"Final one game too many"

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba scored the only goal of a disappointing game at the new Wembley Stadium, in a match where few players stood out from the rest.

"You can't do much about it when they score as late as that," Ferguson said. "My players were too tired to launch a challenge. I don't think we deserved to win or lose it. It was a game of stalemate and the pitch was slow.

"We had two or three players who looked tired from the first half. We looked jaded. It has been an exhausting season with a lot of matches and that is understandable. Cristiano [Ronaldo] looked tired today but he's had a long season."

Ferguson also admitted that he would be looking to strengthen his squad over the summer break, but insisted veteran players such as Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes will still be integral to his squad next season.

"I don't see any depreciating in the standards of Giggs and Scholes," he said. "They produced some great moments today and I don't have any concerns in that respect. It is important to improve ourselves though because there is no point standing still in life."