Premier League: Sir Alex Ferguson hails Manchester United consistency

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."