No fairytale finale at the Theatre of Dreams

OLD TRAFFORD has staged some memorable title parties in recent years.

How they rocked after seeing their side smash Chelsea’s two-year stranglehold on the league in 2007.

M16 has, indeed, been crowned the party capital of the Premier League, 11 titles in 18 seasons seeing to that.

But there was no one dancing on the streets around the Theatre of Dreams last night. No champagne being swigged from bottles by jubilant fans.

No quick-thinking local entrepreneur printing off commemorative T-shirts to mark another title. No cars full of United fans tooting horns in celebration.

Instead the many pubs, fast food outlets and roads surrounding Old Trafford were as quiet and eerie as the atmosphere inside the ground.

Despite a routine victory over Stoke City, party season in M16 has been cancelled for at least another 12 months.

Even the anti-Glazer brigade scuttled off home, but not before setting off a smoke bomb outside the club’s Megastore.

Protesters handed out flags and placards and whistles, which they claimed was to “blow full-time on the Glazer family”.

Alex Ferguson saw his players do their job on the day yet Wigan, who needed to stop Chelsea from winning, spectacularly failed to take up the invitation to poop Chelsea’s party.

At the end of the day United have not been good enough.

Seven defeats in 38 games tells the story of a season that, although disrupted by injuries to key players like Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and Edwin van der Sar, has been sprinkled with inconsistent performances.

There were unexpected defeats at Burnley and Fulham and at home to Aston Villa, and they were pulverised – “battered’’ was the word Ferguson chose – by Everton at Goodison Park.

But despite their reliance on Rooney being exposed this season Ferguson has no plans to strengthen his attack and is confident Rooney can continue on his own up front.

Yet the 24-year-old’s injury problems once again resurfaced 15 minutes from the end of the season after he was taken off after suffering a groin problem, 48 hours before national coach Fabio Capello names his 30-man squad for the World Cup.

“Wayne’s aggravated his groin again,’’ said Ferguson

“I think he’ll be okay for England though. I don’t think it is serious.’’

United are no strangers to final-day drama.

Three of their Premier League titles had been won on the last day of the season, but on each occasion Ferguson’s men were in the driving seat.

But there was to be no drama yesterday, not once word reached Old Trafford that Chelsea had taken an early lead against Wigan.

Around the same time as Nicolas Anelka’s sixth minute goal put the champions-in-waiting ahead, Dimitar Berbatov was spurning the first of three first half chances that fell the Bulgarian’s way.

The former Tottenham striker has struggled to live up to his expensive transfer fee and struggled to fill the void when Rooney was injured at a crucial stage of the campaign last month.

His failure to convert Nani’s inch-perfect 11th minute cross summed up his campaign.

It was left to midfielder Darren Fletcher to break the deadlock, the Scottish international pouncing from inside the six-yard area after Stoke had failed to clear a 31st minute corner.

Seven minutes later Ryan Giggs doubled the lead with a composed finish after clever work by Berbatov yet, with Chelsea in control against Wigan, the atmosphere was somewhat eerie.

Stoke fell 3-0 behind in the 54th minute when Danny Higginbotham put past his own keeper after trying to stop Rooney’s low cross from reaching Nani.

United still found time to add a fourth goal the 84th minute, Ji-Sung Park scoring with a diving header less than 10 minutes after replacing Rooney.

Going into the final day with something still to play for is an indication of how close the title race was. Yet close is not good enough for United, Ferguson or their supporters.

MATCH RATING: *** – United put on a show for their supporters yet the events at Stamford Bridge ensured it was done in front of a subdued gallery. Stoke crumbled after starting brightly and rallied towards the end. But the quality and clinical finishing that the hosts displayed was too much for Stoke.

REFEREE: Mark Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear) 6: Let the game flow and kept his cards in his pocket for most of the match.