A MOMENT of genius from Paul Scholes sparked a magnificent second-half revival from Manchester United which allowed them to move another mighty stride closer to the Premiership title.

Trailing to Matt Derbyshire's close-range effort and with Nemanja Vidic carried off with what is thought to be a fractured collarbone, Alex Ferguson looked like suffering a sickening loss against favourite son Mark Hughes.

But not for the first time in his managerial career, Ferguson was able to toast Scholes's impish skills.

In a week where England's acute limitations have been laid bare, the player whose services are denied to Steve McClaren showed exactly what is being missed.

Delivered possession just after the hour by Christopher Samba's attempt to rob Wayne Rooney, Scholes could have just taken aim and fired.

Instead, he skipped sideways, beating Ryan Nelsen then Stephen Warnock to find himself clean through.

Unlike Rooney, whose miserable fortnight continued with another depressing blank, Scholes left no room for doubt, drilling an unstoppable shot into the bottom corner that brought United back on level terms and, eventually, three more precious points.

Scholes's midfield partner, and rival for the man-of-thematch award, Michael Carrick, fired a crucial strike into the same corner to put United ahead before Park Ji-sung and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer finished the job off.

The result leaves United requiring a minimum 15 points from their last seven games to clinch a first Premiership in four years, with Ferguson hoping Rooney's goal touch returns to help.

It would be fair to assume this has not been the best fortnight of Rooney's career.

Out-of-sorts, out of goals and booked twice for England, all Rooney's problems were expected to disappear once he returned to the bosom of Ferguson's family.

Instead, his troubles merely continued as Friedel emerged a decisive victor in what turned into almost a personal duel, producing a string of saves to deny the 21-year-old, who could not even beat the American with two shots late in the first half after he had already been flagged offside.

The missed opportunities looked like being costly when United were hit by a doublewhammy just before the halfhour.

Such a key figure in United's return to prominence this term, Vidic was attempting to win a header in familiarly forceful fashion when he landed heavily on his shoulder. The Serbian immediately signalled he was in trouble and was carried down the tunnel on a stretcher with a broken collarbone.

United's defence was still re-organising itself following the introduction of John O'Shea when Morten Gamst Pedersen drilled a low cross over from the left which Carrick stuck out a foot to deflect goalwards. Edwin van der Sar did well to scoop it out but Derbyshire was on hand to finish off from close range.

United responded in typically defiant fashion and Blackburn were under siege long before Samba fatefully toed the ball into Scholes's path. From that moment on, it seemed just a matter of time before United got a second.

Ryan Giggs's curling freekick was deflected wide, Scholes smashed a shot at Pedersen and Friedel brilliantly saved from Ronaldo as Rovers' goal lead a charmed life.

But the best opportunity of all came when Ronaldo drove a superb low cross into the danger zone which invited a tap-in. Yet again, Rooney failed to make a connection.

It appeared Giggs would make amends but, unbelievably, the Welshman crashed his shot against the bar from barely six yards.

With so much going wrong, it would have been understandable if United had allowed their heads to drop.

But Ferguson's team are made of much sterner stuff than that. And when Ronaldo once more caused panic inside the Rovers box, his cutback ran to Carrick, who had enough composure to pass the ball into the same corner Scholes had launched his shot into earlier.

Even with victory within their grasp, United refused to relent and when Friedel failed to hold a stinging Ronaldo free-kick, Park raced in to tap home. There was still time for one more too as Park's cross evaded Rooney but fell nicely for substitute Solskjaer, who finished off with ease.