United’s Portuguese trio celebrate Premiership title

Wigan Athletic 0-2 Manchester United

Manchester United were crowned Premiership champions for the second successive season after Cristiano Ronaldo scored in a victory over Wigan at the JJB Stadium.

Ronaldo, along with Portuguese compatriots Nani and assistant manager Carlos Queiroz celebrated what is the club’s seventeenth national championship, with the Red Devils ending the campaign two points clear of nearest challengers Chelsea.

United, who had to match or beat the Blues’ result against Bolton at Stamford Bridge, were confronted by a highly motivated Wigan side. Steve Bruce’s men had nothing to play for having already secured Premiership safety, but the Latics got stuck into United from the first minute and Emerson Boyce had the game’s first chance when he stabbed over from inside the area.

Rio Ferdinand escaped a possible penalty concession and Ronaldo had a free-kick parried by Chris Kirkland in a tense first half, which also saw United midfielder Paul Scholes come dangerously close to receiving a two yellow cards.

Nerveless Ronaldo

The crucial moment of the half and indeed the match as a whole arrived just after the half hour mark when United were awarded a penalty for Boyce’s reckless lunge on Wayne Rooney. Despite his miss in Barcelona, Ronaldo stepped up with typical confidence and calmly slotted to ball to Kirkland’s left as the Wigan ‘keeper dived the opposite way.

United controlled the game more in the second half and often looked comfortable, while a good penalty shout of their own for a Titus Bramble challenge on Scholes was waved away and Rooney drew an excellent stop from Kirkland with a low drive after cutting in from the right.

Although the champions looked secure defensively, when news filtered through that Chelsea had taken the lead, a second goal was required to ease the nerves. It arrived through substitute Ryan Giggs, making his record-equalling 758th club appearance. The Welsh winger found time and space inside the area after latching onto Rooney’s pass, and Giggs coolly finished to give United a two-advantage.

The final ten minutes passed with few problems for United, while a late Bolton equaliser provided the added bonus of Alex Ferguson’s men winning the title on points rather than goal difference, surely handing Ronaldo and co. a slight advantage ahead of the two sides’ showdown in the Champions League final later this month.

Wigan:
Kirkland, Boyce, Bramble, Scharner, Figueroa, Valencia, Palacios, Brown (King 81), Koumas, Bent (Sibierski 70), Heskey
Yellow Cards: Palacios, Heskey, Valencia

Man Utd:
Van der Sar, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Ronaldo, Carrick, Scholes (Hargreaves 67), Park (Giggs 68), Tevez, Rooney
Yellow Cards: Scholes, Rooney

Goals:
[0-1] Ronaldo, 33 (pen)
[0-2] Giggs, 80