Didier Drogba has accused his 'complacent' Chelsea team-mates of throwing away the title.
The Ivorian cited the Blues' tendency to concede late goals as being the cause of their failure to regain the Premiership - and insisted they had nobody to blame but themselves. Highlighting the late equalisers scored by Bolton, Aston Villa, Wigan and Everton, Drogba complained: "Losing those eight points has been massive for us. It is far too many for us to lay claim to being champions.
"It is certainly proof of an excess of complacency and a lack of concentration on our part. Each time we had the result in our hands, but sometimes we mentally finish games before the referee blows the final whistle.
"Manchester United deserved their title. They have been rewarded for their consistency. We have made too many mistakes, including on Sunday when we let Bolton equalise 30 seconds before the end of added time."
But, speaking to French sports paper L'Equipe, Drogba was more circumspect on the matter of his future at Chelsea. "The only thing I'm thinking about now is the final in Moscow. I don't know what will happen in June or July," he remarked.
According to reports, Drogba is angling for a move to AC Milan and will not be offered an improved contract at Stamford Bridge as an incentive to stay in London.
Instead, the club are already considering their options to replace the Ivorian, with Dimitar Berbatov, Stuttgart's Mario Gómez and Valencia's transfer-listed David Villa thought to be among those under scrutiny.