Chelsea fans refuse to blame owner

LONDON — When Bruce Buck came on the pitch before Wednesday's League Cup semifinal first leg against Swansea to make a presentation to Petr Cech, the Chelsea chairman was booed. Seriously booed.

There were a number of reasons for the supporters' growing frustration, the sacking of the popular Roberto Di Matteo, the appointment of the extremely unpopular Rafa Benitez, Frank Lampard's pending departure, plus the interim manager's apparent blind faith in Fernando Torres, now relegated to No. 2 as the Stamford Bridge boo-boys' targets following the arrival of Benitez.

The man responsible for these decisions and every major decision at Chelsea is not Buck, it is Roman Abramovich. All Chelsea fans are aware of this, the anger of those at the Bridge was misdirected and they know it. They refuse to vent their frustration at the real villain, presumably because they think the paymaster and his money might leave, so they take it out on people like Buck and Benitez.

Buck and the board are not consulted about who the Russian wants to hire or fire. Abramovich is a one-man band, a billionaire who has obviously done more right than wrong business-wise. And he is never questioned, a perk of being a billionaire.

It is impossible to imagine a scenario where any of the Chelsea inner sanctum would stand up and say: "I'm sorry I think you are wrong." They can think it, but not say it.

If winning silverware is the yardstick for whether the man at the top is making the right decisions, then Chelsea's continued success means Abramovich's erratic way is also the right way for this club. But there is a toxic atmosphere of growing negativity at the Bridge where the gap between supporters and the club is now a chasm, though not a single "Abramovich out" banner has been spotted.

The fans boo just about anyone but the person they know they should jeer, shooting the messenger rather than the author. We want your money, but not necessarily you.

The 2-0 defeat by Swansea was the fourth of Benitez's six home games in which Chelsea had failed to score. It didn't matter that Swansea's goals came from two howlers by Branislav Ivanovic, the finger of blame had to be pointed at Benitez. Supporters chanted "Jose Mourinho" and "Roberto Di Matteo," who were both sacked by Abramovich despite winning the title and Champions League, respectively. They can sing what they want, but it will not affect Abramovich in the slightest.

The good news for the supporters is that Benitez's chances of becoming Chelsea's permanent manager are decreasing because Abramovich expects the Blues to win every competition, though even a regular supply of silverware has not stopped the Russian from opening the managerial exit door. Under Benitez, Chelsea lost the Club World Cup, it is facing defeat in the League Cup semifinal and bar a miracle will not win the Premier League. It may not be Benitez's fault, but that's the way life is at Chelsea.

There were groans, putting it mildly, when Torres' name was read out on Wednesday and the inevitable criticism of Benitez for staying loyal to his fellow countryman. Torres was poor, but he is Chelsea's leading goal scorer with 14 in 32 matches, just under a goal every other game which is hardly the strike rate of a useless (fans' description, not mine) center-forward.

Benitez's reason for waiting until the 81st minute to replace Torres with Demba Ba was that Chelsea was not playing badly (64 percent possession) and creating chances (20 to Swansea's four). Another thought is that he is under orders from above to play Torres.

Where Benitez is blameless is the decision not to offer Lampard and possibly Ashley Cole a new contract, but if there is any flak flying at the Bridge these days, it finds the Spaniard like a heat-seeking missile.

* * *

BRADFORD CITY, eighth in League Two, is potentially 90 minutes from a place in next season's Europa League. No honest, it is.

If — and it is a big if — Chelsea overcomes Swansea's 2-0 lead in the League Cup semifinal second leg and meets Bradford, which leads Aston Villa 3-1 from their first leg, in the Wembley final the team from the fourth level of English football will be the most unlikeliest of European qualifiers, as long as the Blues finish in the top four and claim a Champions League place.

There have been derogatory comments in some quarters that Capital One, the American-based finance company, did not pay ?30 million to sponsor a Bradford vs. Swansea League Cup final. I am not alone in thinking it would be a far better, more popular and intriguing final than Chelsea vs. Aston Villa, which has a strong element of been there, seen it and done it about it.

Under Michael Laudrup, Swansea has played some superb, open, attacking football and the Dane's tactics at Stamford Bridge were spot-on. In Michu, a ?2 million steal from Real Valladolid, the Swans have the bargain of the season with 16 goals in 25 matches. Ashley Williams' displays make him as good a defender as there is in the Premier League this season.

