United's consistency pleases Sir Alex

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson admitted his awe at the level of consistency showed by the club with respect to generating results in the last two decades.

Speaking to the reporters after securing the title win with four games to spare, the 71-year-old said:

“You can go on and on about losing the title (last season). I think we have been second maybe five or six times in my time. We can think back to the last game at West Ham (in 1995). How we did not win was unbelievable. Last year, it was the last game of the season.

“At the end of the day, our consistency for the last 20 years has been unbelievable.”

The gaffer had special praise in store for United’s talisman this season. A £24 million signing from rivals Arsenal last summer, Van Persie has scored 24 Premier League goals thus far and it was his hat-trick last night that sealed United’s title. After going through a dry spell where he failed to score in 10 games in a row, Van Persie has scored five goals in the last three matches and his second goal on the night left the United manager gawking. Ferguson added:

“It was the goal of the century for me, a marvellous hit.

“Robin has been unbelievable. His form in the first six months was fantastic. He had that spell where he had not scored a goal. Like every striker, he had a dry spell. But when he scored that penalty, I thought, ‘he is alive now’. Tonight, he was unbelievable, marvellous.”