Manchester United clinch Premier League hat-trick and third title of season
LONDON: Manchester United wrapped up a third straight Premier League title yesterday after a goalless draw at home to Arsenal left Alex Ferguson’s side with an unassailable lead over Liverpool.
A point in their penultimate match of the campaign was enough to put the champions out of reach and ensure they equalled Liverpool’s record of 18 league titles on a day that saw Newcastle lurch to the brink of relegation.
“It was the longest 90 minutes in history but we got there,” Ferguson said after an edgy display by his side sealed the 11th title of his Old Trafford reign. “There’s not been one save in the match and that tells you how cautious a match it was.”
Asked what it meant to match Liverpool’s mark of 18 titles, Ferguson replied: “It will make it more special if we get in front of them. We want to progress with this team, which is capable of doing it. It is a young team and next year we are going to go for it again.”
United’s triumph was the result of a consistency that Liverpool – who paid the price for drawing seven matches at home – Chelsea and Arsenal proved unable to match.
Although Ferguson’s men ultimately claimed the title with a match to spare, their only success in six league matches against the three other top four teams was a 3-0 win over Chelsea in January and they were beaten in both league battles with Liverpool.
But history will record that Ferguson’s side finished this season with at least three trophies. Having already lifted the Club World Cup and the League Cup, United will seek to complete a quadruple by retaining the Champions League trophy in the final against Barcelona in Rome on May 27.
Before then, United must travel to Hull for a final league fixture in which the home side will be playing for their survival in the top flight after a 1-1 draw at Bolton yesterday lifted them above Newcastle and out of the bottom three.
Newcastle, who travel to Aston Villa for their final match, slipped back into the relegation zone after a 1-0 home defeat by Fulham.
Diomansy Kamara’s first-half strike kept Fulham in seventh place, the final qualifying spot for European football, and Newcastle’s chances of salvaging something evaporated after Sebastien Bassong was sent off midway through the second period for a professional foul on Kamara.
Tuncay Sanli gave Middlesbrough fans hope they could yet beat the drop with an overhead kick after 14 minutes only for John Carew’s second half strike to earn Villa a point that leaves Boro three points behind Hull and with four goals to make up in terms of goal difference.
Craig Fagan left Hull in control of their own destiny with a second-half equaliser at Bolton, who had gone ahead through Gretar Steinsson.
Everton leapfrogged Villa into fifth place after a 3-1 win over 10-man West Ham, who had James Tomkins sent off for the foul on Tim Cahill that enabled Louis Saha to cancel out Radoslav Kovac’s early long-range strike with a 38th-minute penalty.
Joseph Yobo’s first goal of the season and Saha’s second completed a comfortable win.
Second-half goals from Ricardo Fuller and James Beattie allowed Stoke to celebrate the last home match of their first season back in the top flight with a 2-0 win over Wigan.
Tottenham kept their hopes of a Europa League place next season alive with a 2-1 win over Manchester City. A Robbie Keane penalty four minutes from time gave Spurs the win after City’s Bulgarian striker Valeri Bojinov had cancelled out Jermain Defoe’s 29th-minute effort. — AFP
Source~THE STAR online..
