Nine months later Chelsea, who won that Wembley shootout, picked up secured the Premier League title for the first time since 2006 by a solitary point, clinching it in style with an 8-0 thrashing of Wigan Athletic.
For United, and particularly manager Sir Alex Ferguson, it was a huge disappointment as they had carried high hopes of becoming the first team since the Football League was formed in 1888 to win the top flight four years in a row.
Chelsea can make Carlo Ancelotti's first season in charge even more of a celebration if they beat Portsmouth in the FA Cup final on Saturday to become the seventh team to do the Double.
Led by Didier Drogba, whose final day hat-trick took his season's tally to 36 in all competitions, and with midfielder Frank Lampard weighing in with a remarkable 27, Chelsea proved worthy champions despite a few problems in mid-season.
Defeats by Tottenham, Villa, Chelsea, Sunderland - thanks to the infamous 'beach ball goal' - and Fulham left Liverpool way off the pace.
The first big-two showdown went Chelsea's way with a 1-0 home win over United and they entered 2010 with a two-point lead.
It was an impressive display of the "mental strength" that manager Arsene Wenger talks of so often but it proved a false dawn ahead of a draw with Villa and defeats by United and Chelsea.
Chelsea's month started with a 1-1 draw at Hull City and a first defeat by Everton for 10 years as John Terry, front page news for his reported affair with the ex-girlfriend of former team mate Wayne Bridge, was given a torrid time by two-goal Louis Saha.
