It was a case of so near yet so far when gallant Leeds United took a trip down Quality Street on Saturday.
Gutsy Leeds defended like Trojans throughout against Manchester United, but fell short of securing a hard-earned point when Roy Keane grabbed a late winner for the visitors.
It was cruel luck on a Leeds side who deserved full credit for restricting their classy opponents to just a handful of chances, but the fact that it was Keane who scored the winner, from a Gary Neville cross, just rubbed salt into the wound.
Neville, who celebrated the goal by running across the front of the West Stand like a deranged chimpanzee, isn't the most popular player to grace Elland Road, but even he is more welcome than Keane.
United fans still haven't forgiven Keane for his horrific challenge on Alfie Haaland six years ago and the Irish international is reviled among Leeds supporters.
Ironically, Haaland was sat high in the stand on Saturday and he will have felt a bitter taste when Keane headed beyond the reach of Paul Robinson to settle the Roses battle nine minutes from time.
Keane may be about as welcome at Elland Road as Osama bin Laden is at the White House, but few would argue that the long-serving midfielder had an outstanding game for the visitors and was the key to their victory.
He was instrumental in everything the Reds created and, like former United star Rio Ferdinand, he responded to the hostility with a competent performance.
But Keane wasn't the only experienced midfield man to shine. David Batty looked equally at home in the United engine room and he played a major role in breaking play down.
His passing was top drawer and, while the home side's defenders would have taken the plaudits had Leeds snatched a draw, Batty would have been the real reason.
The 34-year-old looks like he has never been away and his presence brings a real solidity to the Leeds midfield. He plugged the hole well in front of the defence and kept tabs on England international Paul Scholes for much of the contest.
When Scholes did find space he was a threat, but Batty's workmanlike display restricted his movement to such an extent that the visitors only created a handful of chances.
At the back, Zoumana Camara dealt with everything that was thrown at him and there can be no doubt that his partnership with Dominic Matteo is getting stronger by the game.
Camara and Matteo were kept busy throughout, but they shackled Ruud van Nistelrooy so well that the Dutchman only had one real chance to net his first goal against Leeds.
That came from a first half free-kick when he was handed a free header, but other than that Matteo and Camara won the battle well.
Salomon Olembe was another to emerge with great credit. He is a no-fuss defender who looks to offload the ball quickly and he looks like the answer to Peter Reid's left-side problems.
The Cameroon international nullified any threat from the appalling Darren Fletcher and, when the defensive lines were breached, he was on hand to clear a van Nistelrooy shot off the line in the dying minutes.
It's important that Leeds draw on the positives from this game, rather than lament on what was a little loss of face in the first Roses battle of the season.
Few seriously expected Leeds to win the game yet for long periods they were hanging in there in the vain hope that they could snatch a goal themselves on a rare break.
Leeds attacks were few and far between - they didn't have a serious opportunity - but Alan Smith worked his socks off clinging onto his dream that he would score the winner.
For possibly the first time since his acrimonious departure from Elland Road, Ferdinand showed the class and quality that made him a record breaking tranfer coup two summers ago.
Admittedly, he wasn't tested to the full by Mark Viduka, but he shrugged off a turbulent fortnight by digging in when it mattered most.
Last season he wilted in the intimidating atmosphere, but the Leeds crowd were strangely muted throughout what was, on the whole, a fairly dour affair.
There were a few lively challenges in keeping with the theme of the contest, but it was all a bit meek and mild and the clash failed to live up to it's billing as a true war of the Roses.
The only time it threatened to spark into life was when Cristiano Ronaldo performed an excellent impression of American diver Greg Louganis after a non-contact challenge from Gary Kelly.
The Portuguese winger was handed a yellow card for his antics and drifted out of the game soon afterwards. He even earned the wrath of Keane for his actions. Ryan Giggs he certainly isn't!
The cynics were predicting a cricket score pre-match, but there was no question of that happening as Leeds defended doggedly. Manchester United did knock the ball around at will on occasions, but such was Leeds' presence at the back that the visitors rarely looked like hurting them.
Van Nistelrooy's first half header was the closest either side came to breaking the deadlock until Robinson pulled off a stunning reflex block to deny Scholes on 50 minutes.
The Reds did look sharper in the second half, but Leeds mounted a couple of raids and that man Neville denied the waiting Smith after Batty delivered a good cross from the right.
As the clock ticked to 80 minutes it looked like a matter of Leeds weathering one last storm, but their defences were finally broken when over-ambitious substitute Lamine Sakho paid the price for complacency.
He was caught in possession and when Neville whipped in the cross Keane arrived at the far post to head home. It was a killer blow and one which Leeds were never going to recover from.
The visitors had one good chance afterwards, but Leeds remained under the cosh and the final whistle simply confirmed the inevitable.
It was a battling effort, but the extra quality told in the end, and Leeds must now take heart from their superb rearguard effort and take that to Liverpool this weekend.
The fixtures don't get any easier, but Leeds are definitely looking an improved outfit. A lack of chances is still a worry, but Reid has shored up the defence to such an extent that any more avalanches now look unlikely.
It's a case of the manager building on the limited resources he has available.