Brighton Hove & Albion 1-4 Manchester City
It has been one of the classic Premier League title races. The sheer quality of both protagonists, players and managers alike, has been a joy to behold for the neutrals.
The Premier League highlights will be played for many a year to come and so they should.
Yet there could only be one winner SBOBET fans and the Premier League betting odds at the start of the campaign were spot-on.
Fittingly, the goal which sealed the prize was a thing of beauty.
Riyad Mahrez, collecting possession 25 yards from goal, sold Lewis Dunk a dummy before firing a right foot thunderbolt past Mat Ryan.
Manchester City fans sang ‘Champions’ and no-one could argue they didn’t deserve it.
Their December stutter – defeats against Chelsea, Crystal Palace and Leicester City in the space of 18 days – long forgotten as they bounced back with a style befitting of champions.
Yes, City are a financial juggernaut, constructed by more Abu Dhabi dollars than football has ever witnessed and a spending spree that makes Chelsea’s era under Roman Abramovich seem comparatively frugal.
But they have recruited so intelligently and responded magnificently to being seven points off the summit at the turn of the year.
For them to remain so motivated, as well as be in contention for an unprecedented quadruple until mid-April, speaks volumes for the talent and character among Pep Guardiola’s men.
The champions of the land are not only the most enduing and valiant but the best over the course of nine months. The team with the greatest technical capacity and depth who, quietly and without ceremony, get on with the act of winning.
Highlights of the Game
Liverpool fans dared to dream when Glenn Murray took advantage of sloppy defending to head home a pinpoint Pascal Gross corner.
Yet straight from the kick-off, City responded like champions. Aymeric Laporte slid the ball through, David Silva classily flicked it on and Sergio Aguero expertly fired through the legs of Ryan.
It was the hallmark of champions as was the goal that put City in front seven minutes before the break.
A Mahrez corner was delivered in the danger zone and, amidst more poor marking, Laporte planted a downward header to send the City fans into raptures.
Then Mahrez scored the goal which sealed successive titles – the first time since Manchester United in 2009 that a side has retained English football’s top prize.
Ilkay Gundogan put the seal on the afternoon with a superb free-kick as Guardiola applauded his players as they clinched 14th straight win to seal the silverware and a sixth league title.
Key Statistics
Guardiola is only the third manger to have won back-to-back Premier League titles after Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho.
There were just 83 seconds between Murray’s opener for Brighton and Aguero’s equaliser for City.
City are the first team to end a top-flight campaign with 14 consecutive victories, breaking Arsenal’s record of 13 in 2001-02.
Their 32nd win of the season has also equalled the top-flight record, set by City last season.
This was the eighth time the Premier League title has been decided on the final day of the season.
Guardiola’s side have claimed at least one league victory against every side they have faced for the second consecutive season; the only other team to achieve this in the English top flight are Preston in 1888-89 and 1889-90.
Silva’s assist for Aguero’s goal was his 18th for the Argentine – only three players have assisted more in the Premier League (Darren Anderton to Teddy Sheringham (20), Steve McManaman to Robbie Fowler (20), Frank Lampard to Didier Drogba (24).
Aguero’s tally of 32 goals in all competitions leaves him one shy of matching his highest total for City in a single season, set in 2016-17.
This was the first time since December 8 that City had been behind in a Premier League game.
City have won their last five meetings with Brighton in all competitions, including all three this season.
They last claimed league points against City in a second-tier game in April 1989, winning 2-1 at the Goldstone Ground thanks to an Alan Curbishley penalty and an Ian Brightwell own goal.
Brighton have played 12 top-flight matches against reigning champions without winning (drawn two, lost 10), more than any other team.
Murray scored seven times in Brighton’s first seven Premier League home games this season but he had failed to net in the subsequent 11 top-flight matches at the Amex Stadium until today.
Top of Form
What’s Next?
The final league hurdle overcome, City now go in search of a domestic treble when they meet Watford in next weekend’s FA Cup Final.
Brighton can look forward to a third successive season in the top flight for the first time since the early 1980s.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
