The difference between victory and defeat in Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League final boiled down to the width of the post, as Manchester United beat Chelsea in a penalty-kick thriller.

The enduring image will be Chelsea skipper John Terry being inconsolable and in tears after missing the kick that would have taken his team to the title.

Here are the big winners and losers in Moscow following a game for the ages that ended in the most dramatic fashion.

Winner: Nemanja Vidic

The Serbian defender put in a sensational performance for Man United and was arguably

the best player on the field. His presence frustrated Didier Drogba and the Ivorian striker eventually lost his cool by lashing out late at Vidic and getting sent off. Vidic was excellent for United all season long but saved his best effort for when it mattered the most.

Loser: John Terry

The unfortunate Terry showed bags of courage by performing without any protection on the elbow he dislocated less than two weeks ago. Yet the Chelsea captain is condemned to being remembered as the man who had the Champions League crown within his grasp before he sprayed the Blues’ fifth penalty woefully wide. Terry was in tears for hours afterwards and the mental scars may remain for some time. He deserved better.

Winner: Cristiano Ronaldo

So nearly the villain after missing a crucial penalty in the shootout, Ronaldo will instead head to the European Championships next month with his reputation as the world’s best player intact and a winner’s medal in his pocket. His header for the opening goal flew like a rocket past Petr Cech to put the Red Devils in command and showed just why Ronaldo is so dangerous. United fans breathed a sigh of relief after he announced plans to remain at Old Trafford in the summer.

Loser: Ricardo Carvalho

The Chelsea center back looked edgy and nervous and nothing like the composed figure

he had been for most of the season. He did not appear comfortable despite having his long-standing defensive partner Terry alongside him. A yellow card capped off one of his most disappointing displays since he joined Chelsea.

Winner: English Premier League

The exciting and reasonably open nature of the game was a tremendous advert for the English game as the Premiership boasted both finalists for the first time. With money continuing to be invested in both of these clubs despite their amazing collection of talent, the sky is the limit for United and Chelsea. The rich get richer and a spate of new arrivals over the summer can be

expected in Manchester and down in West London.

Loser: Didier Drogba

Television experts before the final questioned which Drogba would turn up – and it turned out to be an angry one. His foolish clip to Nemanja Vidic’s face robbed Chelsea of his services for the closing minutes of extra time. More importantly, though, it meant that he missed the penalty shootout, where he would have taken the decisive fifth kick that John Terry eventually missed.

Winners: The Glazer family

United’s American owners faced huge opposition from supporters’ groups when they took over, but all those complaints are consigned to history now. The Glazers have made money available to Sir Alex Ferguson for transfers and seen the club go from strength to strength. Their investment will climb in value again with the addition of the 2008 trophy to the club’s 1999 Champions League victory.

Loser: Roman Abramovich

The Russian billionaire wanted this trophy more than any other – especially in front of a Moscow crowd. Yet he now faces a summer left to rue upon three missed opportunities, with Chelsea having lost in the Champions League final, finished second behind United in the league and surrendered to Tottenham in the Carling Cup. He will continue to chase the big prizes, but if not for a sliver of woodwork, he would be celebrating the ultimate club title already.

Roman Abramovich’s millions have turned Chelsea into one of the top teams in Europe, but for all of its individual talent, not one of the club’s players makes Yahoo! Sports’ Premiership Team of the Season.

The West London club has kept the Premiership race alive until the final day of the campaign. However, none of the Blues shined brightly enough at his particular position to be granted inclusion.

Of the Stamford Bridge contingent, Michael Essien came closest at the right-back position. Since he played there only sporadically, Arsenal’s Bakary Sagna got the nod.

Predictably, Manchester United players dominated the 11, contributing four members. Three play for Arsenal and two come from Liverpool.

The only representatives from outside the Big Four clubs were goalkeeper David James of Portsmouth and Blackburn winger David Bentley, who looks to be emerging into a genuine star.

PREMIERSHIP TEAM OF THE SEASON

Goalkeeper: David James, Portsmouth. Late in his career, James is in arguably the finest form of his life, having cut out his calamitous mistakes while emerging as the most trusted stopper in the top flight. His efforts between the posts contributed greatly toward Portsmouth’s excellent season in the league and run to the FA Cup final.
Right back: Bakary Sagna, Arsenal. Sagna came off injured after 72 minutes against Chelsea on March 23 with Arsenal leading 1-0. Didier Drogba scored a minute later, and Arsenal’s title challenge slipped away from that point on. Sagna has not played since, but his impact during the first 29 games was outstanding as he fit in perfectly with the Gunners’ system in his first campaign in England.

Center back: Rio Ferdinand, Manchester United. Just a few years ago, Ferdinand was in danger of becoming a wasted talent after being banned for missing a drug test. However, he has bounced back spectacularly and put together his finest season since 2000-01, when he helped Leeds to the Champions League semifinals. Fabio Capello has been taking notice – he made Ferdinand England captain for the friendly against France.

