Manchester City clinched their fourth Premier League title in five seasons on Sunday as Pep Guardiola’s side secured a 3-2 victory over Aston Villa.

The defending champions had to do it the hard way after falling behind in the first half but City stepped up when it mattered to secure their place in the Premier League records books.

Liverpool pushed the Citizens close but Guardiola’s men came up trumps. Here, we discuss 10 defining moments in the title race – including another look at that dramatic final day.

With Erling Haaland joining Man City this summer, it wouldn't be a huge shock to see Guardiola's men celebrating a third successive title this time next year...

City Flex Muscles At Stamford Bridge

Cast your minds back to September. City had lost 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur on the opening weekend before flopping at home to Southampton in a goalless draw.

Chelsea had been hyped up as potential title contenders but City produced the perfect away performance to silence the Stamford Bridge crowd.

Gabriel Jesus scored the only goal of the game midway through the second half but City were comfortable throughout – dominating possession and restricting Chelsea to five shots in the match.

This was City’s way of reminding the rest of the Premier League that they were still the team to beat.

Comeback Draw At Anfield

Eight days on from the victory over Chelsea, Man City travelled to Anfield. The Reds found themselves one point clear of Pep’s side going into the contest.

Despite dominating the first half, City failed to capitalise and you knew Liverpool were going to step things up in the second period.

City showed their mental strength to come from behind – not once but twice – to salvage a draw in what was a huge 45 minutes on Merseyside.

It looked like Mohamed Salah’s moment of magic had won it for the hosts but City, resolute as ever, pegged Liverpool back to earn an invaluable point.

City Silence Old Trafford Crowd (Again)

Once dubbed the ‘noisy neighbours’ by Sir Alex Ferguson, Man City have had the beating of their close rivals in recent times.

Since the start of the 2020/21 season, City have lost just one of their five games against United and the writing was on the wall for another Old Trafford victory in November.

An Eric Bailly own goal sent City on their way before Bernardo Silva added a second shortly before half-time.

The final score flattered United as City more than doubled the total number of passes, had 68% of the ball and restricted the Red Devils to one shot on target on home soil.

Fernandinho Downs Hammers In Snow

Snowy conditions at the Etihad in November didn’t help this game as a spectacle, with both teams struggling to string passes together.

With City leading 1-0 heading into the closing stages, Pep’s men started to try and run down the clock but a late chance presented itself to club stalwart Fernandinho.

The ball arrived at the Brazilian’s feet on the edge of the penalty area and he struck firmly into the bottom corner of the goal to double City’s lead.

It’s a good job Fernandinho added a second as Manuel Lanzini’s superb strike threatened a late Hammers comeback but City held on to keep pace with Chelsea and Liverpool.

City Struggle Past 10-Man Wolves

These are the victories that win you Premier League titles. City weren’t at their best but Raheem Sterling’s 66th minute penalty was enough to claim a vital three points.

Raul Jimenez was sent off after a moment of madness but Guardiola’s men just couldn’t find the breakthrough against the resolute Wolves defence.

With City failing to inspire confidence, the hosts were ‘handed’ a lifeline after a penalty was awarded against Wolves midfielder Joao Moutinho.

Sterling stepped up and duly obliged from the sport, much to the relief of City fans around the ground. It wasn’t pretty but City ground it out – and that’s what good teams do.

Rodri Steps Up Late At Arsenal

How did City win this game? Arsenal fans went home sick while the coach journey back to Manchester was particularly sweet for the travelling supporters.

Bukayo Saka had given Arsenal a deserved lead before half-time but the Gunners could have been out of sight, with at least two guilt-edged chances going amiss.

Riyad Mahrez made no mistake from the spot after a controversial penalty decision before Nathan Ake cleared Ruben Dias’ wayward header off the line.

Luck was on City’s side and Gabriel’s red card put Arsenal on the back foot. As the clock ticked into the 93rd minute, Rodri toe poked the ball into the Gunners net to nick all three points.

Brilliant De Bruyne Puts Chelsea To Sword

Undoubtedly the best midfielder in the Premier League, Kevin de Bruyne carried Man City on his shoulders at times this season – and that was particularly evident on this day.

Both teams had squandered chances in the first half but City started to up the intensity after the break in the search for that elusive goal. Football betting odds were starting to suggest a goalless draw looked likely...

Step up, De Bruyne. With 20 minutes remaining, the Belgian curled a sensational effort past Kepa in the Chelsea goal to send Pep Guardiola’s men 13 points clear at the top of the table.

While Liverpool had two games in hand, it felt like a decisive moment. From that moment on, De Bruyne was simply sublime for the remainder of the campaign.

Foden Secures Controversial Everton Win

Liverpool fans will point to this game as a key moment in the title race – and it is easy to see why. It looks like City well and truly ‘got away with one’ here.

Everton held their own for over 80 minutes before Phil Foden pounced to score what looked like a late winner after a deflected cross landed perfectly at his feet.

However, there was still late drama ahead as Rodri appeared to handle the ball in his own penalty area. Incredibly, VAR decided that there was no case to answer.

