UEFA CHAMPION LEAGUE WINNERS - MAN UTD!!

Manchester United became kings of Europe for the third time on a night of high drama and emotion in Moscow as they beat Chelsea 6-5 on penalties after a 1-1 draw after extra time.

Goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar was the hero with a penalty save to deny Nicolas Anelka after Chelsea captain John Terry had missed the chance to win the Blues the trophy by firing his own spot-kick hit the post.

The dramatic shootout looked to be going Chelsea's way after Petr Cech saved Cristiano Ronaldo's effort but Terry's miss opened the door for Sir Alex Ferguson to clinch his second Champions League crown.

As the celebrations began, you could have expected the ghosts of such giants as Duncan Edwards and George Best to be dancing with delight at the outcome.

It is 40 years since United first won the trophy with a team rebuilt by Sir Matt Busby from the survivors of that Munich disaster. Eight players lost their lives following the catastrophic events on a snow-filled German runway in February 1958.

It was fitting that United became the first English club to win the trophy 10 years later and even more apt that, half a century on, Ferguson's men had again taken on Europe's finest and beaten them all.

Their achievement was made even more poignant by Munich survivors Harry Gregg, Albert Scanlon, Kenny Morgans, Bill Foulkes and Sir Bobby Charlton, now a club director, who watched the drama unfold from the stands.

But modern-day football has its own heroes and the likes of Carlos Tevez, Wayne Rooney and the unstoppable Ronaldo now trip off the tongue in the same way Best and Charlton once did.

Yet, the opening 25 minutes of the first all-English final barely lived up to its hysterical pre-match hype.

However, all that changed from the moment Ronaldo headed United in front with his 42nd goal of a memorable season.

Paul Scholes, who missed United's last triumph through suspension in 1999, played a delightful interchange of passes with Wes Brown on the right flank.

His final return pass put Brown in the clear and the full-back's left-foot cross found the waiting Ronaldo in space at the far post.

The Portugal international planted a firm header into the corner of the net past a static Cech to give United first blood.

Chelsea's somewhat muted response almost brought them an equaliser in the 33rd minute when Lampard's cross was headed back into the six-yard box by Didier Drogba.

United's Rio Ferdinand, under pressure from Michael Ballack, was forced to head the ball towards his own goal and only a superb save from Van der Sar prevented a Chelsea equaliser.

But it required a sensational double save from Cech to deny United their second moments later.

Wayne Rooney delivered an inch-perfect 40-yard crossfield ball into the path of the ever-dangerous Ronaldo and the United goalscorer placed his cross on the head of the diving Tevez only for Cech to deny him.

Chelsea's failure to clear the loose ball gave Michael Carrick the chance to reward their superb approach work but again Cech was equal to the task with another fine save.

The Blues began to grow in confidence as the first half approached its climax and in the 45th minute, they took advantage of a massive slice of luck to level the score.

Michael Essien's attempted shot from 25-yards took two deflections on its way towards goal but the most telling was off the back of United captain Ferdinand.

It changed the direction of the ball into the path of Lampard, who duly supplied the finish from six yards.

Chelsea, buoyed by their flourish at the end of the first half, almost took the lead in the 54th minute.

Essien managed to get clear of the United defence but his attempted curler from the edge of the penalty area was far too high.

It was all Chelsea now but they could not force a second goal. Drogba sent a header a wide from Lampard's corner and Ballack was just off target with a 25-yard drive.

In the 77th minute, United had the woodwork to thank when Drogba sent a 20-yard shot against Van der Sar's left-hand upright. The Ivorian went close again four minutes from time when he just failed to convert Joe Cole's low cross.

Ryan Giggs was introduced in place of Scholes seconds later for the Welshman to make a record 759th appearance for the Red Devils.

The game went into extra-time, and within three minutes of the restart, the woodwork came to United's rescue again. This time it was Lampard who sent his shot crashing against the crossbar as United continued to ride their luck.

But Chelsea were almost made to pay dearly eight minutes later when Terry cleared a goalbound effort from Giggs off his own line.

Drogba was then sensationally sent off for slapping Nemanja Vidic as tempers flared on both sides.

But the lottery of penalties ensured that United clinched the trophy.

Tottenham 0 Liverpool 2

Liverpool striker Fernando Torres wrapped up a 2-0 victory at Tottenham to set a record for goals scored by a foreigner in his first season in the Premier League.

Torres' goal was his 24th since arriving from Atletico Madrid, taking him past Ruud van Nistelrooy's total when he arrived at Manchester United.

Andriy Voronin had opened the scoring at White Hart Lane as Liverpool ended their season on a high, while Spurs' fizzled out as it has done since winning the Carling Cup.

Should this be a farewell to Spurs striker Dimitar Berbatov, it was a subdued one, although perhaps not the game to bring the best out of him. Aside from Torres needing his goal, there was nothing significant to play for.