In beating Wigan, Arsenal and Villa, Bradford has rightly won national praise, playing its one-touch slick passing style rather than route one pleasantly surprising those who do not watch Phil Parkinson's side regularly. There are some marvelous stories from the club, such as Matt Duke, the goalkeeper who has overcome testicular cancer to produce man of the match displays.

Chelsea and Villa may yet ensure a more routine matchup at Wembley next month, but neutrals will hope for some new faces in Capital One's inaugural final.

Christopher Davies was a longtime Premier League correspondent for the London Daily Telegraph.

View the original article here

Cole on target as Chelsea sinks Stoke

LONDON — Ashley Cole produced a late Chelsea winner against Stoke by scoring his first goal in two years on Saturday, and Southampton collected its first points of the season with a victory at Aston Villa.

With Chelsea facing a second consecutive scoreless stalemate, Cole lifted the ball over Asmir Begovic in the 85th minute to secure a 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea has a three-point lead at the top of the league over Everton, which won 3-0 at Swansea, and West Bromwich Albion, which beat Reading 1-0.

Southampton climbed off the bottom by coming from behind to beat Aston Villa 4-1, while Fulham won 2-1 at Wigan, and West Ham drew 1-1 with Sunderland.

The glamorous fixtures of the weekend were still to come on Sunday when Manchester United was set to visit Liverpool and champion Manchester City hosts Arsenal.

But it will be Chelsea ending the weekend at the summit after being rescued by its left back.

Cole hadn't scored since May 2010 until he connected with Juan Mata's back-heel and beat Begovic from close range after 85 minutes of dogged Stoke defending.

"You have a game plan and you need to be patient and you need to find solutions to break them down . . . it is very difficult," Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo said. "(Cole is) an unexpected goal scorer but we seem to have our full backs in very advanced positions these days."

Southampton had endured four straight losses since gaining promotion back to the Premier League and the south-coast side conceded its 15th goal of the season when Darren Bent put Villa ahead in the 36th.

But Southampton turned on the style in the second half after Rickie Lambert lashed in a leveler in the 58th.

Southampton went in front five minutes later when defender Nathaniel Clyne slotted the ball past goalkeeper Brad Guzan from close range, and Jason Puncheon extended the lead with a strike from the edge of the six-yard box that deflected off Ciaran Clark before landing in the net.

After setting up Puncheon's goal, Lambert was on the scoresheet again with a 90th-minute penalty after Guzan brought down Emmanuel Mayuka.

"We've been desperate to get some points on the board," Lambert said. "Today is everything we believed we could do and it came to fruition. At half time (manager) Nigel Adkins told us certain things were unacceptable . . . but we still believed we could win the game and we managed to do it."

That was rarely in doubt for Everton at Swansea, with Victor Anichebe and Kevin Mirallas scoring before the break and Marouane Fellaini heading in a late third after the hosts had Nathan Dyer sent off early in the second half.

View the original article here

Torres doubts future at new champion Chelsea

MADRID — Chelsea striker Fernando Torres has cast doubt over his future at the newly crowned European champions, labeling this past season as the most difficult of his career.

Prized possession: Chelsea's Fernando Torres kisses the Champions League trophy after beating Bayern Munich on Saturday. AFP-JIJI

The ?50 million ($79 million) Spain international, who hit just six league goals this season, told Spanish sports newspaper AS that he was extremely disappointed not to be in the starting lineup for Saturday's Champions League final against Bayern Munich.

He added that he wants clarity over his role in the team.

"This season I have felt things that I hadn't felt before. I feel that I have been treated in a manner I did not expect, not the way they said when I signed for the club," Torres said.

"We have had many conversations and now the season is finished we will talk to see what happens with my future because what I have gone through this year is not the role for which I came.

"There have been many highs and lows, many times I felt lost. I wasn't sure what to do, I felt like I didn't know where to be."

Torres was an 84th-minute substitute at the Allianz Arena on Saturday, earning the corner from which Didier Drogba equalized, but did not take a penalty in the shootout.

Despite his limited contribution in Saturday's showpiece, Torres admitted Chelsea's improbable run to the Champions League title helped soothe his personal pain after a challenging year with the west London outfit.

"A victory like the one in Munich makes up for it, but I want someone to tell me what will happen in the future," he said.

View the original article here

Fourth eludes Chelsea

LIVERPOOL, England — Liverpool took advantage of Chelsea's erratic defending to earn an emphatic 4-1 win on Tuesday, gaining a small measure of revenge for Saturday's F.A. Cup final loss and putting the Blues out of contention for fourth place in the Premier League.

