AS the celebrations began in one part of West London early yesterday afternoon, a pall hung over Soho Square.

A desperate weekend for the English Football Association continued with serious concern that the foot injury suffered by Wayne Rooney could keep him out of this summer's World Cup. As England's most important forward awaited definitive diagnosis, the 10 stitches required by their key defender, John Terry, seemed minor in comparison; and Jose Mourinho's revelation that he had considered leaving Chelsea at the end of the season paled almost into a sideshow.

If Mourinho feels understandably frustrated at not receiving sufficient credit for winning his fourth successive domestic title, imagine Alex Ferguson's feelings on the way back to Manchester.

United, though suffering their first defeat in a dozen games, looked a world away from offering the challenge that their manager has promised for next season. Rooney was again his best player, despite missing the clearest opportunity and committing at least three bad tackles, including the one that left Terry limping for most of the match. There was, however, no malice in the challenge by Paulo Ferreira 12 minutes from the end that ended his season if not his World Cup hopes . . . and England's with them.

This was a comprehensive victory . . . for Mourinho's team, 3-0 is a cricket score . . . completing an extraordinary home record of 18 wins and one draw, the best in the top division for almost a century.

Liverpool, the other occasionally stuttering big red machine from up north, may have denied Chelsea any chance of the double last weekend and could yet deprive United of second place, though Ferguson's side appear to have the easier finish.

But yesterday was proof of a lesson lesson from the FA Cup semi-final, even if Mourinho had refused publicly to acknowledge picking the wrong team. With a single point required to retain the championship, he simply chose his best players in their most successful formation and watched them dominate the game.

Ferreira was where he belonged at right-back, with William Gallas on the other flank. Ricardo Carvalho, his future in some doubt, played alongside the ever-present Terry, and scored the third goal after sprinting from his own penalty area. The midfield had a proper shape, Arjen Robben and Joe Cole supplying the width so sadly lacking last week, and Didier Drogba justified starting ahead of Hernan Crespo with a lively display.

Even the crucial refereeing decisions went Chelsea's way. Whereas Mourinho had complained about Terry getting the worst of two crucial ones against Liverpool, his captain was allowed to get away with a dubious tackle to dispossess the self-indulgent Cristiano Ronaldo in the third minute. From that move, Chelsea won a corner, which Lampard flighted perfectly for Carvalho to head on and Gallas to head in.

Ryan Giggs and John O'Shea, a midfield combination that has to be considered makeshift, never came to grips with Lampard, Michael Essien and the ever-reliable Claude Makelele. Rooney's burst through the middle after 22 minutes finished with a wayward shot, and his flick some 40 minutes later, held by Petr Cech, was United's only other moment of hope. By that time Cole had turned cleverly past Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic to beat Edwin van der Sar, effectively securing the title.

Carvalho then scored the sort of goal which Stamford Bridge . . . indeed the whole country . . . would like to see more often. Intercepting a cross 15 yards from his own goal, he raced forward to create a four-against-three, pulling wide to receive Cole's pass as the spare man and hammering the ball past the goalkeeper.

The crowd went into full celebratory mode and most had the decency to offer sympathetic applause as Rooney was carried off on a stretcher, having fallen awkwardly and in intense pain as Ferreira dispossessed him. "Chelsea deserve to win the League, " Ferguson conceded afterwards. "But if you lose goals as soft as we have, you have to take your medicine."

Miss out on second place now and it will have an even sourer taste.