Man City Are EPL Champions
Manchester City were on Sunday confirmed English Premier League champions on Sunday following the shock 1-0 defeat of second-placed Manchester United to West Bromwich Albion at the Old Trafford.
United needed to draw the match to keep the title race mathematically alive but a Jay Rodriguez header after the break turned the table upside down.
City manager Pep Guardiola might have missed the moment that his first English title was sealed, however, after admitting on Saturday he had a round of golf booked with his son.
Like others, Guardiola must have been surprised that the title, seemingly a foregone conclusion for months, was rubber-stamped in such strange circumstances.
A week after City surrendered a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 to United and squander the chance to wrap up the title in perfect style against their arch-rivals, it was relegation-bound West Brom who served it up on a plate.
Key facts about City’s title win
Man City top the charts in a number of key Premier League stats this season
| Premier League stats 2017-18 | Manchester City (1st) | Second place |
|---|---|---|
| (Opta) | ||
| Goals | 93 | Liverpool (78) |
| Goal conceded | 25 | Manchester United (26) |
| Home wins | 14 | Arsenal/Manchester United (13) |
| Away wins | 14 | Tottenham (10) |
| Shots on target | 234 | Liverpool (212) |
| Total Shots | 447 | Liverpool (419) |
| Chances created | 441 | Liverpool (440) |
| Passes | 24,193 | Arsenal (20,798) |
| Touches | 30,214 | Arsenal (26,977) |
| Passing accuracy | 88.76% | Chelsea (84.28%) |
| Average possession | 71.22% | Arsenal (62.43%) |
| Successful passes | 21,473 | Arsenal (17,520) |
| Big chances scored | 60 | Liverpool 45 |
West Brom had lost eight of their previous nine games and last won on Jan. 13.
City, who rebounded from the United loss and a European exit at the hands of Liverpool by beating Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, have 87 points with five games left.
United have 71 also with five to play.
It is the third title for the Abu Dhabi-owned City in seven seasons and their first since former boss Manuel Pellegrini achieved the feat in 2013-14.
Guardiola has won the League Cup already for City this season but a first Premier League title, to go with the three La Liga titles he won as manager of Barcelona and the three Bundesliga titles he delivered for Bayern Munich, will be particularly satisfying for the Spaniard.
“You cannot imagine,” Guardiola said on Saturday. “It would be one of the best three seasons I have ever had as a player and as a manager. The amount of goals, chances and points, to do that in the Premier League, with the contenders we have, is because the players are so good.”