City ends up capturing the Premier with a hero

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In an unspeakable end to the championship, Manchester City revalidated the Premier title. He started with all the advantages – one point more than Liverpool and playing at home – but he bordered on tragedy, if not ridicule, if he had let the final victory slip away with the defeat he was conceding against Aston Villa. He ended up capturing that fourth crown in five seasons in an anthological reaction, when all the demons darkened the spring afternoon in Manchester.

Thousands of people overshadowed the grass, in an unstoppable invasion as soon as the referee blew the whistle for the end of the game, giving free rein to 90 minutes of anguish and suffering, of unbearable tension, which gave way to a justified natural and human explosion, which delayed the delivery of the trophy for a day to remember. Pep Guardiola’s fourth Premier, which makes him the non-British coach with the most titles in the history of English football.

Guardiola has won 10 of the 13 leagues he has played as coach.

In six years he has overtaken Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho, and in what is strictly the Premier he only has Sir Alex Ferguson ahead of him. Four of City’s eight titles have come from the Santpedor coach, whose record already includes 10 of the 13 Leagues he has played as coach: 3 of 4 Leagues with Barça, 3 of 3 Bundesligas with Bayern and 4 of 6 Premiers with City.

The last one has been the most distressing and shocking. Hence his tears at the end of the match, overwhelmed by emotion, common in the thousands of people who started running towards the pitch and who, their sanity restored, returned after a few minutes to the stands to enjoy the party in yes, it was so late.

Coutinho’s shot

City was losing 0-2 at the Etihad with 20 minutes to go, executed and riveted by Philippe Coutinho, a former Liverpool player (m. 69), in Aston Villa’s third counterattack. But then came a spirited reaction; Above all, correct reaction. Because the only thing missing was the successful shot at City. And there were three consecutive ones, in just five minutes, which turned the result upside down.

Opened the chest Ilkay Gundogan, who had barely been on the field for eight minutes, when he headed a great cross from Sterling, another replacement player (m. 76), at the second post. Almost immediately Rodri appeared on the edge of the area (m. 78), to connect a very difficult low shot that alleviated the bleeding that was bleeding the stadium. And then the great star, Kevin de Bruyne, intervened to give the definitive assistance that Gundogan clinched, again in another appearance from the second row (m. 81).

Gundogan completed the comeback and delivered the virtual sentence. Fortunately for City, the 3-2 came moments before Liverpool’s second goal forced the Celestes to win to be champions. Also in the last moments Liverpool was emptied in search of that title that was in the hands of others. Mo Salah (d. 84) and Andrew Robertson (d. 89) they also broke the surprising draw against Wolverhampton to end with a victory (3-1) that was useless.

from minute three

The drama colored the day practically from the first minute. Something predictable, in the outcome of the championship, but not that it was a component that affected both the two most invulnerable teams in the championship. From the third minute, exactly, the emotion subsided when Pedro Neto marked the 0-1 of Wolverhampton at Anfield.

The quick reaction of Sadio Mané (m. 23) after a pass from Thiago Alcántara, he directed the essential victory that Liverpool needed, which was not even favored by the defeat of City. In that case, tied on points, the light blue team was champion due to the best goal difference. Guardiola’s eleven did not begin to feel the pressure until he saw himself below on the scoreboard.

It was a seen and not seen. He had Villa surrounded, with an insistent and fluid attack, when he allowed a quick exit of the ball from behind. The visitors advanced meters without opposition to the point that the two full-backs gave birth to the goal: Lucas Digne reached the baseline and crossed into the area so that Matty Clash will head in the race (m. 37), without Joao Cancelo having warned of his arrival: he did not notice it because he never looked back.

no net

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The scoreboard invited Guardiola to take a drastic measure: Zinchenko came on for Fernandinho, who finished his farewell tribute at half-time. He served as central and had a hesitation. The other centre-back, Laporte, made a serious mistake that could cost the 0-2 by allowing Watkins, starting from the dividing line, to chase a serve from his goal.

The defeat left City without a net, at the expense of a Liverpool goal depriving them of the title. Since the tie was useless, Klopp rescued Mo Salah from the bench, whom he reserved for the Champions League final. Just like Virgil van Dijk, he too has physical problems. Salah scored, Coutinho had scored, helping his former team, but between one and the other, Gundogan and Rodri appeared.



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