Spurs had a chance of moving up a place to 10th - earning an extra £720,000 in merit payment from the league - while Liverpool had already secured fourth.

Rafael Benitez's season has appeared overshadowed by the power struggle behind the scenes at Anfield and a reminder of their problems was the sight of co-owner George Gillett in the directors' box next to chief executive Rick Parry.

A tier below them was Benitez and Juande Ramos, two Spaniards looking to improve their respective teams.

Ramos wants to gatecrash the top four with Spurs, while Benitez wants a title challenge rather than playing in end-of-season sideshows when the main events of the day are elsewhere.

Benitez's team selection appeared to point towards the players he wants to keep next season when Liverpool will try again for their first title since 1990.

Peter Crouch and Jermaine Pennant were left out of the matchday squad, fuelling uncertainty over the future of the pair in the summer.

There was little to choose from the two teams in the early stages, with Radek Cerny saving comfortably from Voronin, then getting stretched a little more when Ryan Babel found a yard on the edge of the area.

Berbatov produced an impish flick for the hosts in the penalty box, after Jermaine Jenas had cut in from the right, but no Spurs player was on the end of the move.

It was Berbatov who almost opened the scoring, in the 26th minute, jumping with Jonathan Woodgate and beating his team-mate to O'Hara's corner. Jose Reina palmed the effort away at full stretch.

Steven Gerrard attempted to up the tempo from the centre-midfield, and the intensity was raised when Javier Mascherano clattered into Alan Hutton.

Uriah Rennie chose not to book the Liverpool midfielder, then Hutton escaped a caution shortly afterwards when he brought down Babel at the byline.

Torres almost broke the deadlock five minutes into the second half. Gerrard surged towards the penalty area and was brought down by Didier Zokora as he released Torres.

Play was allowed to continue and the Liverpool striker sent Cerny the wrong way with his finish, but the Spurs goalkeeper managed to save with his feet.

Cerny was called into action again in the 58th minute when the ball broke to Voronin on the edge of the area but the low shot lacked direction.

Gerrard was guilty of losing his radar with his passes and one error gifted the ball to Steed Malbranque in a dangerous position. The Frenchman fed Robbie Keane but the finish was dragged wide.

Reina then flicked a Tom Huddlestone cross off Berbatov's head, while Gerrard had a couple of efforts, one straight at Cerny and the other dipping over the crossbar.

The deadlock was broken 21 minutes from time when Alvaro Arbeloa angled a long ball from right to left towards the penalty area. Torres flicked on with his head and Voronin poked past Cerny.

Berbatov almost replied immediately but Reina tipped over his powerful volley.

Then came Torres' goal in the 74th minute, twisting and turning past Michael Dawson and slotting past Cerny. It could have got worse for Spurs but Cerny saved Hutton from an embarrassing own goal. Torres also grazed the crossbar with a chip.

Fernando Torres finished the Barclays Premier League campaign on a high but Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez insists the bottom line is the club have failed to win a trophy this season.

Torres took his tally of league goals to 24 by clinching a 2-0 win at Tottenham, edging ahead of Ruud van Nistelrooy's record for goals scored by a foreigner in a rookie season.

Benitez bought 'El Nino' for more than £20million from Atletico Madrid last summer, which appears a bargain for what the Spain striker has delivered.

'Always when you sign a player you do not know if he will settle down and how he will do in the Premier League, but Torres is a young player who is hungry and wanted to do well,' Benitez said.

'Sometimes you sign a player for a free transfer and people say he is bad signing.

'Then other times you can sign a player for a lot of money and he does well and everyone is happy, so lucky for us he is a good signing.

'He is one of the best strikers in the Premier League and is the best for us.
'We had spoken about the record. After the last game he said he wanted to play in this one and score here.'

Despite Torres' prolific first season, scoring 33 in all competitions, Liverpool still finished the campaign empty-handed.

There were other personal accolades, with Jose Reina again keeping a clean sheet, but Liverpool fell short in cup competitions and drifted out of contention in the league.

Benitez added: 'We did not win silverware but you talk about 119 goals, the goalkeeper has won the Golden Gloves Award again for the third time in a row.

'And with Torres, he was terrific at scoring and 76 points is a good total for us. There are a lot of positive things from this season, but the most important thing is we did not win a trophy.'

Benitez will now look to strengthen his squad over the summer.

'Our idea is to finish as high up as possible and to win trophies was a priority, but we know this season has been very difficult for us,' he added.

'We are working hard to improve the squad. Throughout the whole season we are watching players and trying to sign the players we need.

'We want to sign the best players as soon as possible and I think we will get investment from the owners, so we can go forward.'

He could also let Peter Crouch and Jermaine Pennant go, with neither in the matchday squad for the final game of the season.

'Some of the players here are under contract and they are our players and we are waiting now to see if clubs are interested in them,' he added.

Andriy Voronin opened the scoring at White Hart Lane in the 69th minute, with Torres grabbing his goal five minutes later.