Center back: Nemanja Vidic, Manchester United. Vidic goes about his work quietly, but he is ruthlessly effective and must go down as one of Sir Alex Ferguson’s most astute purchases. Vidic is a major reason why United boasts the tightest defense in the Premiership and will continue to be an integral part of Ferguson’s plans.

Left back: Patrice Evra, Manchester United. It took Evra a couple of years to settle in at Old Trafford. This season, things clicked firmly into place. His defense and tackling – along with his ability to create havoc by making darting forward runs – makes him so effective.

Right wing: David Bentley, Blackburn Rovers. Bentley looks to be the heir apparent at this position once David Beckham’s England career ends. He has been sparkling this term. His spiky attitude and propensity to speak his mind has alienated some fans, but Bentley has the ability to back up his words. His pace and confidence make him one of the most dangerous players around.

Central midfield: Steven Gerrard, Liverpool. Gerrard just kept churning out strong performances all season long and led the Reds by example. A concern for opponents is that he still is developing his game and is a constant force both in the Premiership and European action.

Central midfield: Cesc Fabregas, Arsenal. Did he really just turn 21? The kid plays with the maturity of a 35-year-old and was the backbone of an Arsenal team that surpassed gloomy preseason predictions. He has the tenacity to be supremely effective in the Premiership and skillful enough to shine anywhere else. The Gunners have already lost Mathieu Flamini and Aleksandr Hleb, but they can’t afford to let Fabregas follow them through the door.

Left wing: Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United. With 40 goals (30 in the Premiership), Ronaldo has produced one of the most incredible individual seasons in soccer history. His genius seems to know no bounds, and he is the single most important reason why United is on course to claim the two most important pieces of silverware around. The best player in the world? Absolutely.

Striker: Fernando Torres, Liverpool. The Premiership is meant to be the toughest league in the world to adapt to, but someone clearly forgot to tell Torres. He has been sensational for Rafa Benitez’s team and has become a Liverpool legend in remarkably quick time.

Striker: Emmanuel Adebayor, Arsenal. Thierry Henry never will be forgotten at Arsenal, but Adebayor’s precision in front of goal helped lessen the impact of the legendary Frenchman’s departure. He was unstoppable in the early part of the season and ended up with a fantastic return of 30 goals in all competitions.

Soccer’s purists in England will never stop bemoaning the top-heavy nature of the English Premier League until a team from outside the Big Four makes a serious and consistent bid to break up the long-standing status quo.

However, the ongoing dominance of Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal is having a knock-on effect on the European scene, and it’s boosting the Premiership’s reputation in the process.

For the second straight year, three of the four teams in the Champions League semifinals are from England, with Liverpool hosting Chelsea on Tuesday and United taking on Barcelona 24 hours later.

If the tournament draw had kept Arsenal away from domestic opposition at the quarterfinal stage, where the Gunners lost a controversial but thrilling encounter to Liverpool, then all four EPL clubs would have made up the final four of the competition. Few could have complained they were not there on merit.

Either way, the makeup of the protagonists in this week’s semifinal first legs is, and will continue to be, used as ammunition for those wishing to highlight the EPL’s strength when compared to Europe’s other top leagues.

The issue is slightly blurred, though, as some will argue that it is actually a lack of depth in England that has carved out a path for this type of European dominance.
The Big Four rarely have much of a fight on their hands to qualify for the Champions League, even though Everton sneaked into the Premiership’s fourth qualifying spot three years ago and Tottenham came within one point in 2006.

That, especially in the case of Liverpool, has allowed the big teams to rest key players in league matches and enabled them to be fresh for Champions League games the same week. In Spain and Italy, the fight for qualification is generally much tougher, and such luxuries are not a realistic option.

There is also the matter of finance and the lavish millions that pour into each club’s coffers from Champions League revenues.
The rich get richer – and therefore stronger – and the Big Four are even less likely to relinquish the grip on their positions of power. Combine that with the experience gained from countless big European matches, year after year, and you start to see why the results of the past two seasons cannot be dismissed as coincidence.

And don’t expect it to change any time soon.

Whereas once English teams struggled to show the sort of sophistication needed to progress through the obstacle-ridden knockout stages of the Champions League, now the blend of British steel and continental flair that courses through the Premiership’s elite seems to be the perfect blueprint for success in Europe’s top club tournament.
At Liverpool, manager Rafael Benitez has proven himself as something of a genius when it comes to European competition and is close to reaching his third Champions League final in four years, which would be a truly remarkable achievement by any standard. He has been able to tap into the homegrown passion of Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher, while also getting the likes of Fernando Torres and Xabi Alonso to buy into the history and spirit of the club.

