Sunday, May 11, 2008

Title Ten for Manchester United

Manchester United claimed their second consecutive Premier League title and tenth overall with a 2-0 win over Wigan.  ManU's win coupled with Chelsea's 1-1 home draw with Bolton saw the Red Devils take the title by two points.

Cristiano Ronaldo had given United a 1-0 lead with a first half PK, but Manchester fans remained on  edge when Andriy Shevcehnko put Chelsea up 1-0 in the 62nd minute at Stamford Bridge.  Ryan Giggs came on in the second half, tying Sir Bobby Charlton's team record for appearances, and the veteran's 80th minute tally secured the crown.  Chelsea surrendered a late equalizer, but the goal proved to be irrelevant.

Elsewhere, Fulham grabbed a 1-0 win at Portsmouth to secure 17th place and avoid relegation.  Fulham won three-straight Premier League road matches for the first time, sending Reading and Birmingham down along with Derby.  Everton's 3-1 win over Newcastle clinched fifth place and a UEFA cup slot.   We'll have to wait and see who claims the UEFA Cup slot based on Fair Play rankings.  Manchester City had a man sent off in an 8-1 thrashing against Middlesbrough, which could cost them the advantage for the Fair Play spot. 

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