2007年5月08日 格林尼治标准时间16:31更新
The New Premiership Champions 英超新冠军
Manchester United have claimed their first Premiership title since 2003 following Chelsea’s 1-1 draw against Arsenal on Saturday.
Although there are two games left to play this season, Manchester United cannot be overtaken at the top of the table 高居榜首.
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson hailed his team's success, saying it was a "fantastic day" for the club and fans.
Ferguson underlined the importance 强调重要性 of starting the season well. He said that his team had been "hard to dislodge" 逐出 from their position as leaders in the league after getting in front early in the season.
He also praised the resilience 顺应力 of his team, meaning that they were able to recover well from difficulties such as injuries.
Sir Alex admired the way in which his players "dug in" 坚持不懈, meaning they refused to surrender or give up, even when they faced defeat. Ferguson indicated how much he respected his players by saying: "I have to take my hat off" 摘下帽子, 这里表示对对方的钦佩和敬意 to them.
Despite having lost the title after two years at the top, Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho was almost gracious in defeat 虽然比赛输了但仍不失气度, offering his congratulations to Manchester United but stopping short 没有提及 of saying the best team won.
He said he was proud of his players for maintaining their hunger for success 成功的渴望.
Mr Mourinho stated that successful teams often lose because they no longer have the same motivation or "the same spirit or ambition" 同样的精神和雄心. But in Chelsea’s case he said this was not the case, instead blaming injuries to his team for their failure to keep the title.
Even though the Premiership has been lost and won, Chelsea and Manchester United will still play each other twice more before the season ends - once for pride rather than points in the Premiership, and then again in the FA Cup final on 19 May.
Both matches will give Chelsea a chance to prove a point 证实观点 over United.