Arsenal 0 Middlesbrough 3
Manchester United clinched their third consecutive English Premiership title Saturday after second-placed Arsenal suffered a shock 3-0 home defeat at Middlesbrough.
United have 76 points from 33 games, 16 more than second-placed Arsenal, with five matches left to play.
Earlier today, United beat Premiership strugglers Coventry 4-2 at Old Trafford. It was United's seventh championship success in nine seasons and their 14th league success in their 99-year history.
"It's a great feeling," United manager Alex Ferguson told Sky Sport television.
"It's the hardest league in the world to win so I'm very pleased," Ferguson said. United's triumph eight days faster than last year's record-quick crown.
"It's been a fantastic season and I'm very proud of the players," he added.
At Highbury Arsene Wenger's Gunners had been overwhelming favourites to collect all three points against Boro to keep their wafer-thin Premiership hopes alive.
The north London club have been practically unbeatable at home for the past year, and had not lost in the Premiership at home since a loss to Liverpool in February last year.
But Arsenal's impregnable defence was ripped apart in a stunning first half when Brazilian duo Edu and Silvinho both scored freak own goals to leave Terry Venables' side 2-0 up at the break.
Despite Arsenal enjoying all the early pressure, it was Boro who took the lead with Edu's own-goal on 33 minutes.
Tony Adams headed away Dean Gordon's cross from the left and although Dean Windass miscued his shot from 20 yards it struck the luckless Brazilian on the heel and slipped beyond the dive of David Seaman.
Amazingly, Middlesbrough doubled their lead in the 38th minute with another Brazilian own-goal, this time by Silvinho.
Gordon put in another good cross from the left and the ball seemed to flick off Adams, enough to put the full-back off his intended clearance and he volleyed it past Seaman.
Arsenal made frenzied efforts to repair the damage but had to defend stoically to prevent Alen Boksic grabbing a third for Boro when Martin Keown eventually charged down the Croatian's shot.
But Boksic was back to torment the Arsenal after the interval.
Hamilton Ricard held the ball up well outside the box when challenged by Adams and turned it out to the left to Boksic, who applied a superb return touch for his co-striker to drill past Seaman.
Arsenal's frustration boiled over when Thierry Henry barged into Paul Okon as the Boro player took his time over a free-kick on the halfway line and was shown a yellow card.
Patrick Vieira, Sylvain Wiltord and Fredrik Ljungberg all lined up for shots at the Middlesbrough goal but all were blocked by the massed ranks of the visiting defence.
When Henry did get one through Mark Schwarzer produced a good save at the foot of the post. -AFP