Manchester City wins historic 4th straight EPL title; record number of goals scored
MANCHESTER City created English football history on Sunday (May 19) night, beating West Ham United 3-1 to win their fourth straight English Premier League (EPL) title and break Arsenal’s hearts, on the same day that Jurgen Klopp made an emotional Liverpool exit.
Phil Foden scored two early goals – including one after just 79 seconds - at an expectant Etihad Stadium to lay the foundations for City’s victory.
West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus pulled a goal back with a spectacular overhead kick to give Arsenal renewed hope but Rodri struck just before the hour mark to effectively wrap up the title.
The Gunners, without an EPL trophy since 2004, bounced back from a goal down to beat Everton 2-1 but had to content themselves with second place for a second straight season after they finished two points behind City’s tally of 91.
The champions’ relentless surge to the finishing line has included 19 wins and four draws since their last defeat in the league, at Aston Villa in early December.
City, who have now won six titles in the last seven seasons, stand alone as the only English team to have won four straight top-flight championships, eclipsing the achievements of the great Liverpool and Manchester United teams of the past.
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“When I moved here, if someone had said I would win six leagues in seven seasons I would say ‘You’re insane, no way’,” said City manager Pep Guardiola.
“All these players for Manchester United and Liverpool and Chelsea, all these teams. Now is our period. We are part of that.”
But while City have set new standards in English football, they remain under a cloud as a result of 115 Premier League charges for alleged financial irregularities, levelled early last year.
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Elsewhere on the final day of the season, Luton Town’s relegation was confirmed with a 4-2 loss at home to Fulham. They will join Burnley and Sheffield United in the second-tier English Championship next season.
Tottenham Hotspur beat Sheffield United 3-0 to seal fifth spot and a place in next season’s Europa League while Chelsea guaranteed a sixth-place finish and European football with a 2-1 win against Bournemouth.
Newcastle’s 4-2 win at Brentford condemned Manchester United to an eighth-place finish, their lowest since 1990.
Erik ten Hag’s men, who beat Brighton 2-0 in Roberto De Zerbi’s last game in charge of the south coast club, have a chance to salvage something from a disastrous season in the FA Cup final against Manchester City on May 25.
But if United lose at Wembley, they will miss out on European football altogether next season.
Foden magic
Foden, 23, has enjoyed his most impressive season yet for City, taking his tally to 27 goals in all competitions on Sunday, together with 11 assists.
The England midfielder opened the scoring on Sunday in the second minute with a vicious left-footed shot from outside the penalty area, settling nerves among the home fans. He then stroked the ball into the net in the 18th minute after an assist from Jeremy Doku.
The title race briefly came alive again when Takehiro Tomiyasu side-footed home to level for Arsenal at the Emirates before Kudus pulled one back for West Ham.
The atmosphere became more subdued at the Etihad but the visitors rarely threatened again in David Moyes’s final game in charge for the visitors and Rodri’s goal in the 59th minute ultimately made the game safe.
Kai Havertz’s late winner for Arsenal proved irrelevant.
Arteta gave a rousing speech to the fans in the immediate aftermath of the match, urging them to crave more.
“All this is happening because you started believing, you started to be patient and started to understand what we tried to do,” he said.
“All the credit has to go to the players and the staff. Don’t be satisfied. We want much more than that and we’re going to get it.”
Klopp ended his Liverpool reign with a 2-0 win at home to Wolves but the match was merely a sideshow as the fans paid a warm tribute to a manager who has transformed the club since arriving in 2015.
“It doesn’t feel like an end,” the German told a packed Anfield. “It just feels like a start. Today I saw a football team play full of talent, youth, creativity, desire, greed. We have this wonderful stadium, training centre and you – the superpower of world football. Wow.”
Record number of goals
Thirty-seven goals hit the back of the nets in Sunday’s finale, making it the highest-scoring season since the competition started in 1992.
The 380 matches produced 1,246 goals at a rate of more than three per game – eclipsing the previous best of 1,222 in the inaugural Premier League season when there were two extra clubs.
Manchester City topped the scoring charts with their 3-1 victory over West Ham, taking their tally to 96.
Runners-up Arsenal managed 91, followed by Liverpool’s 86 and Newcastle United’s best-ever EPL haul of 85.
Bottom club Sheffield United concluded the season with a 3-0 home defeat by Tottenham, meaning they conceded 104 in the campaign – also an EPL record. AFP, REUTERS
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