United Kingdom: Manchester City made English football history by defeating West Ham 3-1 to win the Premier League for the fourth time in a row and break Arsenal’s hearts as Jurgen Klopp left Liverpool in an emotional exit.
At a packed Etihad Stadium on Sunday, Phil Foden scored two goals early to put his team in the lead before Mohammed Kudus pulled one back with a fantastic overhead kick.
However, Rodri scored just before the hour mark to give City their two-goal lead back, and the home team hardly looked vulnerable as they cruised to victory.
Arsenal knew that a victory over Everton would not be sufficient if the champions triumphed at home, so they began the day two points behind their rivals and prayed for a miracle to prevent City from becoming champions.
The Gunners, who haven’t won the Premier League since 2004, overcame a goal deficit to defeat Everton 2-1, but they were forced to settle for second place in the standings for the second consecutive year.
Overtaking the feats of the legendary Liverpool and Manchester United sides of the past, City has now won six trophies in seven years, making them the only English team to have won four in a row in the top flight.
On the last day of the Premier League season, Luton’s 4-2 home loss to Fulham sealed their relegation. The following season, they’ll play in the championship alongside Sheffield United and Burnley.
Tottenham secured fifth position and a ticket in the Europa League for the next season by defeating relegated Sheffield United 3-0, while Chelsea’s 2-1 victory over Bournemouth ensured sixth place.
With Newcastle’s 4-2 victory over Brentford, Manchester United was forced to settle for eighth place, their lowest since 1990.
In Roberto De Zerbi’s penultimate game as the south coast club’s manager, Erik ten Hag’s United defeated Brighton 2-0, but it was too little, too late to avert a catastrophic league season.
The 23-year-old Foden has had his best season yet at City, as he surpassed 11 assists and reached 27 goals in all competitions on Sunday.
With a brutal left-footed shot from outside the penalty area, the England player opened the score on Sunday after just 79 seconds, relieving tensions among the home supporters. After receiving Jeremy Doku’s assist, he subsequently passed the ball into the net in the eighteenth minute.
After it seemed as though City had one hand on the trophy, word spread that Everton had taken the lead against Arsenal, forcing Mikel Arteta’s team to pull off an extraordinary series of events to win.
But in only a few minutes, Takehiro Tomiyasu’s side-footed goal to tie the score at the Emirates and Kudus’ goal to restore West Ham’s lead brought the title race back to life.
The mood at the Etihad grew more somber, but Rodri’s goal in the 59th minute relieved the pressure and the visitors hardly really threatened again in David Moyes’s farewell game in charge.
Idrissa Gueye gave Arsenal the lead at home in the 40th minute, but Tomiyasu tied the score three minutes later, and Kai Havertz added the winning goal in the 89th.
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