just,” he added. “We were in a controlled position and gave away a goal. When you consider the way we’ve defended over the last ten weeks or so, that was not indicative of our performances. It was a very soft goal to give away. Blackburn got a lot of resolve from that. They became very determined in the second half, they put on a great show and Sam will be pleased with them. They made it a real fight.”

But winning tough matches is a quality all champions possess. “Sometimes when you don’t play at your very best, you can get a result like that and it hopefully goes towards winning the title,” he said. It certainly looks good, now eight points clear. But the United boss won’t be counting his chickens yet.

Cristiano Ronaldo was pleased to grab the winner to send United eight points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Ronaldo conjured one of his special free-kicks to clinch a hard-fought and, he says, deserved 2-1 win.

“The most important thing is that we are top of the table and now we are eight points ahead of Liverpool,” Ronaldo told MUTV.

"I’m very happy that we got three points. It was a very tough game. The manager said before the game that it was going to be one of the toughest games of the season. He has experience and he knows better than anyone. We saw in the game that Blackburn created chances and they were a dangerous team playing on the counter attack.

“We controlled most of the game and had more opportunities. At the end of the day I think we deserved to win because we looked to score goals.”

Ronaldo felt that he was unfairly singled out for diving, when Rovers midfielder Morten Gamst Pedersen also took a tumble in the box and got away with it. “I thought Pedersen dived. It wasn’t a penalty. Pedersen dived and didn’t get a yellow card, but I dived and he did book me! But I suppose that’s just the situation of the game.”

But ultimately Ronaldo’s most important contribution was his goal after an hour. The free kick from the corner of the penalty area was struck with such venom and speed that Paul Robinson saw it late coming through a crowd of bodies. The Portuguese winger was pleased with the importance of the strike as much as how it looked.

“I was pleased with my goal, it was a good free kick and an important goal. I’m looking forward to seeing it on television!”

Rio Ferdinand limped out of United’s FA Cup win over Fulham on Saturday and now faces a race against time to be fit for Internazionale’s visit to Old Trafford on Wednesday.

Ferdinand appeared to roll his ankle as he pursued Fulham forward Bobby Zamora shortly before half-time. The England defender played on but failed to emerge for the second half.

“Rio’s a bit of a concern,” Sir Alex told MUTV. “He’s gone over on his ankle and we just have to wait and see how he is now.

“I just hope he makes Wednesday because he’s such an important player to us.”

John O’Shea also picked up a knock on Saturday at Craven Cottage. After making way for Richard Eckersley, O’Shea appeared to hobble off down the tunnel clutching his hamstring.

If O’Shea is ruled out of Wednesday’s Champions League Last 16 second leg, Sir Alex may be forced to deploy Darren Fletcher at right-back; Gary Neville, Wes Brown and Rafael da Silva are all nursing injuries.

Wayne Rooney was also substituted on Saturday but Sir Alex confirmed that was purely a precautionary measure. The striker has just returned from a hamstring injury and the manager didn't want to take any chances.

"We need Wayne for Wednesday against Inter Milan," he said.

United will find out who they will face in the FA Cup semi-finals on Sunday evening following their sublime victory over Fulham.

Goals from Carlos Tevez (2), Wayne Rooney and Ji-sung Park sealed a 4-0 quarter-final win at Craven Cottage to book United's place in the last four.

Also through are Chelsea who disposed of Championship side Coventry City on Saturday lunchtime following a 2-0 win.

There are two more places up for grabs with Everton and Middlesbrough due to fight it out at Goodison Park on Sunday afternoon, while Hull await a trip to the winners of the delayed fifth round tie between Arsenal and Burnley who meet at the Emirates Stadium earlier in the day.

The semi-final draw takes place at 18:45 GMT on Sunday evening, with both ties scheduled to take place at Wembley over the weekend of 18/19 April.

Due to United's involvement in the FA Cup, the Reds' Premier League trip to Wigan, scheduled for Sunday 19 April, will now be postponed.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson reserved special praise for Carlos Tevez after the Reds’ thumping 4-0 victory at Craven Cottage.

The win, kick-started by Tevez’s first-half brace, means United will now contest an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley on Saturday 18 or Sunday 19 April.

“It was a superb performance from Carlos Tevez,” Sir Alex told MUTV. “He was like a jack-in-the-box all day and he showed great energy, getting on the ball and great movement.

“His second goal, in particular, was fantastic.”

That strike, a 25-yard rocket from the edge of the box, ranks up there among Tevez’s best in a red shirt. It put the match beyond Fulham’s grasp and gave the Reds a well-deserved two-goal cushion at half-time.

Wayne Rooney added a third on 50 minutes to cap a fine individual performance before Sir Alex withdrew him from action 14 minutes later.

“Wayne was marvellous today,” the manager said. “He played last Wednesday and he’s only just come back from a hamstring injury. I didn’t want to take any chances because we need him for Wednesday against Inter Milan. That’s why I took him off.

“Right from the word go all the players played with great energy and enjoyment. They went out to enjoy themselves and were backed by a fantastic support.”