Sir Alex Ferguson hails Manchester United's longevity

Sir Alex Ferguson has hailed Manchester United's longevity ahead of their clash against Chelsea.

The Scot, who has been in charge at Old Trafford for 25 years, is hoping to guide the Red Devils to a 20th league title this season.

"Every ­season it's the ­expectations you have to live with," said Ferguson. "Once you've been there, you want to stay there. It's like climbing a ­mountain. I've climbed Ben Donich in Scotland, and when you get up there, it's so fantastic. The only ­problem is you've got to come down.

"It's a tribute to us. We won our first ­Premier League title in the 1992/3 season – 20 years later we're still in there battling.

"It's a tough league. You don't get two teams streets ahead, as you do in other leagues, like Germany, Spain and Portugal."

United can draw level on points with league leaders Manchester City if they win at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.