Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho (centre) hugs his captain John Terry (left) and Frank Lampard after their English Premier League soccer match against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, London, yesterday. The match ended 1-1. - Reuters

LONDON (Reuters)

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson was celebrating winning the Premier League title yesterday but not without a tinge of regret that they had failed to make the Champions League final.

Chelsea's 1-1 draw at Arsenal handed United their first league title since 2003 and Ferguson said overthrowing Jose Mourinho's men as champions had been the priority but he rued Wednesday's Champions League exit at the hands of AC Milan.

"Some years ago I always used to have an obsession about winning in Europe," he told Sky Sports. "I think it's been overtaken by the demands of the Premier League because I think it's the highest league in Europe now.

"To win it is a big, big achievement. So I suppose it was a priority, but I wish we'd at least got to the final in Athens, I must say."

He said one of the keys to their league success had been staying close to Chelsea from the start of the season and then establishing a lead that meant the Londoners had to do all the chasing.

"Once we got that, we were going to be hard to dislodge ... and it's not easy in the Premier League to keep a lead for six months ... knowing that Chelsea are on your coat-tails at all times," he said.

"The really crucial part was the resilience of all the players when we started getting all the injuries. At one point we had eight people injured."

Anxiety

Ferguson

Knowing the title could be decided yesterday, Ferguson tried to fill his time to take his mind off the match at the Emirates Stadium although in the end his curiosity got the better of him.

"I went to see my grandson play in a league decider today and they won their league ... so it's been a great double today," he said.

"I went home and watched the racing on telly and when that was finished and I had nothing to do but twiddle my thumbs. I watched the last 15 minutes at the Emirates Stadium and I was in agony."

Much of the credit for United's success goes to 65-year-old Ferguson, who is still motivated after 20 years at the club and shows no sign of leaving.

"I feel invigorated by the young players in the club, I feel invigorated to see players like Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes turning out every week for me. That gives me the right vibe that I'm in the right place and that I'm the right manager," he said.

"I don't know how long I'm going to last now but I'm enjoying it and I'm going to do it until I stop enjoying it."