McFadden was substituted shortly afterwards and showed his frustration, probably as much at himself as with the decision, but Blues continued to play with guts and desire.

Manchester went for the jugular with their substitutions and there was to be no respite for Blues to the final whistle.

Yet Blues maintained their composure and concentration and for all their huff, puff and swift probings, Taylor was never left exposed to a clear-cut Manchester chance. Benitez, after his initial brightness, was sporadic yet, nevertheless, the willingness showed by him and others was relentless.

Two minutes into stoppage-time Blues should have had another penalty when Vincent Kompany, desperately trying to shift Kevin Phillips from a close-range opportunity, had his hands all over the ball.

Phillips and Larsson appealed vociferously but somehow the incident was ignored by referee Mike Dean, as if swallowed up in a frenetic finale.

Manchester will certainly have easier afternoons during the rest of this season, and credit should go to Blues for challenging toe-to-toe with a team who have grand designs to gatecrash the Premier League elite.

There was a sour note when Barry Ferguson, who was such a clever captain of industry and inventiveness in the middle, was sent off for a second bookable offence in the sixth minute of stoppage-time.

It was a sorry post-script to an otherwise hugely encouraging – and agonising, considering McFadden’s fluff – performance.