By Our Reporter, Abuja
“From moments of despair to ecstasy,” was exactly how the commentator at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City’s home ground, described how the defending champions were crowned champions of the premier league on Sunday.
The win was City’s fourth in five incredible years.
Although most pundits had predicted a routine victory for Man ‘City over Aston Villa, to retain their crown and dash Liverpool’s dream of a quadruple, Villa had other ideas.
There were also talks that Steven Gerrard, would give his former side a helping hand by making things difficult for Pep Guardiola and his men. Even Jurgen Klopp joked about that a day before kickoff saying that “Gerrard will not be on the field.”
But once the game started City appeared to be on the roll creating chances after chances. Aston Villa was content with having ten men behind the ball with only Olly Watkins upfront for them. Even the Villa goalkeeper, Olsen, opted for early time-wasting tactics.
But the atmosphere at Etihad changed in a flash when Villa with their first shot on goal beat Edison in City’s goal. Kevin de Bruyne had fouled a Villa player at the centre of the pitch. From the resultant free-kick, Villa made a rare foray forward from the left flank with left back Lucas Digne putting in a delicious cross for Matty Cash to nod beyond Edison in the 37th minute.
Guardiola made attacking changes in the Second Half by substituting Fernandinho with Zinchenko and Sterling for Riyad Marez.
Again, against the run of play, Villa scored again when Philip Coutinho latched on to a long ball from his goalkeeper and sidestepped a City defender to put the ball in the bottom corner for Villa’s second on 70 minutes.
At this point, Etihad was thrown into silence as the title was slipping from City’s grasp with Liverpool needing just a goal in its match with Wolves to win the title.
But as City often does, it took just a crazy five minutes of brilliance for the Citizens to turn things around.
Substitute Ilkay Gundogan nodded in Raheem Sterling’s cross on 76 minutes to start the revival. And two minutes later, Spanish international, Rodri placed wonderfully from the edge of the box a shot after Zinchenko’s pass beyond Olson in goal for Villa for the equalizer. On 81 minutes, the comeback was completed when Gundogan arrived at the back post to tap in de Bruyne’s scintillating cross and sent Etihad into ecstasy.
All Manchester City needed afterwards was to hold on and win the championship on a day their closest rival, Liverpool, came from a goal down to beat Wolves 3-1.
