Manchester City are the Premier League champions and they did it without setting foot on the pitch yesterday afternoon.
Having beaten Tottenham 3-1 on Saturday to move 16 points clear of Manchester United, the Sky Blues sat back yesterday to watch what most commentators assumed would be three comfortable points for United at home to West Bromwich Albion.
Basement boys Baggies hadn’t won an away game in the league since August, and their last victory was in January. It seemed Sunday’s game would be a mere formality for United.
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Albion had other ideas, though. In one of the Premier League shocks of the season, they beat their hosts 1-0 thanks to a second-half goal from Jay Rodriguez.
The victory still leaves the Baggies rooted to the bottom - and to have any chance of escaping the drop, they’ll have to win their four remaining matches. However, for City, the result means their third league title in ten years; while Pep Guardiola, becomes the first Spaniard to manage a Premier League-winning side.
In securing the title with five games to spare, City also equal the English top-flight record achieved in the modern era by Everton (1984-85) and Manchester United (2000-01).
Guardiola was on the golf course as United capitulated in front of their stunned supporters, many of whom had celebrated wildly last Saturday after their side went to the Etihad and inflicted a 3-2 defeat on their “noisy neighbours”.
In Jose Mourinho’s view, last weekend’s result was a factor in Sunday’s shambles. “It was a bad reaction after the City victory, the consequence of that is complicated football,” said the United manager. “I saw lots of people in the moon because we won against City. You could see the difference in the attitude to players compared to last week. We deserve to be punished.”
Asked what he thought about having gifted the title to their rivals, Mourinho replied: “City were the best team, sooner or later they would get the points, so no dramas when the best team wins the league.”
United midfielder Juan Mata kept up less of a brave front following his team’s defeat. “It hurts,” said the Spaniard. “Basically, we didn’t do our job today, which was winning. Our aim is to keep second position and it’s not done yet. Today was a bad day and we need to move on. We had a few days to rest and prepare but football is unpredictable and sometimes things happen. We’re sad and disappointed with ourselves.”
On the blue side of Manchester, the reaction was one of delight after a difficult fortnight in which the home side lost to United and were dumped out of the Champions League by Liverpool.
“It’s been a great day,” said club captain Vincent Kompany, who watched United’s defeat on TV with his family. “I’ve won three now but there’s so many we’ve missed. My teammates will roll their eyes as I want to see the reaction from us next season as I’ve never been able to retain a title.”
Meanwhile, Kompany paid a handsome tribute to Guardiola, who has now won league titles as a manager with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City.
“Everyone that plays under him will have had success because of him, because he has the ability to unlock the full potential,” said the Belgian defender.
After returning from the golf course in the evening, a delighted Guardiola declared: “It’s incredible the way we played and I am so glad to be here and be part of this club. These guys are fantastic.”
How the press reacted to City’s title victory
As some City players celebrated their title win at a local pub with their fans, we look at how the press reacted to the club winning the Premier League.
Adam Bate, Sky Sports: “Manchester City’s collective effort has put them miles ahead of the rest and secured the title with five games to spare. This is one of the great Premier League teams. The title race is officially over, but to call it a race at all seems an insult. Pep Guardiola and his players demonstrated their superiority from the outset. By the time they followed up their 5-0 win over Liverpool with a 6-0 thrashing of Watford that was close to perfection, it felt like a procession. City were only five games into the season. It was still September.”
Mark Ogden, ESPN: “City have looked down on everyone this season virtually since the first ball was kicked last August. Their dominance of the title race has been so emphatic and convincing that every one of their so-called rivals has been beaten by City at least once, and none of them has been able to prevent Pep Guardiola’s team from winning the title with a month to spare. Wherever you look, City have broken records or stand on the verge of creating another. United’s record winning margin of 18 points, set in 1999-2000, is another that is within City’s reach.”
Phil McNulty, BBC: “Guardiola, as we have seen, has reshaped Manchester City and has them playing in his own image and likeness. He has not, however, changed for change’s sake. He has retained core members of the team that contribute to City’s recent title successes, and harnessed vibrant young attacking signings such as Leroy Sane and Gabriel Jesus alongside them. Guardiola has also added another diminutive stylist in £42m Bernardo Silva - but battle-hardened veterans of City’s previous successes [Kompany, David Silva and Sergio Aguero] remain at the club and team’s heart.”
