City looked to be heading for a 10th straight Premier League victory at Eastlands this season until Roque Santa Cruz headed home his 13th goal of the campaign six minutes from time.

Yet home hopes were immediately raised by the sight of Cann with his flag held aloft, with even Hughes expecting the effort would be ruled out.

Instead, Cann called referee Howard Webb to the touchline and told the official he had incorrectly assumed David Dunn had touched David Bentley's fateful cross.

And, while Dunn was standing in an offside position, as he did not touch the ball, he was deemed to be non-active, allowing Webb to give the goal.

"The flag went up very early and when you see that, you expect the goal to be chalked off," said Hughes.

"In fairness to the assistant, he was strong enough and brave enough to admit that he had made a mistake. We are grateful for that, although it was the right decision."

Hughes admitted the massive grey area which now exists over the offside rule makes controversy inevitable.

However, the Blackburn chief has fallen victim to debatable decisions often enough in the past to feel justice was done this evening.

"Sometimes, it is very difficult to know the difference between black and white," he said.

"There seems to be more grey now. That is where the debate will always be.

"We have had examples in the past where we have felt hard done by, where decisions relating to phase one and phase two have gone against us.

"But if the referee explains it, I think most people would say it was the correct decision."

Having seen his side concede an equally controversial goal at Tottenham recently, City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson could be forgiven for feeling somewhat hard done by.

Yet the Swede remained his usual ice-cool self, although he indicated he felt the ruling was wrong.

"Dunn was in an offside position and he tried to flick the ball but it went over him," observed Eriksson.

"By being in that position, Dunn decides what our goalkeeper is going to do.

"Whether that is interference according to FIFA I don't know but to me it is interference. I asked the referee to explain it to me afterwards and he did say it is a big grey area."

The result denied City fourth spot in the Premier League table ahead of Sunday's eagerly-awaited clash with Liverpool.

And it also did scant justice to the efforts of wide man Martin Petrov, who was a constant threat throughout the contest, created both City goals for Darius Vassell and Ryan Nelsen, who unfortunately turned the ball into his own net, and would have had a third assist if Rolando Bianchi had not inexplicably failed to convert a two-yard tap-in.

Yet, even Petrov could not argue against Santa Cruz's right not to finish on the losing side again.

Having scored a hat-trick against Wigan and been beaten and then netted twice against Arsenal in Blackburn's next game and gone down in that one as well, it would have been harsh in the extreme on the South American if his team-mates had failed him again.

"Roque makes things happen in the box," said Hughes.

"He is a big guy and an intelligent player who makes great runs.

"He is frustrated, as we all are, about the fact his goals have not brought us greater reward but we have just been giving ourselves too much to do."