BRIGHTON (AFP) - Manchester City held off a record-breaking challenge from Liverpool to become the first side in a decade to retain the Premier League title with a 4-1 victory over Brighton on Sunday (May 12).
AFP Sports looks at five games that helped Pep Guardiola's men edge out Liverpool out by a solitary point.
Manchester City 2 Liverpool 1:
A shock run of three defeats in four Premier League games in December saw City fall seven points behind Liverpool ahead of their New Year showdown at the Etihad.
Guardiola conceded the title would be over if his side lost and the game was delicately poised after Roberto Firmino cancelled out Sergio Aguero's opener.
Leroy Sane had surprisingly found himself sidelined for much of the campaign, but the German arguably scored the biggest goal of City's season to inflict Liverpool's only defeat in the league 18 minutes from time.
Manchester City 6 Chelsea 0:
City's fourth and final defeat of the season at Newcastle handed Liverpool the chance to reopen a seven-point lead, but instead they stumbled in draws with Leicester and West Ham.
The defending champions pounced with three victories in a week to go back on top, the pick of which inflicted Chelsea's worst-ever Premier League defeat.
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Aguero scored a hat-trick, Raheem Sterling twice and Ilkay Gundogan was also on target in City's most complete performance of the campaign.
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Manchester City 1 Tottenham 0:
Despite their domestic dominance, Champions League glory still eludes City after exiting in dramatic
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fashion on away goals to Tottenham.
City were denied a last-gasp winning goal in their quarter-final tie by a VAR review, but raised themselves to exact a measure of revenge three days later.
Phil Foden's early header was the only goal, but City had to rely on goalkeeper Ederson to make a string of saves to prevent a potentially calamitous result.
Manchester United 0 Manchester City 2:
A Manchester derby was seen as the last major hurdle for City to clear four games from the finishing line.
However, unlike when Liverpool were held 0-0 at Old Trafford in late February, when United were on a high in the early stages of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's reign, City travelled across Manchester at the right time.
United succumbed to a seventh defeat in nine games as Bernardo Silva and Sane struck in 12 second-half minutes to paint the city blue.
Manchester City 1 Leicester 0:
City ended the season on a run of 14 straight Premier League wins that became progressively more nerve-wracking as the finish line approached.
Former Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers threatened to do his old side a huge favour in the penultimate game of the season as his Leicester side frustrated City and had their chances to inflict a knockout blow at the Etihad.
However, captain Vincent Kompany stepped up 20 minutes from time to win the game in the most unlikely of circumstances by smashing the ball into the top corner for his first goal from outside the box in 12 years.
Harry Kane will start the Champions League final against Liverpool in Madrid having been passed fit to play for Tottenham. The striker has not featured since April 9 but returns to the starting team.
Kane starts for Tottenham in Champions League final - Daily
Atletico Madrid beat Valencia, delaying Barcelona's eight La Liga title in 11 years. David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images Alvaro Morata put Atletico ahead on a rain-swept evening in the ninth minute by knocking a cross in from close range on the volley but Valencia equalised in the 36th through former Atletico forward Kevin Gameiro .
Barcelona 1-1 Atletico Madrid - BBC Sport
NICOSIA (REUTERS) - Eden Hazard marked his 100th cap with an early goal to set Belgium on their way to a comfortable 2-0 away win over Cyprus in their Euro 2020 qualifier on Sunday (March 24)..
Hazard marks milestone with early goal to help Belgium win
Buffon calls on PSG to show 'spirit of sacrifice', Football
Tottenham Hotspur's Moussa Sissoko did not realize his side had advanced to the Champions League semi-finals until a member of the coaching staff informed him in the dressing room that Manchester City's last-gasp goal had been disallowed.
BENGALURU: Cardiff City chairman Mehmet Dalman has said the club will pay the 15 million pound (US$19 million) transfer fee to Nantes for Emiliano Sala "if contractually obliged".
Emiliano Sala: Deadline for Cardiff City to make payment
Liverpool's Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk takes part in a press conference at the training ground in Liverpool on the eve of a UEFA Champions league quarter-final football match against Porto on
'Cannot Stop Messi Alone,' Admits Van Dijk - thequint.com
Pep Guardiola wants the pain of Manchester City's gut-wrenching Champions League elimination at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur to inspire a charge for an unprecedented domestic treble. Guardiola's side take on Spurs at the Etihad Stadium again on Saturday after VAR ruled out what would have been a stoppage-time winner
Guardiola Hopes Champions League Pain Spurs On Man City
Football: Guardiola dismisses Klopp's claim that Man City have no weaknesses MANCHESTER, United Kingdom (AFP) - Pep Guardiola on Friday (Dec 21) dismissed Jurgen Klopp's suggestion that Manchester City are a team with no sign of weakness as the two battle for the Premier League title.
Pep Guardiola dismisses Jurgen Klopp's 'no weakness' claim
Barcelona can end Real's title hopes MADRID • After eliminating Real Madrid from the King's Cup in midweek, Barcelona now have the opportunity to send their arch-rivals packing in the title race, too.
Barcelona can end the hopes of title of real madrid in el
London - Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is relaxed about Mohamed Salah's goalscoring drought, saying the Egyptian forward remains a key part of the title chasers' attacking armoury.Salah, who
Klopp relaxed about Salah's Liverpool drought - punchng.com
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