Manchester City have been crowned Premier League champions for the third successive season after their title rivals Arsenal lost at Nottingham Forest. Pep Guardiola’s side have won the title in five of the past six campaigns and have a chance to claim the Treble with FA Cup and Champions League finals to come next month. City trailed Arsenal by eight points on 7 April, although they had played one game fewer than Mikel Arteta’s leaders at that point. However, they have won 11 league games in a row – and dropped just two points from a possible 42 – to overhaul Arsenal and clinch the title with three games remaining. Captain Ilkay Gundogan said: “The Premier League is without doubt the most demanding and competitive league in the world, so that tells you everything about what an achievement this is. To have won this trophy three times in a row and five times in six years is incredible.” City are only the fifth club to win three successive top-flight titles in England, following Huddersfield Town (1924-26), Arsenal (1933-35), Liverpool (1982-84) and Manchester United, who did it twice under Sir Alex Ferguson (1999-2001 and 2007-09). It is also the third occasion Guardiola has managed to win three league titles in a row. The title win comes three months after City were charged by the Premier League with more than 100 breaches of its financial rules following a four-year investigation. The charges cover the period of 2009-2018, since the 2008 takeover by the Abu Dhabi United Group, led by billionaire Sheikh Mansour, a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family. City have denied financial wrongdoing and have been referred to an independent commission, which can impose punishments ranging from a fine and points deduction to expulsion from the Premier League. The club’s push for the Treble has been driven, in part, by Erling Haaland’s remarkable goalscoring record since he joined from Borussia Dortmund last summer. The 22-year-old Norwegian has scored 52 goals in 48 games in all competitions – including a record-breaking 36 goals in 33 Premier League appearances. He broke the Premier League record for goals in a season with his 35th at the start of March, which moved him one clear of Andy Cole and Alan Shearer – whose 34-goal tallies had come in a 42-match campaign.
Manchester City have been crowned Premier League champions for the third consecutive season after their title rivals Arsenal lost at Nottingham Forest. Pep Guardiola’s side have won the title in five of the past six campaigns and have a chance to claim the Treble with FA Cup and Champions League finals to come next month. City trailed Arsenal by eight points on 7 April, although they had played one game fewer than Mikel Arteta’s leaders at that point. However, they have won 11 league games in a row – and dropped just two points from a possible 42 – to overtake Arsenal and clinch the title with three games remaining. Captain Ilkay Gundogan said: “The Premier League is without doubt the most demanding and competitive league in the world, so that tells you everything about what an achievement this is. To have won this trophy three times in a row and five times in six years is incredible.” City are only the fifth club to win three successive top-flight titles in England, following Huddersfield Town (1924-26), Arsenal (1933-35), Liverpool (1982-84) and Manchester United, who did it twice under Sir Alex Ferguson (1999-2001 and 2007-09). It is also the third occasion Guardiola has managed to win three league titles in a row. The title win comes three months after City were charged by the Premier League with more than 100 breaches of its financial rules following a four-year investigation. The charges cover the period of 2009-2018, since the 2008 takeover by the Abu Dhabi United Group, led by billionaire Sheikh Mansour, a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family. City have denied financial wrongdoing and have been referred to an independent commission, which can impose punishments ranging from a fine and points deduction to expulsion from the Premier League. The club’s push for the Treble has been driven, in part, by Erling Haaland’s remarkable goalscoring record since he joined from Borussia Dortmund last summer. The 22-year-old Norwegian has scored 52 goals in 48 games in all competitions – including a record-breaking 36 goals in 33 Premier League appearances. He broke the Premier League record for goals in a season with his 35th at the start of March, which moved him one clear of Andy Cole and Alan Shearer – whose 34-goal tallies had come in a 42-match campaign. This title win marks an incredible achievement for Manchester City, who have now won five titles in six seasons, with only Manchester United having achieved similar success between 1996 and 2001 when they also won the Treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League. Liverpool also enjoyed similar periods of league success in the late 1970s and early ’80s.
