'Maybe we have been lucky in some respects'

"The first one is always the hardest especially after that 26- year gap,'' Alex Ferguson said after yesterday's triumph. " But this one has been marvellous because we have coped with a lot of things.

"We started the season without Giggs, Cantona, Cole and Bruce as well as the three lads who left us. Then we had the injuries in December, which was a bad time for us. Maybe we have been lucky in some respects. We had breaks here and there. But we have worked hard and made luck too."

United now go to Wembley seeking to try to complete their manager's second FA Cup and league double of the decade and he added: "This triumph makes it much easier for us - we can have a good go at Liverpool knowing we have already won the great prize."