We'll be back

Sir Alex Ferguson was gracious but defiant after his hopes of a fourth consecutive title were crushed by Carlo Ancelotti's free-scoring Chelsea.

United's rivals beat Wigan Athletic 8-0 at home, to render academic the Reds' own emphatic 4-0 win over Stoke City at Old Trafford. "I didn't know what the Chelsea score was [in the second half]. But at half-time I accepted they were going to be champions," Sir Alex told MUTV.

Gary Caldwell's red card and Frank Lampard's subsequent penalty conversion put Chelsea 2-0 up after 32 minutes and meant the rest of the afternoon's activity largely a formality. "We felt it would be difficult for Wigan to get something and when we heard they were down to ten men, all our hopes evaporated," Sir Alex added. "We applaud Chelsea. We know how hard it is to win the title - it's the hardest league in the world and we've won it for the last three years. I congratulate Carlo Ancelotti on a wonderful achievement. He's a good manager and a good guy."

But Sir Alex quickly turns his thoughts to challenging for the 2010/11 championship. "We won the last three titles," he said. "That was fantastic and the players have been great. We'll come back next year, that's exactly what Manchester United do."

Earlier, the manager was on the pitch for his traditional end-of-season speech to the fans. "The players and the supporters have always been magnificent and you've been magnificent again. We can be proud that we've challenged hard for a fourth title in a row. Next season we'll go again and bring back the title to the best place in the world."