Edwin van der Sar refused to blame Liverpool for United's failure to overhaul Premier League leaders Chelsea on Sunday, conceding that the Reds' deficit was built over the course of the season.
The Blues' trip to Anfield was long perceived as their final hurdle of the title run-in, but the effortless manner with which they brushed aside Rafa Benitez's wearied side made a mockery of any pre-match hopes.
"You hope, but you don't really expect anything," Edwin told MUTV. "Even if they had tried really hard I think they had a gruesome two weeks, played a lot of games and they picked up a couple of injuries.
"I don't think that's the cause of us maybe not winning the league, that happened over the course of the year and some breaks we didn't get and Chelsea got, especially in the last couple of weeks."
Edwin is fair man to football