Article
Manchester United retain title with Wigan win
Manchester United FC retained their English Premier League crown by two points from Chelsea FC after a 2-0 win at Wigan Athletic FC on the last day of the season.
Cristiano Ronaldo's first-half penalty – his 31st league goal of the season – and Ryan Giggs' 80th-minute strike secured United their 17th top-flight championship, ten of which have been Premier League titles. Their opponents in the UEFA Champions League final, Chelsea, could have snatched the title if United had not won and they themselves had picked up three points. As it transpired, the London side could not keep their part of the bargain, Andriy Shevchenko's 61st-minute goal cancelled out by Matthew Taylor's last-minute effort.
Everton FC made sure of the UEFA Cup berth with a 3-1 win against Newcastle United FC, Yakubu Ayegbeni scoring twice (28, 82). They ended up five points clear of their nearest challengers for fifth spot, Aston Villa FC, who drew 2-2 at West Ham United FC. In the relegation battle, a 76th-minute Danny Murphy goal helped Fulham FC win at Portsmouth FC and stay up on goal difference from Reading FC who won 4-0 at fellow demoted side Derby County FC. Also relegated were Birmingham City FC despite winning 4-1 against Blackburn Rovers FC, Cameron Jerome getting two goals.
Elsewhere, the sides occupying the other two UEFA Champions League places, Arsenal FC and Liverpool FC, both enjoyed final day away wins. Theo Walcott's strike after 24 minutes gave Arsenal a 1-0 triumph at Sunderland AFC while second-half efforts from Andriy Voronin (69) and Fernando Torres (74) gave the Merseysiders a 2-0 success at Tottenham Hotspur FC. There was a remarkable scoreline at Middlesbrough FC who defeated Manchester City FC 8-1, Afonso Alves scoring a hat-trick.
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Goals
0 - 1 |
33' Cristiano Ronaldo (PG)
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0 - 2 |
80' R. Giggs
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Lineups
| Player | Bookings |
|---|---|
| C. Kirkland | |
| E. Boyce | |
| P. Scharner | |
| T. Bramble | |
| M. Figueroa | |
| L. Valencia |
 77'
|
M. Brown
|
|
| W. Palacios |
71'
|
| J. Koumas | |
| E. Heskey |
71'
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M. Bent
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Substitutions
| Player | Bookings |
|---|---|
|
for M. Bent 70' |
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for M. Brown 81' |
| # | Player | Bookings |
|---|---|---|
| E. van der Sar | ||
| R. Ferdinand | ||
| N. Vidic | ||
| P. Evra | ||
| W. Brown | ||
| M. Carrick | ||
|
Ji-Sung Park
|
||
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P. Scholes
|
14'
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| C. Tévez | ||
| W. Rooney |
58'
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| 7 | Cristiano Ronaldo |
Substitutions
| Player | Bookings |
|---|---|
|
for P. Scholes 67' |
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for Ji-Sung Park 68' |
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