Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson praised the 'unbelievable' consistency of his club over the past two decades after winning a 20th league title courtesy of the marvellous Robin van Persie's 'goal of the Century'.
A 3-0 win over relegation-threatened Aston Villa on Monday night secured the 2012/13 Premier League crown thanks to a sensational Van Persie hat-trick at Old Trafford.
The success erases some of the memories of losing the title to derby rivals Manchester City on the final day of last season but Ferguson praised his own legacy after winning a remarkable 13th Premier League.
"You can go on and on about losing the title (last season)," Ferguson told Sky Sports after the win over Villa. "I think we have been second maybe five or six times in my time.
"We can think back to the last game at West Ham (in 1995). How we did not win was unbelievable. Last year, it was the last game of the season.
"At the end of the day, our consistency for the last 20 years has been unbelievable."
Van Persie, a ?24million signing from Arsenal last summer, is widely considered to be a key factor in United's title win.
And Ferguson hailed the Dutchman, whose second goal was a contender for the best of the season after volleying a long Wayne Rooney pass.
Van Persie has now scored five times in his past three matches, which started with a penalty at Stoke City, since going on a two-month spell between February and April without a goal.
Ferguson said: "It was the goal of the Century, for me, a marvellous hit."
The Scot added: "He has been unbelievable. His form in the first six months was fantastic. He had that spell where he had not scored a goal. Like every striker, he had a dry spell.
"But when he scored that penalty, I thought, 'he is alive now'. Tonight, he was unbelievable, marvellous."
