Skip to content

Man City win Premier League: Five key games on the road to glory

Leroy Sane scores a fourth against ten man Liverpool

Manchester City clinched the Premier League title with five games to spare following Manchester United's defeat to West Brom on Sunday. Here, we look back at five games that set Pep Guardiola's side on the path to glory...

Man City 5-0 Liverpool (September 9)

City faced their first big test of the season when Liverpool visited the Etihad at the start of September in an encounter that was to send out an ominous warning to the rest of their rivals

Pep Guardiola had failed to get the better of Liverpool in his debut season in England, but City's boss more than made up for that this time around as his side recorded their biggest win over the Reds since 1937.

Nicolas Otamendi of Manchester City celebrates scoring the 2nd Manchester City goal with team-mates during the Premier League match
Image: Man City have won the Premier League for a third time in the club's history

Although the visitors had to play more than half the game with 10 men after Sadio Mane's first-half sending-off, Sergio Aguero had already put City ahead by that stage, with the home team going on to score four more goals thanks to doubles from Gabriel Jesus and Leroy Sane.

That result kept City level with rivals Manchester United at the top of the table, a position they have not relinquished since.

Watford 0-6 Man City (September 16)

Winning at Watford might not have been the biggest surprise but the Hornets were buzzing after an unbeaten start to the season. City went to Vicarage Road and delivered one of the most exhilarating displays of the season.

Aguero was the hat-trick hero but Jesus, Nicolas Otamendi and Raheem Sterling were also among the goals on an afternoon where everything went right.

Also See:

It was to set the tone for some of the thrashings that were to come, with a 5-0 win over Crystal Palace and a 7-2 victory over Stoke following soon after.

Chelsea 0-1 Man City (September 30)

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Watch City beat the then champions Chelsea

Despite arriving at Stamford Bridge at the end of September having won their six matches in all competitions that month by a combined scoreline of 24-1, City were still level on points with United at the top of the table.

City also had to take on the reigning champions without top-scorer Aguero - who had scored six goals in six league games, but sustained rib injuries in a car crash in Amsterdam two days earlier - and new big-money left-back Benjamin Mendy due to a long-term knee problem.

Manchester City made a statement to the whole of football with win over Chelsea, according to Stuart Pearce
Image: Man City's players celebrate their crucial win at Stamford Bridge

None of that mattered though as the visitors produced a dominant display in the capital - capped off by Kevin De Bruyne's eye-catching second-half strike - to gain revenge for their 2-1 loss at Chelsea five months earlier and move back on top of the league on goal difference from their city rivals.

Man City 2-1 Southampton (November 29)

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Watch City's dramatic late win over the Saints

On paper this may look like a routine win against a struggling Saints side, however, it was anything but as shown by Guardiola's wild celebrations following Sterling's 96th-minute winner.

The England forward, who had already scored dramatic winners against Feyenoord and Huddersfield in the previous seven days, cut in from the left, played a one-two with De Bruyne, before curling a shot past Fraser Forster and into the top right-hand corner of the net.

Pep Guardiola and David Silva celebrate the 2-1 victory over Southampton
Image: Pep Guardiola and David Silva (left) after City's last-gasp victory against Southampton

Sterling's 13th goal of the season gave City a club-record 12th straight league win, while also more crucially restoring their eight-point lead over second-placed United as Guardiola's men become the first side in Premier League history to reach 40 points from 14 games.

Man Utd 1-2 Man City (December 10)

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Watch City's pivotal win at Old Trafford

The top two met at Old Trafford in a titanic Super Sunday clash after which United manager Jose Mourinho declared the title race over as City extended their lead at the top of the table to a cavernous 11 points.

The visitors' win came courtesy of goals either side of half-time from the brilliant David Silva and Otamendi, although they still needed a remarkable late stop from Ederson to preserve the three points.

Manchester City's Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson (L) makes the second of a double save from a shot from Manchester United's Spanish midfielder Juan Mata (2L)
Image: Man City 'keeper Ederson (left) prevents Juan Mata from equalising late on

The magnitude of City's display, though, was measured by the fact it was United's first home loss for 40 matches, a run stretching back to City's win at the Theatre of Dreams in September 2016.

City, who had dropped two points all campaign in a draw with Everton in August, became the first team to win 14 top-flight games in a row in a single season as Guardiola's team moved a step closer to winning the league.

Super 6 £1m jackpot
Super 6 £1m jackpot

Simply predict six correct scores to win Jeff's £1 million. Enter your selections for free here.

Around Sky