Manchester, England
Manchester City have been crowned Premier League champions for the eighth time after beating West Ham United on Sunday.
A 3-1 win at Etihad Stadium secured the title — their sixth under manager Pep Guardiola — and sees them become the first team in the history of English football to win four successive top-flight league championships.
Phil Foden’s brilliant strike after just 79 seconds set City on their way in the Manchester sunshine before the England international swept home a second 16 minutes later.
Mohammed Kudus’ sensational overhead kick halved the deficit before the break to add some jeopardy before Rodri, who a year ago scored the goal in the Champions League final to complete the treble, settled any nerves with the third.
They now have the chance to complete a league and cup double when they take on Manchester United in the FA Cup final on May 25.
Striker Erling Haaland also retains the Golden Boot — awarded to the division’s top scorer — after netting a league-leading 27 goals.
City had trailed Arsenal by as many as six points earlier in the season after a run of three draws and one defeat from November to the first week of December.
But City have gone unbeaten since taking 61 points from a possible 69 — including eight wins on the spin to close the season — to overhaul Arsenal and clinch the title.
Two-goal hero Foden, still just 23, has now won six league titles.
“It is so hard to put into words what we’ve done today,” he told Sky Sports. “No team has ever done it, we have put ourselves into the history books.
“You see what it means to the fans and to us players working all year for this moment. A special moment to share it with the fans.”
“I never get bored of it, you want this feeling every time,” he said on his personal title tally. “When you win something there is no better feeling. I want to keep winning as much as I can.”
It’s the second straight year Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have been pipped to the post after leading the league for the majority of the season.
The north London side were reliant on City dropping points on the final day to have any chance of winning a first title for 20 years.
A 2-1 win over Everton proved in vain and ensured they finished as runners-up, two points shy of City’s 91.
It represents City’s second-lowest title-winning total under Guardiola after the 86 points they amassed in 2020-21 when they beat Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United to top spot.
Guardiola’s sixth winner’s medal takes him closer to Sir Alex Ferguson’s record of 13 Premier League titles and three clear of Arsene Wenger and Mourinho (3).
The 53-year-old’s current contract — renewed in 2022 — expires at the end of next season and he is yet to sign an extension.
Source: The athletic