Exactly 12 years on from our vital title-deciding victory over QPR, we’re resurfacing a special feature, by Jack Mumford, that looks at our history of Premier League-winning final day triumphs. This was originally published in May 2022.
No team has won the Premier League title on the final day more times than Manchester City.
Four times, under three different managers, we have prevailed on a day when a season’s worth of pressure came to a head.
Sergio Aguero’s unforgettable 93:20 strike was the crowning moment in that first triumph before victory over West Ham won City the title in 2013/14.
Pep Guardiola’s first City title was won weeks before the climax, but a relentless two-horse race the following year ended with victory in the late May Brighton sunshine.
2020/21 was, in comparison, much more relaxed.
That brings us to last Sunday. Needing three goals in the last 20 minutes to retain our trophy, we scored them all in just over five minutes to defeat Aston Villa.
City have now come out on top on the last day of the season more than anyone else, ahead of Manchester United (3), Chelsea and Blackburn Rovers (1 each).
Proof that, as the song goes, we really do fight ‘til the end.
Here we’ll take a look back at each of those occasions.
City 3-2 QPR,
13 May 2012
City had already put in a gargantuan effort to pull it back from an eight-point deficit from Manchester United with just six games left.
Roberto Mancini’s side had been through a rollercoaster ride, with the dizzying highs of an historic 6-1 win at United in October and then the lows of shock defeats on the road at Sunderland, Swansea City and Everton.
2012 was also a moment of great change for the Club as we sought to end 44 years without a top-flight title. Winning breeds confidence and a change in mentality, but first you have to win.
Vincent Kompany, our captain then, said things weren’t normal in the week leading up to that game.
“A game like QPR even today would make me nervous,” he insisted.
“The preparation was different. As captain I didn’t plan for us winning the league, after Arsenal I think most of the lads were planning holidays.
“We won at St James’ Park and now we’re thinking ‘teams that win, what do they do?’. Do you book a hotel? What venue do you party at?
With City 2-1 down as we enter injury time, it looks beyond us.
“Usually I’m the guy who will be believing anything can happen. At that moment in time I’m thinking about how I can pick the lads up again. It’s the biggest disappointment in your life.
“Everything you had worked for, you’ve thrown it all away. I had nothing left to do. Edin scores and you started feeling something was going to happen. We needed that one.”
Then the unthinkable happens…
“Sergio scored and the sound was deafening. It’s like your head was about to explode. It’s virtually impossible to describe how you felt.
“Thank god there was no VAR at the time. It doesn’t matter, VAR would have done something. It’s a goal, it’s finished. I was the happiest man on Earth.”
City 2-0 West Ham,
11 May 2014
A 3-2 defeat at title rivals Liverpool looked to have ensured the trophy would be going to Anfield. Matters were made worse by a home draw against Sunderland just three days later.
However, we found our feet and started to win again. On the day we beat Crystal Palace, Chelsea famously won at Liverpool. With a game in hand and superior goal difference, it was back in our hands – Crystal Palace’s dramatic comeback against Liverpool only served to further that feeling.
We knew that a win on the final day against a mid-table West Ham team would be enough. For City fans, the events at the Etihad Stadium were so shocking because they were so straightforward.
Samir Nasri’s deadlock breaker may have come in the same minute as Pablo Zabaleta’s against QPR two years earlier, but that was where the similarities ended.
Vincent Kompany doubled the lead shortly after half-time and that day, that was where the drama ended. Liverpool beat Newcastle, but it did not matter.
Even with City seemingly dead and buried only a month earlier, boss Manuel Pellegrini never lost faith.
After winning the title he said: “I trust the players. Everything can happen in football but I was so sure that we were not going to lose the title at home with our fans.
"This title is because of the way this club works. The whole club won this title; players, coaches, directors and fans. Having two titles in the same year is very important for a club that always wants to improve.”
Brighton 1-4 City,
12 May 2019
A year after becoming the first side to reach 100 points in a single Premier League season, City’s levels had to remain incredibly high to hold off Liverpool once again.
City, now managed by Pep Guardiola, and Liverpool, by Jurgen Klopp, two of the heavyweight coaches in world football, produced a title race for the ages.
After two shock defeats over Christmas, City won 18 of our final 19 Premier League matches to rack up 98 points. That was all that would do it too, with Liverpool finishing on 97.
They themselves lost only once in the league, against City in January, but four draws in their final 17 games was enough to give Pep’s relentless Blues the edge.
A nervy midweek clash against Leicester City in the final few days of the season was won by a Vincent Kompany thunderbolt. Our captain celebrated in the pose that is now immortalised by his statue outside the Etihad Stadium.
On the final day, City were at Brighton who had had their Premier League status confirmed days earlier.
With Liverpool 1-0 up, Glenn Murray scored to put Brighton ahead and City into second place.
This was clearly something that Sergio Aguero wouldn’t stand for. The Argentine scored one minute later. Before half-time, City were in the lead.
That dreadful 60 seconds was as bad as it got for City fans that day, as we added another two in the second half.
“It was the hardest and most satisfying Premier League title win ever,” smiled Kompany afterwards.
“Liverpool were exceptional this year and I don’t mean to rub it in – it is what it is – they didn’t deserve to be second this year, but it only makes me that much more happy that we’ve been up against such a good team and when our backs were against the wall we kept finding the results.
“We won at the Etihad against Liverpool and I think that made the difference and once we got our noses in front, we were able to stay in front – I’m so happy for myself, the team and our fans.”
City 3-2 Aston Villa,
22 May 2022
In yet another title race to the wire between City and Liverpool, Pep’s team had held first spot since early December.
However, that didn’t matter on the final day with Klopp’s Anfield side again breathing down our necks.
Liverpool had to win and hope City didn’t to take our title from us.
Events at the Etihad looked to be falling perfectly into place for Liverpool when Philippe Coutinho, their former player, scored in the 69th minute to put Aston Villa 2-0 ahead. However, with Wolves holding Liverpool City were still in top spot.
That was of no concern to most City fans, who were distraught as they awaited the news of the seemingly inevitable Liverpool goal.
Instead, Ilkay Gundogan popped up at the back post then Rodri guided a finish into the bottom corner before that man Gundogan tapped home a third. In the blink of an eye, it didn’t matter what happened at Anfield. City would be champions if they could hold on.
A calculated performance to keep the ball from our goal in the final moments meant that news of Liverpool taking the lead and then extending that advantage had no bearing on our party.
Despite how desperate it appeared for City last week, a strange quirk meant that we did not actually sit in second place at any point on the final day.
After winning it, Pep ensured his players knew just what he thought of them.
"We are legends,” he said.
“When you win four in five then it’s because these guys are so special. We will be remembered.”
In his press conference, he also said: “The last game is always special, a lot of emotions.”
After four title wins on the final day of the season, don’t City fans just know it.
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