Manchester City stage remarkable comeback to clinch Premier League title
Manchester City staged a sensational comeback from 2-0 down to retain the Premier League title with a dramatic 3-2 win over Aston Villa.
Needing to win to be assured of holding off Liverpool, City were in danger of blowing it as Matty Cash and former Reds star Philippe Coutinho struck at the Etihad Stadium.
Yet Pep Guardiola’s side showed all their champion quality to rally with Ilkay Gundogan coming off the bench to score twice either side of a superb Rodri strike in a remarkable five-minute spell.
City had known that second-placed Liverpool, trailing by just a point, could overtake them with victory over Wolves and there were times in the afternoon when they lived on their nerves.
When they trailed by two, Liverpool were being held 1-1 and news of another goal at Anfield at that stage, could have been a hammer blow.
Yet in remarkable final-day drama, City cast off the shackles of a dismal first-half display to turn the game around and render Liverpool’s eventual win academic.
Pep Guardiola’s trophy haul at Manchester City
Pep Guardiola's won his ninth major trophy with Manchester City after his side secured their fourth Premier League title in five seasons. Here, the PA news agency looks at his previous triumphs.
2017-18: Premier League and League Cup double
After a trophyless first season, Guardiola got his hands on his first silverware at City with a 3-0 win over Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final. They went on to win the league title in style with a record 100 points.
2018-19: Domestic treble
City edged out Liverpool by 98 points to 97 in a thrilling title race. They again won the Carabao Cup by beating Chelsea on penalties and thrashed Watford 6-0 in the FA Cup final to become the first side to win the domestic treble.
2019-20: League Cup
City failed to mount a successful title defence as Liverpool took the honours in the pandemic-interrupted season but they were not to end empty-handed after beating Aston Villa 2-1 in the Carabao Cup final.
2020-21: Premier League and League Cup double
Guardiola’s side paced themselves superbly in another coronavirus-affected season to win the Premier League with three games to spare after a 15-game winning run between December and March. They beat Tottenham to claim a fourth successive Carabao Cup but narrowly missed out on the Champions League as they lost to Chelsea in the final.
2021-22: Premier League
City surrendered their grip on the Carabao Cup in October but they were still in contention for three other trophies at the start of April. Their Champions League and FA Cup hopes both ended at the semi-final stage with defeats to Real Madrid and Liverpool respectively but they edged out the Merseysiders to prevail in another tight title race on the final day. That does not tell the full story of a dramatic final day, but the record books show another title.