Unhappy return: Chelsea's Fernando Torres shields the ball from Liverpool's Daniel Agger during the Reds' 4-1 win at Anfield on Tuesday. AFP-JIJI

Three days after Chelsea beat Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley, the Reds dominated from the start in their last home game of the season and were up 3-0 within 30 minutes. While Stewart Downing missed a penalty right before halftime and Ramires pulled one back for Chelsea after the break, Jonjo Shelvey took advantage of backup goalkeeper Ross Turnbull's blunder to put the game away with his first Premier League goal for Liverpool.

"It was an excellent performance," Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish said. "The pleasing thing is the performance was matched by the result and also the fact the supporters could go away from the final match of the season here with a smile on their faces."

Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo made eight changes from Saturday, and the players on the pitch seemed to already have their minds on the Champions League final against Bayern Munich as they looked lethargic throughout. A win against Bayern in Munich is now the only route for Chelsea back into the Champions League next season, as the loss means it cannot overtake Tottenham for fourth place.

"It wasn't the team selection. We have to give credit to them (Liverpool)," Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo said. "We have played with these players the whole season and they have carried us so far and we still had a chance with two games to qualify for fourth spot. . . . But you know how demanding it has been for us — we have played every three days in the last eight weeks — and I thought tonight I thought a team which was energetic and fresh mentally would give us a chance."

Captain John Terry was one of the few holdovers from Wembley, but had a horrendous start to the game. Luis Suarez easily went past him as he produced a great run down the right side and into the area, and the Uruguay forward's attempted cross was knocked by Michael Essien into his own net in the 19th minute.

Terry then slipped six minutes later to set Jordan Henderson free on goal, and the Liverpool player slotted the ball past Turnbull.

Three minutes later, Andy Carroll headed the ball down for Daniel Agger to make it 3-0 and effectively make sure of a Liverpool victory.

The hosts looked likely to add a few more, as Stewart Downing blasted a great volley from outside the area against the crossbar before Carroll was knocked down in the area by Branislav Ivanovic for a penalty on the stroke of halftime. However, Downing hit the woodwork again, sending his spot kick against the post to leave Chelsea with a flicker of hope going into the break.

View the original article here

Chelsea reaches deal to sign Marin

LONDON — Chelsea began preparing for next season on Saturday with an agreement to sign Germany midfielder Marko Marin from Werder Bremen.

The west London club, which still has a Champions League final to prepare for and three English Premier League games remaining, said on Saturday it has agreed to a fee for the 23-year-old playmaker and that Marin has accepted its offer of personal terms.

Chelsea did not say how much it would pay for Marin. Bremen paid Bundesliga rival Borussia Moenchengladbach about €8 million ($10.6 million) for him in 2009.

"We finalized the last details during the course of the day," Bremen general manager Klaus Allofs told Sky television on Saturday.

View the original article here

Terry's influence crucial for Chelsea

LONDON — Maybe it was Roman Abramovich's instruction to the players to improve.

One glance at the Chelsea owner's Wikipedia page would no doubt encourage anyone to shift up a gear when told.

Perhaps it was the dismissal of Andre Villas-Boas, who paid the price for trying to move on the old guard. Or the increasingly successful interim appointment of former West Bromwich discard Roberto di Matteo, who has registered three consecutive wins.

Whatever inspired Chelsea to a storming 4-1 extra-time win over Napoli on Wednesday worked. Led by John Terry, as inspirational as he is controversial, with Didier Drogba turning back the years and Frank Lampard proving he is still the man for the big occasion, Chelsea was terrific.

Its pulsating performance left us wondering why things had stagnated so badly under AVB, though the attitude of the players must also be called the question. Once a team crosses the white line it should be motivated enough regardless of who the manager is, but this clearly didn't apply with Chelsea.

Terry had denied player-power was behind AVB's departure — as if he was going to say "yes, we got rid of him" — but Chelsea's players displayed irresistible power against an enterprising Napoli team that was eventually blown away by the rampaging Blues on a night to remember.

This was a huge result and a brilliant display by a side where Terry is clearly more than a captain. It is difficult to recall a more influential player than Terry.

Whether that is a good thing many will doubt, but even the defender's critics — effectively just about everyone who doesn't support Chelsea — would have to admit that while his off-field behavior leaves much to be desired, he is Mr. Chelsea.

As Abramovich walked across the pitch after the match he indulged in high-fives before giving a more positive speech to the players.

"What he said stays in the dressing room," said di Matteo earning maximum diplomacy points. "But I guess Roman was happy because we won."

