Brave Blues gave Manchester United an almighty scare to secure Steve Bruce's first point against them as a manager. It was back to the good old days of last season and a real "in your face" performance from Bruce's boys.

It leaves Blues still searching for their first league win since August, but the tide is starting to turn. They were indebted to Maik Taylor as he produced a stunning save from point blank range in the first-half to deny Ruud van Nistelrooy.

But it would have been a travesty had Blues picked up nothing from this pulsating encounter. United's millionaire stars were made to look two-bob for large parts of the afternoon, unsettled by Blues' high-tempo approach.

Julian Gray was a revelation at left-back as he destroyed Cristiano Ronaldo and left him a sulking teenager. The back four were rock solid and Emile Heskey and Dwight Yorke made life uncomfortable for Rio Ferdinand and Co at the back.

However, it was in midfield that the real battle was won. David Dunn showed flashes of inspiration and worked tirelessly to snuff out the threat of Ronaldo.

Damien Johnson hassled Roy Keane and Kleberson to distraction, but the star of the show was Robbie Savage. The talismanic midfielder was at his bubbly best and his seemingly endless energy was matched with quality on the ball.

He delivered a succession of telling free-kicks and threaded the best pass of the match through to set Heskey clear in the second half to be denied by Roy Carroll.

Savage admitted that Blues needed to work their socks off to stand any chance. "If you let Manchester United play their football they will beat you, but if you work harder, fight harder, and chase harder than them - which we did - then you can beat them.

"We should have won the game. It's as simple as that. "Since the gaffer gave us a bollocking at Bolton at half-time, we have turned it round.

"We look like we can score goals and the partnership between Emile and Dwight looks really promising." Yorke's intelligent running and Heskey's brute force look like a match made in heaven and Bruce might have stumbled on a great partnership.

When Mikael Forssell was ruled out for the season it looked like panic stations for Bruce, but Yorke's form is getting better by the week.

The former Villa striker reckons it is only a matter of time before the goals start flowing. "It is vital that Emile and I score goals and I am confident that we will produce the goods," he said.

"I am really up for it at Birmingham and it is a massive challenge for me. It was a good performance against one of the best teams in the country.

"We are positive things are on the up and we have some good games ahead of us. If we play with the commitment and fighting spirit that we showed in this game then there is every reason to think we can climb up the table." Blues may have warmed up in bright pink shirts as part of a new sponsorship deal, but they were bristling with aggression when battle commenced.

An early Yorke header just cleared Carroll's crossbar, but while the first-half an hour belonged to Blues they didn't fashion any clear-cut chances.

Dunn's header flew just wide, but eight minutes before the break Taylor produced a sensational save to keep the scores level.

Quinton fortune's cross found van Nistelrooy unmarked for three yards out and his volley was somehow blocked by the giant Blues shot-stopper. Ronaldo fluffed the rebound to sum up his afternoon and Taylor had to be alert again soon after to deny Saha from 30 yards.

Darren Anderton made his Blues Premiership debut at half-time as he replaced the disappointing Jesper Gronkjaer, but it was Savage who sparked Blues back into action.

A late tackle on Keane earned him a booking and a shoving match with the United midfielder followed. But once he was cautioned, Blues took charge.

That isn't surprising, as the midfielder was cautioned 14 times last year and Bruce's men never lost. It was Savage's fourth of this season and, once again, Blues have avoided defeat in those games. City should have taken the lead on the hour mark when Savage robbed Fortune and threaded a precise pass through to Heskey.

His low shot was blocked by Carroll's legs and Anderton's rebound was smothered as the FA Cup holders wobbled. Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes came on, but they couldn't stem the blue tide pouring forward.

Despite concerted pressure, Blues failed to carve out and more clear-cut opportunities and will have been relieved to have seen Alan Smith's injury time volley whistle just wide of Taylor's right-hand post.

It looks like Blues are back, but all this good work will be wasted if they don't pick up three points at struggling Southampton next week.

BluenosesOnline.Com Man Of The Match:
It's hard to pick an individual as they were all fantastic. But the one player that was most Impressive is Julian Gray, The way he kept Ronaldo out the game speaks volumes for the potential he has!