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Man City’s five key matches
Man City’s Algerian midfielder Riyad Mahrez (R) scores their third goal during the English Premier League football against Brighton at the American Express Community Stadium in Brighton yesterday. City won 4-1 to defend the Premier League trophy. AFP PHOTO
LONDON-AFP Sports looks at five games that helped Pep Guardiola’s men edge Liverpool out by a solitary point.
Manchester City 2 Liverpool 1
A shock run of three defeats in four Premier League games in December saw City fall seven points behind Liverpool ahead of their New Year showdown at the Etihad.
Guardiola conceded the title would be over if his side lost and the game was delicately poised after Roberto Firmino cancelled out Sergio Aguero’s opener.
Leroy Sane had surprisingly found himself sidelined for much of the campaign, but the German arguably scored the biggest goal of City’s season to inflict Liverpool’s only defeat in the league 18 minutes from time.
Manchester City 6 Chelsea 0
City’s fourth and final defeat of the season at Newcastle handed Liverpool the chance to reopen a seven-point lead, but instead they stumbled in draws with Leicester and West Ham.
The defending champions pounced with three victories in a week to go back on top, the pick of which inflicted Chelsea’s worst-ever Premier League defeat.
Aguero scored a hat-trick, Raheem Sterling twice and Ilkay Gundogan was also on target in City’s most complete performance of the campaign.
Manchester City 1 Tottenham 0
Despite their domestic dominance, Champions League glory still eludes City after exiting in dramatic fashion on away goals to Tottenham. City were denied a last-gasp winning goal in their quarter-final tie by a VAR review, but raised themselves to exact a measure of revenge three days later. Phil Foden’s early header was the only goal.
Man United 0 Manchester City 2
A Manchester derby was seen as the last major hurdle for City to clear four games from the finishing line.
However, unlike when Liverpool were held 0-0 at Old Trafford in late February, when United were on a high in the early stages of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reign, City travelled across Manchester at the right time. United succumbed to a seventh defeat in nine games as Bernardo Silva and Sane struck in 12 second-half .
Manchester City 1 Leicester 0
City ended the season on a run of 14 straight Premier League wins that became progressively more nervy as the finish line approached. Former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers threatened to do his old side a huge favour in the penultimate game of the season.
Premiership place money
Premier League teams earned
roughly £1.9m for the postion they have finished the league.
1.Man City £38.6m
2.Liverpool £36.7m
3.Chelsea £34.8m
4.Tottenham £32.8m
5.Arsenal £30.9m
6.Man United £28.9m
7.Wolves £27m
8.Everton £25.1m
9.Leicester £23.1m
10. West Ham £21.1m
11. Watford £19.2m
12.Palace £17.3m
13.Newcastle £15.4m
14.Bournemouth £13.5m
15.Burnley £11.5m
16.Southampton £9.6m
17.Brighton £7.6m
18.Cardiff £5.7m
19.Fulham £3.8m
20.Huddersfield £1.9m
Final day results
Brighton 1-4 Man City
Burnley 1-3 Arsenal
Palace 5-3 Bournemouth
Fulham 0-4 Newcastle
Leicester 0-0 Chelsea
Liverpool 2-0 Wolves
Man United 0-2 Cardiff
Soton 1-1 Huddersfield
Tottenham 2-2 Everton
Watford 1-4 West Ham