Realistically Chelsea will not win the Champions League, but it proved there is life in the old guard yet. But the best penny spent would be on the thoughts of AVB.

Having secured its place in the last eight of the Champions League, Chelsea turns its attention to the F.A. Cup sixth round, which offers some intriguing possibilities even though the absence of Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal may have taken some gloss off the quarterfinals for the power brokers of sponsorship and television.

It could be Tottenham vs. Chelsea or Everton vs. Liverpool in the final. The bad news is that the 2012 final may also see Leicester City play Bolton Wanderers, not a matchup Budweiser had in mind when it signed its lucrative deal to have its name on the tournament.

Leicester, the lone survivor from the Championship, has never won the F.A. Cup and is a dangerous underdog, but it is difficult to see it ending the interest of Chelsea, which will be oozing confidence after its midweek triumph. Verdict: Chelsea.

Everton manager David Moyes would love to celebrate 10 years in charge of the Toffees with his first major managerial honor, though whoever writes Martin O'Neill's scripts would no doubt have ended the season with Sunderland winning the cup. Verdict: draw.

If Spurs reach Wembley, it would be a grand finale for Harry Redknapp should England call. Bolton may complete an ignominious cup/relegation double. Verdict: Spurs win.

Liverpool, underachieving in the league, is on course to win the domestic cup double but Stoke, beaten finalists a year ago, is in with a chance to make up for its disappointment in 2011. Verdict: Liverpool.

* * *

SIR DAVE RICHARDS, chairman of the Premier League, is known as the silent knight, happy to leave everyone else to speak to the media. Despite his ?291,000 salary, the man who rose without a trace stayed in the shadows.

This week, it became easy to understand why Richards was English football's Marcel Marceau, and rather than be critical of this, we should be grateful. Richards was in Doha for a Sports Security conference and decided to give Qatar some advice ahead of the 2022 World Cup.

One can only assume no Premier League spin doctor was around because Richards showed the subtlety of a charging rhino. Oh, and he also fell into a pool.

Richards said: "In our country and in Germany we have a culture. We call it 'we would like to go for a pint and that pint is a pint of beer.' "

At this point the assembled gathering must have been thinking it was a Sir Dave Richards lookalike, but the real thing continued: "It is our culture as much as your culture [in Qatar] is not drinking. There has to be a happy medium."

And then this gem. "If you don't do something about it, you are burying your head in the sand."

Qatar . . . sand . . . desert. No he wasn't joking and to complete displaying the PR skills honed at the George W. Bush academy, he ended his rant with: "You might be better off saying don't come."

Next in his sights was FIFA and UEFA which he accused of "stealing football," blissfully unaware that the Premier League stole 22 clubs from the Football League 20 years ago.

Ladies and gentlemen, let's hear it for Sir Dave Richards.

Silence.

While urging another country to relax its attitude toward alcohol, Richards himself was not dry for long. Having put his foot in it as he spoke, while walking to the official dinner he inadvertently tumbled into a small water channel by a fountain — "only knee deep" claimed an eye witness with a tinge of regret.

Christopher Davies was a longtime Premier League correspondent for the London Daily Telegraph.

View the original article here

Drogba plans to stay with Chelsea

LONDON — Didier Drogba intends to stay at Chelsea at least until the end of the season, rejecting speculation of a money-spinning move to ambitious Chinese team Shanghai Shenhua in the January transfer window.

Sections of the British media are reporting that the Chinese team is ready to buy the 33-year-old Drogba this month and pay him a stunning ?270,000 ($420,000) a week, making him one of the highest-earning players in world football.

In an interview with France Football magazine, Drogba, who is on duty with Cote d'Ivoire at the African Nations Cup, said he wants to "start having more fun again, more sensations, more enthusiasm, pressure and passion out on the pitch."

When asked if that meant leaving Chelsea, Drogba said: "Not before June, in any case."

View the original article here

Chelsea plays Spurs to draw

LONDON — Chelsea captain John Terry withstood a torrent of jeers from Tottenham fans following his charge for racist abuse to protect a vital point for his side on Thursday.

Business as usual: Chelsea's John Terry shouts instructions during a match against Tottenham on Thursday in London. The match ended in a 1-1 draw. AP

After Emmanuel Adebayor's shot had beaten Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech in stoppage time, Terry diverted the ball away from goal — a decisive deflection that earned his side a 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane.

"He anticipated the situation at the end — it was a big opportunity for Tottenham," Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas said. "It shows his character and strength and personality."

