If they believed in bowing out at the perfect moment, Sir Alex Ferguson and Ryan Giggs would have done so last night, but Ferguson dismissed suggestions that he might be tempted to retire, while Giggs, who broke Sir Bobby Charlton’s record of 758 appearances for Manchester United before collecting the trophy, said that he would not be hanging up his boots.

“I’m not going to retire yet,” Giggs, 34, said. “I want more nights like these. It [beating Charlton’s record] couldn’t have happened on a better night. It’s a very proud achievement, but it’s all about winning trophies and, hopefully, there’s more to come.”

Ferguson said that, even at the age of 66, he had no intention of calling a halt to his career. As if to prove that his competitive instincts are still burning, he took a swipe at Chelsea, saying that he had felt compelled to speak to Lubos Michel, the referee, at half-time to complain that John Terry and his team-mates were attempting to influence the Slovak.

“I spoke to the referee because they [Chelsea] had been badgering him all night, the coaching staff and the players,” the Manchester United manager said. “It was typical Chelsea.”