MAY 2008
WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS AGAIN!!!!
MANCHESTER UNITED WIN TITLE ON FINAL DAY AT WIGAN
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Barclay's FA Premier League
Sunday 11th May 2008, JJB Stadium
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Cristiano Ronaldo (33)
Ryan Giggs (80)
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Wigan Athletic: 4-4-2
Kirkland, Boyce, Bramble, Scharner, Figueroa, Valencia, Palacios, Brown (King 81), Koumas, Bent (Sibierski 70), Heskey
Subs Not Used: Pollitt, Taylor, Skoko
Booked: Palacios, Heskey, Valencia
Manchester United:
4-4-2
Van der Sar, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Ronaldo, Carrick, Scholes (Hargreaves 67), Park (Giggs 68), Tevez, Rooney
Subs Not Used: Kuszczak, Saha, Silvestre
Booked: Scholes, Rooney
Att: 25,133
Ref: Steve Bennett (Kent)
Corners: Wigan 5 Man Utd 12
Goal attempts: Wigan 15 Man Utd 12
On target: Wigan 6 Man Utd 7
Possession: Wigan 33% Man Utd 63%
Final Premier League table
| |
P |
W |
D |
L |
+/- |
PTS |
| 1 |
UNITED |
38 |
27 |
6 |
5 |
+58 |
87 |
| 2 |
Chelsea |
38 |
25 |
10 |
3 |
+39 |
85 |
| 3 |
Arsenal |
38 |
24 |
11 |
3 |
+43 |
83 |
4 |
Liverpool |
38 |
21 |
13 |
4 |
+39 |
76 |
| 5 |
Everton |
38 |
19 |
8 |
11 |
+22 |
65 |
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United rating:
The Champions got the job done on a nerve racking day. They started nervously but once Ronaldo sunk the penalty they looked more confident and began to batter Wigan in the 2nd half. The home side then came back into it and it wasn't until Giggs scored that we knew the Premiership title was staying at Old Trafford.
Opposition rating:
Wigan put in a decent performance. They created chances throughout the game and made United sweat on numerous occasions. Heskey came close with a header and even at 2-0 down they still caused United some late scares.
Man of the Match: Ryan Giggs
Came off the bench to equal Sir Bobby Charlton's record then scored the goal that clinched the title. What a legend!
How is Fergie?
His 10th League title and after today he looked so happy he could stay on for another 10! He had to endure some tension today as United struggled to kill the game off but otherwise it was the perfect afternoon. He can now take his team to Moscow on a high and win the big one to add yet more glory to a legendary managerial career.
Final Verdict? 
No one can argue that Manchester United were not the best team in the Premiership. Top scorers, best defensive record and we won the most games. The Reds got off to a slow start in August but soon picked up pace and never let Arsenal get out of sight. They recovered brilliantly from a wobble in February to overtake Arsenal and in the end left Chelsea with too big a task. Title number 17 could be topped off with even greater glory in Moscow but no matter what happens there, United fans can still look back on another great season as Champions.
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Links
to Match Reports for this game:
www.manutd.com
bbc.co.uk
www.soccernet.com
Skysports
The Guardian
Manchester Evening News
Daily Mail
The Times
Daily Telegraph
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Links to photographs for this game:
Yahoo
Manchester United pictures
Getty sports pictures
UEFA Photo Gallery
The Sun picture slideshow
Skysports gallery
bbc.co.uk
www.manutdpics.com
http://www.empics.com
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RONALDO BAGS 40th GOAL AS REDS CLOSE IN ON TITLE
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Barclay's FA Premier League
Saturday 3rd May 2008, Old Trafford
Cristiano Ronaldo (3)
Cristiano Ronaldo (24)
Carlos Tevez (26)
Michael Carrick (59)
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Dean Ashton (28)
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Manchester United: 4-4-1-1
Van der Sar, Hargreaves, Brown, Ferdinand, Evra, Nani, Carrick, Scholes (O'Shea 72), Park (Giggs 61), Ronaldo (Fletcher 64), Tevez
Subs Not Used: Anderson, Kuszczak
Sent Off: Nani (37)
Booked: Ronaldo
West Ham United:
4-5-1
Green, Pantsil, Tomkins, Neill, McCartney, Noble, Parker, Mullins (Sears 75), Boa Morte (Solano 52), Ashton (Cole 56), Zamora
Subs Not Used: Walker, Collison
Booked: Neill, McCartney, Zamora
Att: 76,013
Ref: Mike Riley (Yorkshire)
Corners: Man Utd 4 West Ham 2
Goal attempts: Man Utd 8 West Ham 9
On target: Man Utd 4 West Ham 5
Possession: Man Utd 51% West Ham 49%
League table after this game:
| |
P |
W |
D |
L |
+/- |
PTS |
| 1 |
UNITED |
37 |
26 |
6 |
5 |
+56 |
84 |
| 2 |
Chelsea |
36 |
24 |
9 |
3 |
+37 |
81 |
| 3 |
Arsenal |
37 |
23 |
11 |
3 |
+42 |
80 |
4 |
Liverpool |
37 |
20 |
13 |
4 |
+37 |
73 |
| 5 |
Everton |
37 |
18 |
8 |
11 |
+20 |
62 |
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United rating:
The Reds got off to a great start that settled the nerves and looked set to romp to victory. Nani's sending off changed the game and made United more cautious. But it was a comfortable win in the end with Carrick's goal securing victory.
Opposition rating:
Ashton scored a great goal and they applied some pressure as United went down to 10 men. Otherwise they were perfect opponents for United tdoay posing no real challenge.
Man of the Match: Cristiano Ronaldo
The 40 goal man was once again Manchester United's inspiration.
How is Fergie?
This is exactly the sort of game he would have wanted. United were back to their fine attacking form with a relatively easy victory that leaves him on the brink of his tenth Premiership title.
Title prospects? 
Just one more win at Wigan next Sunday and its back to back titles for United! Surely we can't mess it up now? It will be a nervous day for fans nonetheless. Or maybe Newcastle will do us a favour and spare us the worry?
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