A day earlier, Terry became the first soccer player in England to receive a criminal charge for racially abusing an opponent. He will appear in court in February after he was alleged to have used racist language toward Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand in an October Premier League match.

"His performances have increased since the incident happened," Villas-Boas said. "His commitment, quality and talent are never in doubt. He's completely focused to the cause of this football club."

With chants raining down from the White Hart Lane stands, even Chelsea's official Twitter feed described Terry as its "under-fire skipper."

So denying Tottenham a victory was all the sweeter, after Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge canceled out Adebayor's eighth-minute opener.

"I am very proud of the players under a lot of adversity — there was a good spirit of resistance," Villas-Boas said. "It is a moral win."

But Chelsea remains fourth in the standings, two points behind Tottenham and just a point above Arsenal. Leader Manchester City is 11 points ahead of Chelsea.

In north London, the Blues, though, had to recover from initially being completely overwhelmed at a ground where they have not won since 2005.

Back after missing Sunday's win over Sunderland through injury, Gareth Bale easily went past Jose Bosingwa on the left flank and sent a loss cross into the penalty area.

Cech, who was at fault for the equalizer Chelsea conceded at Wigan last weekend, failed to grasp the cross, allowing Adebayor to beat him to the ball and score his sixth goal in as many games.

After allowing Chelsea to regain a foothold in the game and taking the sting out of Tottenham's attack, the equalizer came after 23 minutes.

Rafael van der Vaart's attempted sliding tackle diverted the ball onto Ashley Cole's arm and it fell kindly for the Chelsea fullback, who crossed for Sturridge.

The England striker easily evaded his marker, Ledley King, to rush forward unchallenged and score his 10th goal of the season. Tottenham's appeals for handball against Cole were waved away by referee Howard Webb.

"It certainly bounced up on to his hand," Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp said. "Sometimes you get them, sometimes you don't."

Branislav Ivanovic was soon forced off with an apparent thigh injury. With Alex out of favor and not even on the bench, Paolo Ferreira had to come on at right back with Bosingwa shifting to central defense alongside Terry.

Chelsea was forced to make a second change just before halftime, with John Obi Mikel limping off with a groin problem and replaced by Oriol Romeu.

"It doesn't look serious — muscle injuries — and we'll see the amount of damage they have," Villas-Boas said. "Hopefully they can recover quickly."

Chelsea, though, remained assertive after the break, with Drogba heading over and Terry's header blocked early on.

"Our passing game exploded today to wonderful levels," Villas-Boas said.

View the original article here

Drogba keeps Chelsea alive

LONDON — With Chelsea's Champions League progress secured with a ruthless victory over Valencia, Andre Villas-Boas had the confidence — after weeks of pent-up frustration — to take on his critics.

Survival of the fittest: Chelsea's Didier Drogba goes for the ball as Valencia's David Albelda watches during the Blues' 3-0 Champions League win at Stamford Bridge in London on Tuesday. AP

The manager declared that his players had delivered a "slap in the face" to their detractors with a 3-0 win over Valencia on Tuesday that sent Chelsea through to the knockout round as the Group E winner.

"(There) is a continuous persecution of Chelsea, an aggressiveness towards one club," Villas-Boas said. "But today you have to accept it was a brilliant win."

Woeful away form had left a place among Europe's elite in jeopardy, but Chelsea rediscovered its attacking flair just when it mattered most.

Didier Drogba netted after just three minutes, set up Ramires' 22nd-minute goal and then rounded off the victory in the second half.

"We finished top of the group against all odds," said Villas-Boas, who was hired in the offseason following a four-trophy haul last year at FC Porto. "There has been a lot of criticism of our players and they gave everyone a slap in the face."

The victory knocked Bayer Leverkusen off top spot, with the German club clinching second place with a 1-1 draw at Racing Genk.

The drama of the night came at Borussia Dortmund, with Marseille scoring twice in the closing minutes to win 3-2 and advance as Group F runnerup.

"Football is magnificent when you win," Marseille coach Didier Deschamps said. "You have to believe until the end. What we did was exceptional."

Olympiakos was denied second place in Group F despite beating group winner Arsenal 3-1.

Zenit St. Petersburg reached the last 16 with Group G winner APOEL at the expense of Porto after drawing 0-0 in Portugal.

The final knockout phase places will be determined when the group stage concludes on Wednesday, with Manchester rivals United and City the highest-profile clubs with qualification on the line.

Chelsea, though, can relax — for now — and focus on catching United and City in the Premier League from fourth.

