By Jonathan Agnew BBC cricket correspondent at Old Trafford

For the third time this summer, England chased a sizeable total to win a Test match and this time West Indies made them work for every run.

The only disappointment for Brian Lara will have been that Dave Mohammed, the left-arm wrist-spinner, was not more effective on the wearing pitch.

Bowlers of his type - apart from Shane Warne - will always be more expensive than orthodox finger spinners, but they do offer the unexpected.

Flintoff used his imposing presence to take the game by the scruff of the neck

Mohammad simply did not produce anything to cause England any problems and, manfully as the seam bowlers persisted, the young spinner should have been Lara's most likely match winner.

West Indies needed some luck, and there was none on offer.

Michael Vaughan, on one, top-edged a pull that fell tantalisingly close to Carlton Baugh's outstretched glove. England's captain and Robert Key proceeded to put on 84 together to rescue the innings.

The other chance was offered by Key who, in the first over after tea, edged the desperately unlucky Corey Collymore to second slip where Sylvester Joseph dropped the chance.

The man who will gain the most satisfaction from today is Key. The injury to Mark Butcher will have ensured that his place was not under threat for the final Test, but he still needed some runs here.

This was an impressive innings - in Viv Richard's opinion more valuable than his double hundred at Lord's - because he showed he has the temperament to deal with a crisis.

That was very much the case when England slipped to 27-2.

A beauty from Collymore, that nipped back between bat and pad, bowled Marcus Trescothick, and Andrew Strauss mis-pulled to mid on.

With Graham Thorpe, the most adept batsman in the England team at judging a run chase, nursing a fractured finger it was clear that the partnership between Vaughan and Key was crucial.

Flintoff weathered the storm with utmost calm

Vaughan played particularly patiently, waiting for only the longest of half-volleys before playing his favourite cover-drive, while Key simply nudged the ball into gaps and rotated the strike.

Vaughan edged Gayle to slip for 33, and before he left the ground, Andrew Flintoff appeared to a huge cheer from the Lancashire faithful.

Ruthlessly, he took the game by the scruff of the neck - not by bludgeoning fours and sixes, but simply by his imposing presence.

He and Fidel Edwards enjoyed a tremendous tussle before tea when the fast bowler set a short leg, a three-man trap on the leg-side boundary, and proceeded to launch a barrage of bouncers.