MANCHESTER, England –
After starting the day in first place, City risked a historic stranglehold when they conceded twice to make it 2-0 at home to Villa. It took an İlkay Gündoğan header to start the comeback in the 76th and Rodri equalized two minutes later by putting the ball through a tight space in the bottom corner.
The Etihad Stadium erupted in celebrations in the 81st when Gündoğan finished off a Kevin De Bruyne cross.
The significance of that goal became clearer moments later. Liverpool were tied 1-1 against Wolverhampton, but Mohamed Salah put the second-place team 2-1 in front in the 84th minute. That scoreline would have moved Liverpool into first place had City not mounted their fight to take the lead.
The danger was still there, with Andy Robertson sealing Liverpool’s 3-1 win, while City would have conceded the title had they conceded a late draw.
But Pep Guardiola’s side clung to victory in a thrilling climax, retaining the trophy on the final day by a single point in a manner that was more nervous than expected considering City held a brief 14-point lead in January.
City’s fourth championship success in five seasons produced a first for Guardiola. It is the first time that City have sealed the title in front of their own fans who spilled onto the pitch by the thousands at the final whistle against Villa.
“It was an amazing game,” said Gündoğan. “We are human beings and after losing 2-0 the chances were very, very small. But we had to keep things simple and score two goals quickly and then having 10 minutes to score the third gave us the chance.” lift.
“It was all about getting that goal and then the momentum was on our side and we were able to score three goals in just a few minutes. These are the days you look back on, it was an amazing game.”
Although he went all the way, this one came without the heartbreak of 10 years ago when City’s first Premier League title was only secured in the final minutes of the season.
That success, which produced City’s first championship crown in 44 years, with Roberto Mancini as manager, ushered in the era of dominance enjoyed by a club transformed by an influx of investment from Abu Dhabi.
City now enjoy the steady stream of titles they once had to see their cross-town rivals United reunited with Alex Ferguson. City’s rise coincided with the retirement of the Scot, who won the Premier League 13 times between 1993 and 2013, and the decline of Manchester United.
The teams entered the final round on Sunday with City 32 points ahead of United and with Liverpool the biggest threat to Guardiola’s side. In the last five seasons, the only time City have failed to win the trophy was when Liverpool’s 30-year title drought ended in 2020.
But it will be another season that ends with City unable to win European football’s biggest prize, the Champions League, while Liverpool play the final against Real Madrid on May 28.
While Liverpool’s net transfer spend has been around $250m over the last five years, City’s has been more than $530m.
City’s financial might was not enough to convince Tottenham to sell Harry Kane before this season, leaving Guardiola to clinch this title without a recognizable striker. However, City were able to break the British transfer record by signing Jack Grealish for £100m ($139m) despite the midfielder only getting off to a moderate start.
City have already beefed up their attack for next season, with a sealed deal with Borussia Dortmund to sign Erling Haaland for €60m ($63m), adding one of Europe’s most exciting young strikers to the squad. .
Still, human rights activists and less wealthy rivals remain concerned about the club’s ownership in Abu Dhabi and its actions.
The UAE’s human rights violations are overlooked by City fans who largely overlook how their club has been used by a state as a tool of soft power exploiting the glamor of the sport. largest in the world to clean up your image.
The city’s owner, Sheikh Mansour, has only been seen in one game during his 14 years as owner. Mansour, who is deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, was condemned by the British government for recently hosting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
City were fined 10 million euros ($12 million) in 2020 for obstructing a UEFA investigation into their finances following leaks of internal correspondence at the club. But the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned a two-year ban from the Champions League because claims the club hid the source of income as overpriced sponsorships from companies linked to its Abu Dhabi estate were rejected or found to have happened too long ago. time to be investigated. .
Reference-www.ctvnews.ca