City extended their lead at the top of the Premier League table to six points that day. It felt like a defining moment at the time but even more so now!

Hallmark Of Champions At London Stadium

The task for City was simple: beat West Ham and the title is within touching distance. The Hammers, however, weren’t going to just roll over and accept defeat.

On Mark Noble’s final home game for the club, West Ham raced into a two-nil lead in the first half – helped by some haphazard defending from City.

Something had to change and the visitors came out swinging in the second half. There was a zip to City’s play that simply wasn’t there in the opening 45 minutes.

While Mahrez missed a late penalty to make it 3-2, City showed their title credentials to come back and salvage an important point to keep the title race in their own hands…

Ilkay Gundogan, You Little Dancer!

Gary Neville’s commentary epitomised the mood of an entire fanbase while also jibing at Liverpool, using the phrase initially coined by Jamie Carragher for Salah.

With City struggling at home to Aston Villa, Pep Guardiola brought the German international on with 68 minutes on the clock – less than a minute before Villa doubled their lead.

However, Gundogan would be key to City’s dramatic title success as he reduced the deficit before completing the comeback just five minutes later.

The goal sparked incredible scenes at the Etihad Stadium – akin to the celebrations after that Sergio Aguero goal against Queens Park Rangers in 2013.

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Erling Haaland joining Manchester City is a historic deal.

A real masterpiece for Pep Guardiola, who has been waiting for a center forward for more than a year and he's now ready to start a new chapter of the Man City project with Haaland as the new main star.

It all started a year ago: Manchester City were looking for a player in that position, the first option in the summer of 2021 was Harry Kane, almost an obsession for the Citizens who tried in every way to negotiate with Tottenham.

But the deal was simply impossible: Daniel Levy refused any approach during all three summer months, two official proposals - so much so that Manchester City had already explored the possibility of signing Erling Haaland in July 2021, but from Borussia Dortmund the answer was negative.

"Impossible, we have already sold Jadon Sancho and this summer no other star will leave Dortmund", this was the position of the club.

But from that moment the feeling between Erling Haaland and Manchester City was born, and it was already strong thanks to his father Alfie's past as a player in the Manchester club.

Manchester City have started their planning of the Erling Haaland deal since last September.

Because the board had now clear how impossible it was to convince Tottenham to sell Harry Kane even a year later, the intention was to be able to plan a top deal well in advance without arriving in July or August: a successful mission.

But it wasn't easy, because Man City had to overcome huge competition to sign Haaland.

The club that has been most convinced in the competition for months is Real Madrid.

Florentino Perez really wanted to be able to complete a historic double signing with Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé but it was impossible; the negotiations went on for months with Haaland, until the final choice of the player who has always been very tempted by Real Madrid.

Sources close to the negotiation assure it is incorrect to say that Haaland rejected Real Madrid, but it is fair to say that Haaland accepted Manchester City. A matter of respect for a top club like Madrid that really tried to convince him.

Also, the rumors about Real Madrid that they would have rejected Haaland for his lifestyle or his injuries are totally false: the Spanish club wanted Erling at all costs, they never had any doubts about his physical condition or his private life.

Barcelona also tried with Xavi at the center of the negotiations: the Spanish manager tried in every way to help Barça in the discussions with Haaland, but financially for the club it was impossible to support that type of negotiation.

"A miracle was needed for us [Barça], it didn't happen", comment sources close to the deal.

Bayern Munich are perhaps the club that has acted the most behind the scenes: the board had known well for months the great problem of renewing Robert Lewandowski's contract, and his intention to try a new experience.

That's why Bayern really tried to get into the race for Erling Haaland hoping to find an economic deal with the player and then pay the clause to Borussia Dortmund.

All this was impossible thanks to Manchester City's excellent work: certainly the Premier League was an important factor in choosing him, but not the only one.

The salary proposals of Manchester City and Real Madrid were almost the same, so it was not an economic motivation.

Pep Guardiola was key in Erling Haaland's decision. A manager who makes his players grow, a very modern idea of football and Pep's phone calls with Haaland were an important factor in the choice to accept Manchester City.

Pep insisted for 6 months with the board to have Haaland: he is the man he has chosen for a long time, his only priority. "We cannot fail, Haaland must play for Man City", he has been sending a message to the club since October.

Furthermore, having a strong management with Txiki Begiristain and Ferran Soriano who have been key figures at Man City for years has been a guarantee for the present and the future.

So Erling chose Manchester as his next destination, despite Barcelona and Bayern's behind-the-scenes attempts.

But what are the real costs of this deal? Manchester City will not pay €75m for the release clause: the real figure is €60m, this is the real amount that Borussia Dortmund will receive.

Of course, there are commission costs to add as in any top deal at a European level. Haaland's salary has also been mentioned with many unreal figures: the Norwegian striker will earn around £350,000 per week, almost the same salary of Kevin de Bruyne.

Haaland will not break Manchester City's salary structure but will be the highest paid player in the Premier League alongside the Belgian midfielder. With the Guardiola factor making the difference: so the choice was made, it's Man City for Haaland.

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