ROB HARRIS, MANCHESTERMan City 3, Aston Villa 2
Manchester City scored three goals in five minutes to turn around a tense and dramatic season finale and clinch a sixth Premier League title in 11 seasons, rallying to beat Aston Villa 3-2 and hold off Liverpool’s challenge late Sunday.
After starting the day in first place, City was at risk of a historic choke when it conceded twice to trail 2-0 at home to Villa.
İlkay Gündoğan’s header began the comeback in the 76th minute and Rodri equalized two minutes later by placing the ball through a tight gap into the bottom corner. The Etihad Stadium erupted in celebrations in the 81st when Gündoğan tapped in Kevin De Bruyne’s cross.
“It was an unbelievable game,” Gündoğan said. “We are human beings and, after going 2-0 down, the chances were just very, very small. But we had to do the simple things and scoring two goals quickly and then having 10 minutes to score the third one gave us the right lift.”
The importance of that goal became clearer moments later. Liverpool had been locked at 1-1 against Wolverhampton but Mohamed Salah then put the second-place team 2-1 in front in the 84th minute. That scoreline would have taken Liverpool into first place had City not just mounted its fightback to take the lead.
The jeopardy was still there — with Andy Robertson sealing Liverpool’s 3-1 win — while City would have conceded the title had it conceded a late equalizer.
City got itself into jeopardy — against a lowly team with little to play for — when Matty Cash headed Villa in front in the 37th and former Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho extended the lead in the 69th to the shock of City’s players.
Gündoğan had arrived from the bench a minute earlier, among Pep Guardiola’s second-half substitutions that would transform the game in City’s favor.
“He came on and changed the whole game,” City midfielder Phil Foden said. “He always knows where the ball is going to be in and around the box. He’s such a clever player.”
City retained the trophy by a single point after the 38th and final game in a manner that was more jittery than expected considering City briefly had a 14-point lead in January.
“We are legends,” Guardiola said. “When you win four in five then it’s because these guys are so special. We will be remembered.”
This was the first time since Guardiola took charge in 2016 that City has sealed the title in front of its own fans who spilled onto the field in their thousands at the final whistle against Villa.
Although it went down to the wire, it wasn’t as agonizingly late as 10 years ago when City’s first Premier League title was only clinched with stoppage-time goals at the end of the season at the Etihad.
“This is the Man City spirit,” departing captain Fernandinho said. “You never give up. You always go to the end. It happened 10 years ago and it’s happened again.” MDT/AP