'I think you have to give all the credit to Torres. He has had a great season and although he had a bit of space for the goal, he has played well,' said
Spurs head coach Juande Ramos.

Defeat meant Spurs finished in the bottom half, although they still did a lap of honour to parade the Carling Cup they won in February.

'I think we maybe did suffer after the Carling Cup success, maybe we achieved our target too soon,' Ramos said.

Reading 0 Tottenham 1

Tottenham striker Robbie Keane stepped into the limelight in the absence of Dimitar Berbatov to deepen Reading's fears of relegation from the Barclays Premier League with the only goal of the game at the Madejski Stadium.

It is Berbatov who normally enjoys playing Steve Coppell's men, having scored six times against them this season, and the hosts were given a lift when the striker was ruled out of the clash with a groin injury.

Coppell himself highlighted the threat that Keane also provides, and so it proved as he gave a masterclass in being the roaming striker, his goal in the 16th minute drawing him level with Berbatov on 23 for the season.

Reading can take heart from the fact they are playing Derby on the final of the season, although a win at Pride Park cannot be guaranteed given this performance.

They headed into the weekend a point above the relegation zone and with Emerse Fae and Ibrahima Sonko suspended after they refused to play in a reserve game on Monday.

The headline on Coppell's programme notes stated there was a 'need for unity', but they may need more than that heading into the final week of the campaign.

It was one-way traffic from kick-off, with Darren Bent getting a couple of early chances to get on the scoresheet, firstly when he headed over from Steed Malbranque's cross from the left flank.

Malbranque had an effort himself from the edge of the penalty area after Howard Webb had played an intelligent advantage when Jermaine Jenas' powerful run was halted.

Bent was played in on goal in the 10th minute by Malbranque, getting behind Ivar Ingimarsson but seeing his finish saved by Marcus Hahnemann's legs.

Malbranque made a mess of a backheel from close range as Spurs applied pressure, but they were not made to wait long for their opener.

Webb played his part again, instructing advantage when Keane was tripped by Michael Duberry.

The Irishman got to his feet and ran towards goal, picking up the ball on the edge of the area and leaving Kevin Doyle and Liam Rosenior on the floor with a dummy. With Hahnemann to beat, he flicked his finish into the far corner.

Leroy Lita fired wide from a tight angle just after the opener, before Keane took centre stage again.

Hahnemann was forced to save a 25-yard free-kick from him, then he weaved his way through the Reading defence before setting up Malbranque to finish, a neat strike incorrectly ruled offside by the assistant referee.

Better awareness from Bent when he was sent through would have also presented Keane with a straightforward finish to add to his opener.

Just before the break Keane played a sharp one-two on the edge of the area and was beyond the Reading defence again, only for Rosenior to get back just in time to block the finish.

Malbranque should have wrapped up the points two minutes into the second half. Keane's cross to the far post presented his team-mate with an open goal, but the Frenchman poked into the side-netting.

Three minutes later Malbranque scooped the ball over the Reading defence, but Bent looked short on confidence when he was on the end of the move.

Lita kept working the flanks and Reading started to threaten just before the hour mark.

Andre Bikey was found free on the edge of the area, but his shot was deflected over by Didier Zokora.

Marek Matejovsky was brought on by Coppell and shot narrowly wide from the edge of the penalty area.

Bent also struck a post for the visitors, while Webb turned down a penalty appeal when the ball struck Alan Hutton.

In the end only Keane's goal was needed. He was taken off with 13 minutes remaining to a standing ovation.

Reading could have snatched a point, but Radek Cerny saved from Dave Kitson and Rosenior.

Reading boss Steve Coppell has described next weekend's clash against Derby as all-or-nothing in his club's battle against relegation from the Barclays Premier League.

Defeat to Tottenham at the Madejski Stadium dropped the hosts in the bottom three with one match left.

The game is against Derby but three points are not guaranteed as Reading have not scored in six matches.

Coppell said: 'People remind you all the time that you haven't scored for so long and there is the confidence factor.

'Now it's win or bust next week, we have to get a result to give ourselves a chance.

'It doesn't matter who we play we have to win, we've lost the habit of winning football matches.'

Coppell admits he could have done things differently, including investing more in his squad.

He explained: 'Since the chairman has come here he's built a self-financing club. That ultimately might be our downfall.

'I didn't spend so much last summer and in January, if it doesn't work it's my fault.

'The manager always gets the blame, when the team do well the players take the credit, my shoulders are broad enough and I'll take it.'

Spurs head coach Juande Ramos paid tribute to Keane, who took his tally to 23 for the season, level with Dimitar Berbatov. Berbatov was absent with a groin strain and Keane took centre-stage.

'He is a magnificent player and we rely on him a lot,' said the Spaniard.
'His performance today was tremendous.

'He got the goal and was in a position that made it difficult for Reading.

'We played a good game, there were a lot of chances and we dominated play and should have finished the game off.'