
Manchester City retained the Premier League title by a point over Liverpool on the last day of the season, after Pep Guardiola’s side survived a big scare on Sunday (May 22).
Pep Guardiola’s side fought off Liverpool’s title challenge by a point thanks to two goals from Ilkay Gundogan, who came off the bench. Rodri also scored.
With 14 minutes remaining and a 0-2 down to Aston Villa, City needed to score three times to escape a trophyless season, which they did due to Gundogan’s double either side of Rodri’s goal.
Guardiola has yet to give Manchester City the Champions League championship, but four Premier League wins in five years demonstrates an era of dominance comparable to his tenure at Barcelona and Bayern Munich. In just 13 seasons as a senior coach, the Catalan has won 10 league titles in three of the world’s toughest divisions.
When Gundogan knocked in Kevin De Bruyne’s cross in the 81st minute, the Etihad Stadium exploded in cheers. Moments later, the significance of that goal became evident. Liverpool and Wolverhampton were tied at 1-1 until Mohamed Salah scored in the 84th minute to put Liverpool 2-1 up. Had City not just fought back to take the lead, that scoreline would have put Liverpool in first place.
The anti-climax remained, with Andy Robertson securing Liverpool’s 3-1 victory, while City would have conceded the title if a late equalizer had been conceded. Guardiola’s team, though, held on for a thrilling victory, reclaiming the trophy on the final day in a way that was more nerve-wracking than expected given City’s brief 14-point advantage in January.
Guardiola’s first Premier League triumph came with City’s fourth victory in five seasons. It’s the first time City has won the title in front of its own fans, who poured onto the field in their hundreds at the end of the game versus Villa. “It was a fantastic game,” Gündoan added. “We’re human beings, and the prospects were quite slim after falling down 2-0.” But we had to stick to the basics, and scoring two quick goals and then having 10 minutes to get the third gave us the boost we needed.
“It was all about scoring that goal, and once we had the momentum, we were able to score three goals in a matter of minutes. These are the days you remember fondly; it was an incredible game.”
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