Manchester United Win English Title for Record-Breaking 19th Time

Marc RosebladeMay 14, 2011

Sir Alex Ferguson helps steer his Manchester United side to a record breaking 19th English league title with a hard fought 1-1draw with Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park.

Sir Alex Ferguson has now guided Manchester United to 12 league titles in his 25 years in charge of the English champions, a record that has has helped surpass Liverpool's long held record of 18 championships.

Sir Alex Ferguson saluted his players after they ground out the point they required against Blackburn Rovers to confirm the title was theirs for the historic 19th time.

For almost 60 minutes, the Red Devils trailed the Lancashire side at Ewood Park following a well-taken Brett Emerton goal but the visitors kept plugging away, looking for that all important goal.

The pressure eventually told on the relegation threatened side when Wayne Rooney equalized with a penalty. The draw was all Sir Alex's side required and the achievement of eclipsing Liverpool's record of 18 top-flight championships started to hit home.

"It's a fantastic performance by the lads," Sir Alex said post-match (via UEFA.com). "The players worked their socks of to get the result we needed. It wasn't an easy game; we were 1-0 down after giving away a bad goal, but we kept on going and that's one of the great qualities they have, they don't give in."

added, "I can't believe it's now 12 titles. I had a great spell at Aberdeen in fairness, I had a great time up there, but it was always time for me to move on at some point and I couldn't have picked a better club. This was the ideal club for me, there's no question about that. It was the only club in the world that matched what I needed at the time."

The title is also the 12th for midfielder Ryan Giggs, the holder of United's all-time appearance record, who broke into the first team back in March 1991. "Twenty years ago we were nowhere near Liverpool, but we've gone past our biggest rivals," said the 37-year-old. "This is why I keep going, for days like this, it's amazing."

Rooney echoed Giggs' jubilation, adding of his decisive 73rd-minute penalty: "I just had to compose myself; I knew where I was going. I had been practising in training all week. Winning the Premier League is an incredible feeling."

Sir Alex and his players can relax slightly and concentrate on winning the UEFA Champions League at Wembley on 28 May when they go toe-to- toe with Spanish La Liga champions Barcelona.