Manchester City Crowned Premier League Champions After Manchester United Defeat
Manchester City were crowned Premier League champions on Sunday after Manchester United suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to West Bromwich Albion at Old Trafford.
City had moved to the brink of the title a day earlier with a convincing 3-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley.
Their championship was confirmed 24 hours later when Jay Rodriguez scored a 73rd-minute header to give West Brom a surprise win over United.
Manchester United had delayed City’s title celebrations the previous weekend after coming from two goals down to beat Pep Guardiola’s side 3-2 at the Etihad Stadium.
However, Jose Mourinho’s team were unable to delay the inevitable for much longer.
The defeat to bottom-placed West Brom left United 16 points behind City with only five matches remaining, meaning they could no longer catch their rivals.
The result confirmed City’s first Premier League title under Guardiola and their third league championship of the Premier League era.
Winning the title with five games remaining also made City joint-earliest champions in Premier League history at the time, matching Manchester United’s achievement in the 2000-01 season.
Guardiola had previously won league titles with Barcelona and Bayern Munich, as well as two Champions League trophies during his time at Barcelona.
The Spaniard described succeeding in England as one of the major achievements of his managerial career, pointing to the competitiveness and physical demands of the Premier League.
City’s success also answered critics who had questioned whether Guardiola’s possession-based and attacking style of football could deliver a league title in England.
Throughout the campaign, City combined expansive football with remarkable consistency, building a commanding lead over their rivals and breaking several records along the way.
Guardiola and his players were expected to celebrate the title with their supporters when they hosted Swansea City in their next Premier League fixture.
