Sean Davis stole a scarcely merited winner for Fulham in injury-time of this summit meeting, to confound the logic of the game after the leaders were reduced to 10 men for more than half the game following the sending-off of Rufus Brevett.
Blackburn, who remain favourites to win automatic promotion alongside Fulham, applied tremendous pressure after the interval but just could not find a way through.
West Ham's manager Harry Redknapp had said that both sides have the blueprint and resources for more than holding their own should they be promoted. The first half suggested this was an impressive dress-rehearsal for top-flight competition.
Graeme Souness boldly stated before the game that his Blackburn team were better than the side 13 points ahead of them and, after only five minutes, his words were given credibility.
Keith Gillespie was released down the right flank and, with a characteristic floated cross, found the unmarked Matt Jansen at the far post. A firmly headed goal, number 20 of the season, was a formality.
Blackburn maintained their head of steam and Maik Taylor was fortunate to escape punishment when a Jansen shot was spilled at the feet of his own defenders. His handling was cleaner when the sprightly Jansen, the subject of intense interest from several Premiership clubs, leapt to glance a clever header.
Fulham, operating their fluid midfield system with Lee Clark in the hole behind the front two, could not find the time or the space to exert their trademark passing style on the game. And Blackburn hardly appeared to falter when Damien Duff limped off after just 12 minutes to be replaced by the Norwegian international Stig Inge Bjornebye, an indication of the strength in depth available on both benches.
The resources of the visitors were tested to the full when Brevett was dismissed for a moment of madness shortly before half-time. Having already been booked for a bad tackle on David Dunn, the full-back lashed out after coming off second best in a challenge with Blackburn's captain Garry Flitcroft, earning a straight red card.
Any handicap was well disguised. In the half's injury-time, Fulham finally showed their pedigree with a sweeping move from a tight predicament deep in their own half. Using both flanks, Steve Finnan sent over a high cross which appeared to have been collected by Brad Friedel. On landing, though, the American goalkeeper collided with Henning Berg and presented a tap-in for Louis Saha.
Fulham's revised plan, to secure a draw while hoping to capitalise on Saha's pace on the break, was clear. When Saha did have another oportunity, Friedel parried and the alertness of Bjornebye prevented Bjarne Goldbaek following up.
In Jansen and his partner Marcus Bent, Blackburn possessed the imagination with which to prise open Fulham's defence but a succession of half-chances failed to extend Taylor fully. The best of the bunch fell to Jansen himself, only for intricate build-up to be wasted by a weak shot.
BLACKBURN: Friedel, Curtis, Berg, Short (Berkovic 64), Gillespie (Hignett 73), Dunn, Flitcroft, Mahon, Duff (Bjornebye 12), Bent, Jansen. Subs Not Used: Hughes, Filan. Booked: Bjornebye. Goals: Jansen 6.
FULHAM: Taylor, Finnan, Brevett, Melville, Symons, Goldbaek, Clark, Davis, John Collins, Hayles (Neilson 42), Saha. Subs Not Used: Sahnoun, Riedle, Stolcers, Hahnemann. Sent Off: Brevett (41). Booked: Brevett. Goals: Saha 45, Davis 90.
Referee: C Wilkes (Gloucester).
Roy Keane fears Manchester United are in danger of being left behind by Real Madrid and that they may have to splash out on the likes of Rivaldo and Luis Figo to keep up. Keane believes Real are so formidable they could dominate Europe for next couple of seasons.
