EPL FINAL DAY: Manchester City 3-2 Aston Villa: Ilkay Gundogan goals seal title for City. See other results

Man City got the win they needed to keep the Premier League title away from Liverpool. The Reds 3-1 win over Wolves was in vain after Man City came back from the dead to beat Aston Villa at home on the final day of the season.

IMAGE: Manchester City claim their fourth title in five seasons despite a Liverpool win at Wolves.

 

On 69 minutes, Philippe Coutinho scored to make it 2-0 to Aston Villa, as Pep Guardiola looked to Ilkay Gundogan rather than Jack Grealish to come on. On 76 minutes, the German had hit his first. By 81 minutes, he’d hit a second and City’s third, to swing the title back to Manchester again.

Pep Guardiola’s team were pushed to the end by Liverpool but came into the final day of the campaign with the destination of the trophy firmly in their hands but last weekend’s 2-2 draw at West Ham meant they have no margin for error.

They now claim their fourth title in five seasons despite a Liverpool win at Wolves.

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard was out to spoil the party at the Etihad - aiding the team he captained as a player for many years in the process - and said in the build-up to the game: “If that inevitably helps Liverpool, fantastic, but my priority is to try and get points for Aston Villa.”

After nine years at Manchester City, Fernandinho hoists the Premier League trophy in front of his teammates.

He’s won 11 major trophies at the club and it’s the perfect end for the Brazilian who is moving on in the summer.

Ederson and Alisson share Premier League Golden Glove award

Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson and his Liverpool counterpart Alisson Becker have jointly won the 2021/22 Premier League Golden Glove award.

While most focus is on the top scorer award each season - the Golden Boot - stoppers at the other end of the pitch have had their own trophy to aim for since the 2004/05 campaign.

And the Brazilian duo have been the dominant names in the category over the past few seasons, with Alisson winning in 2019 and Ederson doing so for the following two years.

This time around it’s a joint success for the pair, having claimed 20 clean sheets apiece during the campaign.

They were level heading into the final day of the season on that tally, with their respective teams still fighting for the title, and both sides conceded - fell behind, in fact - during a tense first half at both Anfield and the Etihad Stadium.

The Brazilian pair kept 20 clean sheets apiece in the 2021/22 campaign

Manchester City will celebrate winning the Premier League with fans in an open-top bus parade in the city centre on Monday 23rd May. It will conclude with a stage show at Deansgate (Beetham Tower).

Four league titles in five years for Manchester City. Incredible numbers from Pep Guardiola’s men who pip Liverpool to the title by just one point.

When Mohamed Salah was summoned from the bench, the task was twofold. Win the game and the league for Liverpool. He managed one but not the other, a Manchester City comeback taking Liverpool’s destiny out of their own hands.

The bid for quadruple finally ended, perhaps in suitable style: with Liverpool winning. They have triumphed in 16 of their last 18 league games, but it was not enough. It amounted to a second case of doomed heroics in four league seasons, chasing City to the last again, finishing with more than 90 points, but coming second.

On a strange afternoon at Anfield, the loudest ovation was reserved for part of Liverpool’s past. When Philippe Coutinho put Aston Villa 2-0 up at the Etihad, all Liverpool needed was a goal. They procured two in the end, but Andy Robertson’s strike met with less noise than Coutinho’s. Even Jurgen Klopp looked subdued, aware that nine months of work could end with Liverpool as champions of Europe, but not England.

 

A day that for so long looked like it would bring the most anguished frustration so suddenly became a scene of celebration for Man City. It didn’t go as late as that day against Queens Park Rangers, but it did have the same 3-2 final score, from even more a flurry.

Man City's amazing win in stats

– Manchester City have won their sixth Premier League title, with four of those coming in the last five seasons.
–City came from two goals down to win a Premier League game for the first time since February 2005.
–There were just 12 minutes and 22 seconds between City going 2-0 down, and then leading 3-2 in the match.
–Ilkay Gundogan is the first City player to score twice as a substitute in a Premier League match since Sergio Aguero, who did so on the final day against Everton last season.

OTHER RESULTS

Today’s Premier League season finale offered so much in the way of drama and despair.

For the first time in years, the title race, relegation battle and European scrap were still to be resolved as we approach the final game of the League season.

All games kicked off at 4pm BST and eyes were glued to the action across the country as Manchester City and Liverpool hosted Aston Villa and Wolves respectively to determine who will be crowned champions at the end of the final matchday. Despite falling 2-0 down, it was City who prevailed.

At the bottom of the table, Leeds beat Brentford to send Burnley into the Championship, after the Clarets lose at home to Newcastle.

Arsenal did beat Everton but Norwich could not pull off a shock result against Tottenham as Antonio Conte’s men secured fourth with ease.

West Ham failed to leapfrog Manchester United into sixth as both teams lost on the last day, to Brighton and Crystal Palace respectively.


Pep Guardiola speaks


"The moment we found a goal it changed everything. We are playing in not normal circumstances but you have to handle it.

"Gundogan is the best inside runner we have. We were arriving down the sides and we needed a player with the sense of tempo in the box and he's the best.

"We are legends. When you win the Premier League four times in five seasons it's because these guys are so, so special. We will be remembered. The first title we won with lots of margin, then at Brighton, then winning at home without fans and now with people, it's the best.

"The magnitude of your achievement is defined by the magnitude of your rival. I've never seen a team like Liverpool. I know it's tough but a huge congratulations to them. They help us to be a better team.

"Today is special as it's the fifth anniversary of the Manchester arena attack when 22 people were killed. This is for the families. Today was special."

 

 Other EPL Final Match Day Results

Buy Luxury Apartments on the Island, Lagos

---

•  Readers Comments desired,  Share Your Story in comment box below;

---