Manchester United's record 19th title is just one point away; chances are they will seal it on Saturday afternoon in the early kick-off against Blackburn Rovers at roughly the same time Manchester City players are walking down the Wembley tunnel ahead of their FA Cup final. You imagine that Ferguson would not want it any other way.

This was the standout performance against top opposition that Ferguson had been looking for ever since Chelsea began their late-season revival with that victory over United at Old Trafford. Given what Carlo Ancelotti's team have been through in their mid-season slump, it was extraordinary that they should be in the title race with three games left but they were never truly in yesterday's match.

Not from the 37th second when, with his very first touch of the game, Javier Hernandez dispatched the ball past Petr Cech for United's first goal. Having made up 12 points on United with that 10-match unbeaten league run, Chelsea succumbed to exhaustion and mediocrity, just as the prospect of an unlikely championship defence came into focus.

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