Manchester City have been crowned champions of England for the second consecutive season after defeating Brighton & Hove Albion 4-1 on the final day of the Premier League.
The Sky Blues received a scare when Glenn Murray headed home to give Brighton the lead in the first half, however it was all City from then on.
Hunted all year by Liverpool and at one stage trailing by 10 points, City conjured up 14 straight wins to pip the Reds by a single point.
Among those were wins against fellow top six sides Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United, helping City reach an astonishing 98 points.
An emotional Pep Guardiola, after winning his 26th trophy as a professional manager, spoke post-game on his side’s phenomenal achievement whilst congratulating Liverpool on their remarkable season.
“It’s incredible, 98 points, to go back-to-back. We made the standard higher last year & Liverpool helped us,” he said.
“It’s the toughest title I’ve won in my career.”
“We have to say congratulations to Liverpool & thank you so much, they pushed us to increase our standards.
Liverpool finished the season on 97 points – a tally that would have won the Premier League in every season bar this one and the last. It is also the record tally for a second-placed team in Premier League history.
It is also the third time in 11 seasons that a Premier League club has failed to win the league after sitting in first place at Christmas. Unbelievably, all three sides have been Liverpool.
Regardless of falling short, Reds fans can be proud of their club’s heroics, only losing one game for the entire season, which came at the hands of City in a 2-1 defeat in January.
Unfortunately for them, City were just as consistent, winning 32 out of 38 games, matching their incredible record from last season.
Guardiola will likely spend at least one more year with the club where he will strive towards a third consecutive title. It is a feat that has not been achieved since Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United between 2007 and 2009.
City will now turn their attention towards their FA Cup final meeting with Watford, where they can win an unprecedented domestic treble, having already won the EFL Cup in February.