Down in London, Chelsea boss Avram Grant is in a tough spot, having still failed to win over the fans who pine for a return to the exciting days of the outspoken and charismatic Jose Mourinho. There is a sense that Benitez will have the tactical edge over Grant, even though the Israeli has a deeper talent pool to call upon. Expect Liverpool to reach the final once again and fight for the Cup in Moscow on May 21.

It can be argued that ever since Manchester United’s dramatic comeback victory in the 1999 final, the Red Devils have underachieved in the Champions League. However, Sir Alex Ferguson gives no indication of wanting to step down, and his hunger this season has been as strong as ever.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s brilliance has spurred a charge toward the league title that can only be derailed by a late Chelsea surge (the teams meet Saturday), but the threat of Barcelona is real. Even so, Ferguson’s men should have too much momentum and confidence and should book their place in the first ever all-English final in tournament history.

LONDON, England – The future of many of the United States’ Premiership exports has rarely been in a greater state of flux.

A total of 12 Americans play in England’s top flight, but of that group only three – Everton’s Tim Howard, Blackburn’s Brad Friedel and West Ham’s Jonathan Spector – are effectively guaranteed to remain in the highest league next season. The others are all in deep relegation danger as members of Premier League bottom feeders Reading, Fulham and Derby County.

United States national team head coach Bob Bradley will be casting a keen eye across the pond in the closing months of the current campaign. Given the high standard of the second-tier Championship in England, he may not be too concerned by any drop-off in the level of competition. However, in most cases of relegated clubs, demotion means serious change and would result in a summer of uncertainty for at least some of the Yanks in England.

With the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign fast approaching, Bradley will have no choice but to monitor things closely, and perhaps nervously, in the middle part of the year.

“The best scenario is to have as many of our guys playing regularly at a high level at any given time,” Bradley said in a recent interview with Yahoo! Sports. “Of course, things can change and different situations arise from time to time.

“I try to keep on top of things. I speak to players, I have contact with many of the clubs and we work things through.”

Heading into this weekend’s league action, nine U.S. Premiership players find themselves in the bottom three relegation spots. If Derby, Fulham and Reading don’t improve their situations, what happens then? Will the nine Americans stay and help restore their clubs’ Premier League status, or will they pass on the Championship and seek challenges elsewhere?

• Derby County. The Midlands side is not yet mathematically doomed but has been stuck at the foot of the Premiership table since early in the season. It would take a miracle of unprecedented proportions for Derby to escape the drop.

Eddie Lewis played a full 90 minutes in last weekend’s 0-0 draw with Sunderland and appears to be part of manager Paul Jewell’s plans moving forward. The same cannot be said for Benny Feilhaber, who has not seen any playing time since January 2.

The lack of action for Feilhaber, whose goal against Mexico helped the U.S. win the Gold Cup last year, creates something of a headache for Bradley, who likes the look of him in central midfield. Whatever happens with Derby, it looks clear that Feilhaber will relocate to another European side in order to kick-start both his club and international careers.

• Fulham. Second from the bottom in the Premiership, the west London club is mired in a dreadful run of form and sits six points adrift from safety. There are five Americans in its squad, with Eddie Johnson the most recent addition to a group that already included Brian McBride, Carlos Bocanegra, Clint Dempsey and Kasey Keller.

If manager Roy Hodgson is unable to spark a revival, then a move to Major League Soccer could be a serious option for aging favorites McBride and Keller. McBride is still a hugely popular figure in Columbus, while Keller may be a target for the new Seattle franchise that begins play in 2009.

Johnson, who signed from the Kansas City Wizards in January, would be likely to stay at Fulham. Bocanegra, who’s currently out of favor, could seek opportunities in Spain, while Dempsey would be likely to attract offers from other Premiership clubs.

• Reading. The Royals, with Marcus Hahnemann and Bobby Convey, like their chances of escaping life in the Championship after last weekend’s victory at Middlesbrough provided a major boost. Hahnemann is under contract for another season, and it would be no surprise to see both men stay at the Madejski Stadium and help the club try to return to the Premiership if Reading went down.

For Bradley, the key players whose situation he will analyze the closest will be Feilhaber and Bocanegra.

The coach’s son, Michael Bradley, is blossoming in Holland and will hold down one of the central midfield spots in the U.S. squad. He and Feilhaber combine well, but the Derby player is likely to be overlooked until he manages to find a suitable starting place in Europe.

Bocanegra has grown in stature internationally and has become a solid and dependable performer for the U.S., often wearing the captain’s armband. But his spot cannot be held open if he is not involved at club level.

The early batch of World Cup qualifiers should not be too much of a test for the Americans, but Bradley wants to get his lineup as settled as possible heading into the crucial matches in 2009. There is nothing he can do to influence the final stages of the Premiership season. But he can definitely be influenced by it.