Manchester City vs Aston Villa LIVE: Premier League result and reaction after Ilkay Gundogan goals seal title
Follow all the reaction after Man City produced a stunning late comeback to seal a fourth Premier League title in five years
Manchester City staged a sensational comeback from 2-0 down to retain the Premier League title with a dramatic 3-2 win over Aston Villa.
Needing to win to be assured of holding off Liverpool, City were in danger of blowing it as Matty Cash and former Reds star Philippe Coutinho struck at the Etihad Stadium. Yet Pep Guardiola’s side showed all their champion quality to rally with Ilkay Gundogan coming off the bench to score twice either side of a superb Rodri strike in a remarkable five-minute spell.
City had known that second-placed Liverpool, trailing by just a point, could overtake them with victory over Wolves and there were times in the afternoon when they lived on their nerves.
When they trailed by two, Liverpool were being held 1-1 and news of another goal at Anfield at that stage, could have been a hammer blow. Yet in remarkable final-day drama, City cast off the shackles of a dismal first-half display to turn the game around and render Liverpool’s eventual win academic.
Follow all the reaction from Man City vs Aston Villa below:
Man City vs Aston Villa
Kevin De Bruyne has scored 13 goals and assisted seven in his last 19 Premier League appearances.
Man City vs Aston Villa
Philippe Coutinho has failed to score or assist in any of his last 10 Premier League appearances, after recording seven goal involvements in his first eight games for Villa.
Meanwhile, Ollie Watkins has scored in all three Premier League appearances versus the reigning champions, netting five goals in total.
Liverpool vs Wolves
Joel Matip has scored in each of his last two Premier League matches, as many as in his previous 45 appearances combined. In contrast Mo Salah has failed to score in 13 of his previous 14 games in all competitions and starts on the bench for the Reds today.
Liverpool vs Wolves
Wolves, who have scored 37 league goals this season, could become just the third team to finish in the top eight of the Premier League despite scoring fewer than 40 times, emulating Fulham in 2008-09 and Burnley in 2017-18.
They have not conceded a first-half goal in 17 Premier League away games since Leicester’s Jamie Vardy scored against them on the opening weekend.
Man City vs Aston Villa
Man City have lost just one of their last 27 Premier League games, while they are unbeaten in 11 since losing 3-2 at home to Spurs in February.
Their only final-day defeat in their last 13 campaigns came at home to Norwich City in 2012-13 and they have triumphed in all five of their final league games of the season under Guardiola by an aggregate score of 20-1.
The Citizens can also equal the club league record of 22 clean sheets in a single campaign, last set in 1999 in the third tier.
Man City vs Aston Villa
Aston Villa are winless in their last 16 matches versus the Premier League leaders, losing the previous seven by an aggregate score of 21-1.
They could win their final-day game in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1998, following a 2-1 victory over Chelsea in 2020-21.
However, they have triumphed in just one of their previous 15 final-day away fixtures in the Premier League, a 3-1 win at Chelsea in 2002.
Jurgen Klopp: The manager who has become the perfect fit for Liverpool
On Sunday, Liverpool Football Club will head into their final match of the Premier League season knowing that – while it’s not in their own hands – one more win could see them end the day as champions. That would complete a remarkable treble, having won both domestic cups already this season.
Next weekend, the Reds will be in another all-or-nothing encounter, playing Real Madrid in the Champions League final in Paris, a day which could see the Merseyside club crowned kings of Europe for the seventh time and add a third – or, improbably, outrageously, a fourth – piece of silverware to the annual collection.
They are right now at the pinnacle of the world game, one of the best-run off the pitch and one of the most enthralling to watch on it.
While that overall progression and growth is unquestionably the work of many, reaching this stage, with this consistency, would be utterly impossible without one binding individual: Jurgen Klopp.
Jurgen Klopp: The manager who has become the perfect fit for Liverpool
The 54-year-old is already a club legend having ended a three-decade wait for a league title and then taken a bid for a quadruple to the final day of the season, writes Karl Matchett
Liverpool vs Wolves
Liverpool are unbeaten in their last 22 league games at Anfield - 17 wins, five draws - scoring 53 goals and conceding just 10 in that run.
If they avoid defeat on Sunday it will be the fifth time they have completed a Premier League season without a single home defeat, matching the record set by Chelsea.
Liverpool vs Wolves
Wolves have lost their final fixture in six of their seven Premier League campaigns, winning the other against Sunderland in 2010.
But, they are winless in six league matches - two draws, four defeats - their longest such run under Bruno Lage. They have also lost eight of their last 13 league games - three wins, two draws - as many defeats as in their opening 24 league fixtures.
Man City vs Aston Villa
Man City are attempting to secure their fourth Premier League title under Pep Guardiola, a tally bettered only by Sir Alex Ferguson’s 13. It would make Guardiola the outright leader for English top-flight titles among non-British managers, going one clear of both Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho.
Guardiola has won the title in nine of his previous 12 top-flight seasons as a manager: three times each with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City.
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