SEND-OFF YA MZEE FURGUSON OLD TRAFFORD LILIVYOKUWA HII LEO

I'm off: Sir Alex Ferguson absorbs the standing ovation from United's fans at the final whistle.

Pazia aliaanguka na mlngo kufunguka kuashiria kuwa muda wa utumishi wa Sir Alex Ferguson kama meneja wa Manchester United umefikia ukingoni katika mchezo wa leo wa ligi kuu ya nchini England dhidi yan West Brom.

Mzee huyo mwenye umri wa miaka 71 raia wa Scotland nafasi yake itachukuliwa na David Moyes, baada ya kutwaa mataji 13 ya ligi, mawili ya European Cups, matano ya FA cups na European Cup Winners' Cup katika viunga vya Old Trafford.

And his 26-year reign ended with a 10-goal thriller as West Brom fought back from 5-2 down to draw 5-5 with the champions.

Missing you already: Fergie walks towards the fans in the away end at The Hawthorns

Ferguson was given a guard of honour from both teams and a rapturous ovation from the fans as he walked onto the pitch at The Hawthorns.

He was then comically handed a fresh packet of chewing gum by the West Brom mascot, Baggie Bird.

Farewell: Ferguson was given a guard of honour by both teams prior to the match

Here's a gift: Baggie Bird, the West Brom mascot, hands Ferguson a fresh packet of chewing gum

It didn't take long for Ferguson's team to go in front as Shinji Kagawa opened the scoring in the sixth minute, before a Jonas Olsson own goal three minutes later gave Manchester United a 2-0 lead.

Alexander Buttner made it 3-0 for United after half an hour but James Morrison pulled one back for the hosts just before half time.

Romelu Lukaku then scored in the 50th minute to spark hopes of a West Brom comeback, but Robin van Persie and Javier Hernandez extended United's lead.

Snappers: Fans desperate to catch a glimpse of Ferguson as he arrives by coach at The Hawthorns

Legends: Ferguson and Scholes are both retiring after today's game

Amazingly, West Brom pulled it back to 5-5 with four minutes remaining through two goals from Lukaku and one from Youssef Mulumbu.

There was a feverish atmosphere outside the ground prior to the match with souvenir scarves and programmes selling rapidly.

One cunning fan incredibly snapped up 700 of the special edition programmes at a cost of £2,800.

Smoke: Manchester United fans set off a red flare during the match

Early lead: Shinji Kagawa opened the scoring for Manchester United in the sixth minute

At 144 pages, the programme, selling at £4 each, is the biggest ever produced for a domestic fixture in England.

20,000 copes were printed, 17,500 more than the amount produced for West Brom's home fixture against Wigan two weeks ago.

Tributes: Banners, flags and scarves featuring Ferguson messages are in abundance at The Hawthorns

Another supporter purchased 300 copies for £1,200, which means that one twentieth of the total editions printed are in the hands of two people.

Special edition: One fan bought 700 copies of the 144-page souvenir programme at a cost of £2,800.

The programmes, which feature a 40-page tribute to Ferguson, are in hot demand and the club had already sold over 5,000 online by Friday.

  Famous words: A banner featuring Ferguson's famous quote after the 1999 Champions League final