Man Utd thrash Stoke but lose title

May 9, 2010 - 7:02 PM By ALEX CROOK STATS European Football Writer=

LONDON (SE) - Sir Alex Ferguson promised his Manchester United would be back to reclaim their Premier League crown next season after watching his side lose their grip on the title despite a 4-0 thrashing of Stoke at Old Trafford.

First-half goals from Darren Fletcher and Ryan Giggs put United in the driving seat, before a Danny Higginbotham own goal ten minutes after the break and a late Ji-Sung Park header secured the win.

Despite the thumping win, the mood at Old Trafford was sombre, as news filtered through of Chelsea's resounding 8-0 win over Wigan.

A defiant Ferguson praised Carlo Ancelotti's Chelsea, but promised his side would be back.

Ferguson said: "We are disappointed obviously, but I think we made a good fist of it by taking the title race to the last game of season.

"We know how difficult it is to win the Premier League, so we congratulate Carlo. It is a terrific achievement to beat us, so well done to them.

"We can have no complaints about how things have panned out, and once we heard Wigan had gone down to ten men, our hopes evaporated.

"Losing this title has made us appreciate the achievement of the last three titles.

"But we have got ideas for next season, we have a good strong squad so we might do a few things in the summer to make sure we come back stronger and fighting."

The mood among United supporters was one of muted hope before kick-off, as they relied on near neighbours Wigan doing them a huge favour.

But while their London rivals raced into an early lead, United had to wait until the 31st minute, when Darren Fletcher scuffed home from close range.

The lead was two just seven minutes later as Ryan Giggs squirted a shot home under the body of Stoke keeper Asmir Begovic \2013 but the title was already gone.

Stoke centre-back Higginbotham was unlucky to screw past Begovic ten minutes into the second period, but the game had rapidly become almost a training exercise for United's despondent stars.

Park's bullet header six minutes from time capped a fine performance, but the celebrations were token in their effort.

Stoke boss Tony Pulis said: "United were very good today, but our performance was lacking something.

"They obviously had a lot to play for with the title still up for grabs, but we wanted to put in a committed performance and we did not do that today.

"It has been a good season, we have another season of Premier League football to look forward to, but we will be looking to move up another level."