Morten Gamst Pedersen (L) of Blackburn Rovers scores past Manchester United's Gary Neville during their English League Cup first-leg semi-final soccer match at Ewood Park in Blackburn, northern England, January 11, 2006. (Xinhua/Reuters)

(Xinhua/Reuters)

    BEIJING, Jan. 12 -- Manchester United are firm favourites to reach the League Cup final after overcoming a nervous start to hold Blackburn Rovers to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their semi-final at Ewood Park.

    Norwegian Morten Gamst Pedersen scored a scorching equaliser, his third goal in two games against United this season, five minutes after Louis Saha's crisp finish gave the visitors the lead on the half hour.

    Tuesday's first semi-final may have been oddly subdued but this was the polar opposite, fizzing with passion almost from the off.

    Yet even if United's desire - unlike Arsenal's the previous night at Wigan - could hardly be questioned, they began dreadfully.

    A misplaced Rio Ferdinand backpass in the opening seconds suggested the depth of their unease following the draw with non-league Burton on Sunday, and with more composure Blackburn could have been two up inside ten minutes.

    First Robbie Savage, arriving unmarked in the centre of the box, volleyed straight at Edwin van der Sar after being picked out by Craig Bellamy.

    Then the Welsh forward was unfortunate that Pedersen's cross deflected behind him after he too was left unattended.

    But it was United, against the run of play, who took the lead.

    Sir Alex Ferguson, despite his protestations that he would field a weakened side, had left out only Ruud van Nistelrooy of a putative first eleven, and it was the man who replaced him, Saha, who scored the goal.

    The Frenchman shot home confidently from the edge of the box after being played in by Ryan Giggs.

    That was harsh on Rovers but they were level within six minutes. Shefki Kuqi, energised after an incident in which he was penalised for a foul on van der Sar when the culprit appeared to be Mikael Silvestre, flicked on Ryan Nelsens long pass and Pedersen darted in from the left to thrash a magnificent finish into the top corner.

    Bellamy had been booked for his protests after the earlier decision against Kuqi - a caution that will keep him out of Blackburn's return to his former club Newcastle - and the frustration had evidently not quite dissipated when the referee Rob Styles inadvertently blocked a Blackburn clearance eight minutes before half-time.

    Wayne Rooney gathered the loose ball and was fouled by Savage, who was promptly scythed down by Alan Smith.

    In the subsequent melee, Rooney and Savage engaged in some low-key grappling and all three were booked.

    Rooney is now suspended for next week's FA Cup replay against Burton but that was not the end of the cards as five further bookings followed in the second half.

    Kuqi, whose aerial threat destabilised United, drove disappointingly wide after being set up by Bellamy shortly after half-time, but the longer the game went on, the more the away side began to take control.

    They didn't exactly create a cavalcade of chances but Rooney had a shot charged down by Tugay and Michael Gray headed away a Cristiano Ronaldo effort.

    There was at least an improving shape and a structure to United's play and the increasing sense that they would not concede.

    When the sides met at the same stage of the competition three years ago, United won 3-1 at Ewood Park; Wednesday's result was not as good as that but Ferguson will be happy enough with a draw to take into the second leg at Old Trafford in a fortnight.

    (Source: CRIENGLISH.com/AFP)