Matches that won the title
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FERGIE'S flyers set the Old Trafford crowd alight when they won their 18th top-flight title at home to Arsenal.
Here, SunSport highlights six key matches on United's road to glory.
They were in the bottom half early in the season before surging through the field to claim the top spot.
Great games, great goals – here are the magnificent milestones that saw the Red Devils' seal the title.
September 21 2008: Chelsea 1 United 1
United bounced back from a 2-1 defeat at Liverpool to rebuild their confidence with a battling point at Stamford Bridge. Ji-Sung Park put the Red Devils ahead on 18 minutes after Peter Cech had spilled the ball from a Dimitar Berbatov shot. United held on until ten minutes from the end, when sub Salomon Kalou headed home the equaliser.
United’s position: 14th
December 26, 2008: Stoke City 0 United 1
This was the match singled out by Fergie as the turning point in the title campaign – the start of an 11-game winning run. It was United’s first league match for 13 days after their trip to Japan, where they won the World Club Championship. Stoke were causing problems for the newly-crowned world's best team until Carlos Tevez cracked an 83rd-minute winner from Dimitar Berbatov’s pass.
United’s position: 3rd
January 11 2009: United 3 Chelsea 0
United were three games into that 11-match winning run when they hammered Chelsea with goals from Nemanja Vidic, Rooney and Berbatov. After this Sunday treat, they went on to beat Wigan 1-0 at home four days later and then Bolton 1-0 away the following Saturday to crank up the pressure on their title rivals.
United’s position: 3rd
April 5 2009: United 3 Villa 2
Teen wonder Federico Macheda struck in the 93rd minute to put United back on track after their title hopes had been rocked by defeats at home to Liverpool and away to Fulham. Macheda, 17, broke the stalemate with a spectacular effort after Ronaldo scored twice for United either side of goals from John Carew and Gabriel Agbonlahor.
United’s position: 1st
April 25 2009: United 5 Tottenham 2
United punished Spurs for taking a two-goal half time lead by storming back for a sensational victory which took them three points clear of Liverpool at the top. Darren Bent and Luka Modric silenced Old Trafford, but the second half was one-way traffic with Rooney and Ronaldo grabbing two each and Berbatov adding the fifth.
United’s position: 1st
May 13 2009: Wigan 1 United 2
Carlos Tevez had United fans singing in the rain as he turned this match round to leave Ferguson's men on the brink of the title. Hugo Rodallega bustled past Vidic to put Wigan ahead with a controversial goal on 28 minutes. But sub Tevez levelled by flicking the ball home with his back to goal before Michael Carrick blasted the winner.
United’s position: 1st