The Blues’ failure to cling onto Nicolas Anelka’s superb 50th-minute free-kick means it is now 11 games and as many weeks since they last registered a Premiership win.

Only Middlesbrough’s amazing late fightback against Leicester prevented City from slipping to within a single point of the drop zone and while next week’s FA Cup encounter with Tottenham may offer a welcome distraction from their troubles, a brief look at the fixture list suggests yet more torment for the City faithful.

Included in their next six games are trips to Highbury and Anfield, plus the visits of Chelsea and Manchester United to Eastlands, where City have won just twice in the Premiership since moving out of Maine Road in the summer.

Yet again, it was a case of what might have been for the home side, who produced almost all the attacking invention in a largely poor local derby but were undone by Garry Flitcroft’s leveller just five minutes after Anelka had netted his 17th of the season.

The game was preceded by a presentation to David Seaman, following his decision to retire from the game earlier this week.

Having spent the best days of an illustrious 23-year career at the peak of his profession with Arsenal and England, it was a pity today’s rivals could not produce a fitting tribute once the game began.

Watching from the stands, Seaman must have been quite relieved not to be involved.

On his debut, David James risked a serious case of frostbite in the City goal. It was half an hour before he touched the ball in any meaningful manner and there was nothing too demanding about the 25-yard effort from Dwight Yorke which nestled in his stomach.

City were marginally more inventive and offered more of a goal threat but then, that was hardly a tough task.

A couple of Michael Tarnat free-kicks threatened trouble and Trevor Sinclair flashed a shot wide after a Antoine Sibierski effort had been deflected into his path.

It was Sibierski who came closest to scoring during that dreadful opening period, taking one touch then seeing his fierce low drive flick off Andy Cole and smash off a post.

The rebound seemed to present Sinclair with an open goal but somehow the England man got in completely the wrong position for his shot and screwed a left-footed effort back across the area and out for a throw-in.

By any standards, it was a bad miss, although he did have some excuse having earlier been involved in a nasty clash of heads with John Douglas that left the Blackburn player needing stitches.

The only other noteworthy opportunity before the interval saw Friedel push away Dunne’s downward header after Tarnat had picked the Irishman out at the far post.

A cultured encounter it certainly was not and the desperation for points was evidenced by the proliferation of niggly fouls that frequently interrupted the contest.

The game needed a goal to bring it into life and fortunately two arrived within 10 minutes of the re-start.

Quizzed about Anelka’s reluctance to celebrate his goals, Keegan has claimed he does not care if the Frenchman bursts into tears when he finds the net as long as he keeps doing so.

After watching Tarnat fail with a couple of first-half pile-drivers, Anelka assumed responsibility when Lucas Neill barged into Paul Bosvelt on the edge of the area and curled a superb free-kick into the corner. Yet again, there were no cartwheels or badge-kissing on show, just further proof of Anelka’s undoubted class.

If the former Real Madrid striker had been awarded a penalty shortly afterwards when he was sent tumbling by Vratislav Gresko, City might have been able to cruise to their first Premiership win for nearly three months.

Instead, Blackburn were able to rally and levelled with their first decent shot of the entire game.

Yorke deserved much of the credit for anticipating Dunne’s failure to clear an angled Lucas Neill cross that Cole flicked on.

The former Manchester United man slid in front of Sun Jihai and rolled the ball to Flitcroft, who wasted no time in slamming his shot past James to rob City of yet another victory opportunity.