HAD Albion taken just one more of the numerous chances created in the derby at St Andrews last week, they would have entered yesterday's game in even better heart. Had the leading scorer Nathan Ellington done so, he might reasonably have expected to start yesterday, but having hit the bar when clean through near the end he was condemned to shiver in the dug-out as Bryan Robson sent out the same starting XI. That meant Kevin Campbell on his own in attack, ahead of a five-man midfield containing two former United men in Jonathan Greening and Ronnie Wallwork.

Many felt the system was unnecessarily cautious against a weakened Birmingham and should have been changed sooner. Yesterday the same applied, the home side's plans again unravelling when the opposition scored first. It was a depressing goal to concede as well, assuming that a certain amount of time on the training ground had been spent working on defending set-pieces. Only quarter of an hour had elapsed when a corner was won by Kieran Richardson, who played a considerable part in Albion's great escape last season while on loan at the Hawthorns. Brought back into the United team because Park Ji-Sung had gone to a family funeral in Korea, he forced Steve Watson to deflect his cross behind; from Ryan Giggs' flag-kick, Louis Saha simply peeled a yard off his marker and headed his 12th goal of the season.

With the Slovakian international Jan Kozak not pushing sufficiently far forward to support Campbell, set pieces were Albion's best hope of reprisals. In the 35th minute, Diomansy Camara hit a free-kick from a central position 25 yards out that Edwin van der Sar did well to get down to and from the resulting corner, taken by Greening and met by Curtis Davies's head, the Dutchman made another fine save.

Junichi Inamoto's shot from distance was Albion's best effort of the first half from free play, but United were dangerous on the break, Tomasz Kuszczak beating out a fierce drive by Giggs, who had been put through by Saha.

Home supporters hoping to see Kanu and Ellington coming on had half their wish granted at the interval, Kanu replacing Campbell, andby the hour, Ellington was on as well, an injury to Camara forcing the manager's hand.

But the pattern continued, with United if anything having more of the play than before. Cristiano Ronaldo, increasingly influential, cut in from the right to shoot straight at the goalkeeper, but finally, and decisively, the unpredictable Portugese took Giggs' pass and fed Saha for a deft first touch and volleyed finish. Ellington nodded home Greening's corner with 12 minutes to go, but it wasnt enough in the end.