For the ninth successive season, the Blues are in the knockout phase of the competition owner Roman Abramovich desperately wants to win.

Any nerves the Russian oligarch had about his team's prospects were eased inside three minutes at Stamford Bridge with a goal — Chelsea's fastest in the competition — that set the tone for a night of dominance.

Daniel Sturridge, who has displaced record-signing Fernando Torres from the side, switched the ball from the right to left flank. Former Valencia winger Juan Mata then squared to Drogba, who turned Antonio Barragan and fired beyond goalkeeper Diego Alves.

The lead was doubled when Drogba picked up possession inside his own half and charged forward before sending the ball through to Ramires, who swept past Victor Ruiz before striking into the net.

Drogba's 36th Champions League goal came in the 76th, racing onto Mata's through ball and slotting a low finish into the corner.

"I'm improving since the last few games," Drogba said. "I've managed to have more time on the pitch and it's helping me a lot."

Bayer Leverkusen dropped to second in the group, requiring Eren Derdiyok's late equalizer to cancel out Jelle Vossen's 30th-minute volley for Genk, which had already been eliminated.

In Dortmund, Marseille looked consigned to a spot in the Europa League in February before staging the late and unlikely comeback.

Dortmund was 2-0 up inside 32 minutes after goals from Jakub Blaszczykowski and Mats Hummels, but Loic Remy headed one back for Marseille just before half time.

But it wasn't until the 85th that Andre Ayew equalized and substitute Mathieu Valbuena then grabbed a winner two minutes later.

That denied Olympiakos the chance to remain in the competition despite Rafik Djebbour, David Fuster and Francois Modesto clinching a memorable 3-1 win over Arsenal, whose goal came from Yossi Benayoun's volley.

In Group G, two-time European champion Porto needed a win to advance, but will have to settle with a spot in the Europa League it won under Villas-Boas last season.

View the original article here

United beats Chelsea to all but claim title

MANCHESTER, England — Javier Hernandez netted the 20th goal of a sparkling debut season at Manchester United in a 2-1 victory over Chelsea on Sunday that put his team a point away from a record 19th English title.

The Mexico striker took just 36 seconds to score after Chelsea defender David Luiz failed to intercept Park Ji Sung's through ball. United captain Nemanja Vidic headed in another in the 23rd minute after connecting with Ryan Giggs' cross.

Frank Lampard pulled one back for Chelsea in the second half after Branislav Ivanovic flicked on Ramires' cross.

"We could've scored six in the second half, but we expected a tough game and we got a tough game," United manager Alex Ferguson said. "We were brilliant — we got a great start but (Petr) Cech made some fantastic saves. When we gave the ball away for their goal, we were a bit nervy but the fans helped us."

United is now six points clear of Chelsea with two games to go and will regain the Premier League trophy from the London club with at least a draw at Blackburn on Saturday.

Ferguson constantly reminds his players — and has taunted rivals in the past — about how easy it is to fail with victory in sight by recalling the 1956 British Grand National.

Devon Loch was 40 meters from the winning post in the famous steeplechase when he collapsed to become one of the most infamous losers in British sporting history.

"Don't even mention Devon Loch — my dad backed that," Ferguson said.

But the 69-year-old Scot is already celebrating a 12th Premier League triumph and United surpassing the English record of 18 league titles it has held with Liverpool since 2009.

"It's fantastic to be the most successful team in the country," he said. "The minute we won that first title in 1992 the door opened, and we've been involved in the first two all throughout that period — it's a fantastic achievement.

"For the last 17 or 18 years it's been Arsenal and Chelsea as our nearest challengers, and the last few years it's been Chelsea. Arsenal made a great attempt this year but them losing today has finalized it. We deserve the title and hopefully we'll get that point now."

United stamped its authority on Chelsea from kickoff, having already knocked Carlo Ancelotti's side out of the Champions League in the quarterfinals.

Giggs sent Park sprinting up the pitch and when Luiz missed his through ball, Hernandez coolly slotted past Cech.

Giggs was also heavily involved in United's second. The Welsh midfielder played a short corner and then retook possession, nipped neatly past Salomon Kalou and provided the perfect cross for Vidic to direct a downward header past Cech.

Lampard kept the game alive by steering in Ivanovic's header in the 68th, but Chelsea already looked beaten.

"In the first minute we lost the game, we started so badly," Ancelotti said. "It was very difficult after that to come back and try to win. The second half was better but United played better and deserved to win.

"We have to accept the defeat, today United were better and in general this season they were better than us."

View the original article here