Ruud van Nistelrooy savoured his first FA Cup final victory after scoring twice to help dispose of Millwall in a 3-0 victory he will not forget.

"Winning the final and scoring two is fantastic," said the Dutchman, who scored with a penalty after 65 minutes and a simple tap-in 10 minutes from time on Saturday.

"I missed the last one (penalty) I took but I was convinced I wouldn't miss this one," the striker added, referring to his miss in a 1-1 draw with Chelsea earlier this month.

There was no repeat this time as Van Nistelrooy lashed the ball into the roof of Andy Marshall's net.

The prolific Dutch international has now scored 29 goals in all competitions for United this season.

"I'm very proud that I have won the FA Cup. It's the biggest cup final in the world," said Van Nistelrooy.

"I watched the final when I was younger but to be here with everyone -- the fans, the teams -- the support was fantastic. I'll just enjoy this moment and I will never forget this."

United goalkeeper Tim Howard, the first American to win the FA Cup, said: "To get a medal and a cup in my first year is awesome. I can't say anything else about it. I didn't have a lot to do but what we did, we did well so we'll take the win."

Captain Roy Keane was finally able to hold aloft a trophy for the fans after a season of disappointment in Europe and a third-place premier league finish. He said: "It's always nice to win a trophy and the latest is always the nicest.

"We knew we were in for a hard game and all credit must go to Millwall, I thought they were outstanding.

United had to wait until the 44th minute for Portuguese teenager Cristiano Ronaldo to head them in front after a spirited first-half display from their first division opponents.

"The goal just before halftime was very important for us because Millwall were gaining confidence as the game went on," said Keane. "Millwall had nothing to lose. We'd been saying all week that we were on a hiding to nothing.

"They were comfortable on the ball, we could see in their semi-final (against Sunderland) that they could play a bit. For us, it was just about being patient and professional."

Full back Gary Neville, who provided the cross for Ronaldo's goal, agreed with his captain that the opener was important.

"The goal just before halftime really settled us down and we gave Millwall more problems in the second half," he said.

Neville said of Ronaldo: "He can be a world-class player, right up with the very top players in the world. He's only 19 and to come here with this massive price-tag on his head, he's done sensationally well this season for us."