PAUL Durkin gave one of his trademark authoritative displays during last night's Premiership championship showdown between Manchester United and Arsenal at Old Trafford.

The Portland-based referee had been hand-picked for the big game, which saw the Gunner's lift the title after a hard-fought 1-0 victory over the reigning champions.

In an impassioned match between the two great rivals, Durkin was forced to reach for his yellow card on six separate occasions, with three cautions coming in a furious spell midway through the first-half.

United's Paul Scholes was the first to be penalised after going through on Arsenal's Brazilian international, Edu, while Phil Neville followed shortly after a late lunge at Sylvian Wiltord.

Next to be cautioned was Roy Keane for a foul on Patrick Vierra, with Laurent Blanc and Gunners' duo Edu and Lauren joining the Red Devil's skipper in Durkin's note book, late on.

Durkin told Echosport: "It was a massive game and when you've got the Premiership title hinging on the result it was bound to be tough.

"There was a tricky period in the first-half when things got a bit heated but the key was not to overreact and I felt that I handled things well.

"Looking back I couldn't be more pleased with the way it went. As a referee it's big games like that which make it all worthwhile and my

experience over the years

certainly helped last night."

Wiltord's strike on the rebound after Fabien Barthez blocked Fredrik Ljungberg's initial effort settled the game on 57 minutes, and sealed a third double for the north London club after Saturday's 2-0 FA Cup final success over Chelsea at the Millennium Stadium.

n Durkin finishes his season as a fourth official at Manchester United v Charlton on Saturday.

LAST NIGHT'S RESULTS: Screwfix Direct Premier Division: Paulton Rovers 1 Dawlish 1; Taunton 3 Odd Down 3. Dorset Combination: Bournemouth Sports 3 Hamworthy Rec 0. Dorset League Division Two: Crossways 2 Moreton 1. Division Four (S&W) League Cup Final: Spa Hotel 1 Weymouth Utd Res 3.