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Man City win the Premier League title

By Joe Prince-WrightMay 12, 2019, 12:08 PM EDT
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  • Back-to-back PL titles for City
  • 4th PL title in 8 years
  • 14th-straight win for Man City
  • 2nd highest points total (98) in history
  • Brighton took the lead
  • Aguero, Laporte, Mahrez, Gundogan score

BRIGHTON — Manchester City were crowned 2018-19 Premier League champions on Sunday, as they beat Brighton & Hove Albion 4-1 at the Amex Stadium to retain their crown as the champions of England.

Pep Guardiola‘s men have now won back-to-back Premier League titles, as their incredible run of 14-straight victories to end the season saw them finish one point clear of Liverpool, who they trailed by seven points in early January.

After Glenn Murray opened the scoring to give City a scare, Sergio Aguero equalized soon after and then Aymeric Laporte put City ahead before the break. Riyad Mahrez scored a stunner to make it 3-1 in the second half, as City eased to the title with Ilkay Gundogan adding another.

City finish the season on 98 points, one ahead of Liverpool, as they recorded the second-highest points tally in PL history, two less than the record they set last season.

With the League Cup and Premier League title already secured, Man City will now be the first English team to ever complete a domestic treble if they beat Watford in the FA Cup final next Saturday.

We are truly witnessing greatness.

City started brightly as Bernardo Silva weaved his way into the box but was eventually tackled at the crucial moment just as he was about to shoot.

Brighton then went close as a cross was whipped in that Murray nodded wide, but he was in an offside position anyway. Man City continued to dominate possession with having too many clear cut chances, as Raheem Sterling and Ilkay Gundogan fizzing went close. Then all hell broke loose.

[ MORE: Watch full PL match replays ]

Brighton took the lead as a Pascal Gross corner from the left saw Murray flick home to beat Ederson at his near post and give the hosts a 1-0 lead. But just seconds later City made it 1-1.

David Silva‘s flick found Aguero and he finished calmly at the near post through Ryan’s legs to equalize. Silva then went close with a header at he back post which Ryan saved as City clicked through the gears before the break.

A bad giveaway from Murray set Mahrez free but his shot towards the near post was pushed away by Ryan and from the resulting corner City took the lead. Laporte got free of his runner and sent a towering header home to make it 2-1. Right on half time Lewis Dunk‘s dipping free kick was fumbled and pushed onto the bar by Ederson as City survived a scare.

[ VIDEO: Premier League highlights ] 

In the second half City came flying out of the traps to try and put the game to bed.

They came close on several occasions before a moment of magic from Mahrez saw the Algerian jinx past two tackles and smash home to make it 3-1 and seal the title win.

[ MORE: Full lineups, stats, box score ]

Man City went close to extending their lead as Gundogan curled just wide, and moments later he did make it 4-1 as the German curled home a superb free kick to seal the glorious title win in style.

[ MORE: Final Premier League standings ]

WATCH: Man City celebrates 2018/19 Premier League title

By Kyle BonnMay 12, 2019, 1:55 PM EDT
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For 24 chaotic minutes, Liverpool was in the lead as they led Wolves at home and Man City was trailing Brighton & Hove Albion on the road.

In a blink of an eye, order was restored.

[ MORE: City wins title | Final standings | Golden Boot ]

Man City turned it around and won 4-1 to secure its second straight Premier League title on the final day of the season, concluding an epic battle with the Reds on 14 straight wins to close out the year. They came back from a seven-point deficit earlier in the winter, climbing the table with a stunning second-half showing.

The excitement was palpable as the club lifted the trophy on the Amex field after the win over Brighton. They received their winners medals and celebrated the win amid a shower of confetti. Holding the trophy high was captain Vincent Kompany whose absolute howitzer last time out topped Leicester City and was a critical moment in the title chase.

The manager then got to lift the silverware, as Pep Guardiola won his eighth league title in the last 11 years, a stunning return for one of the best managers to ever play the game.

Final Premier League standings of the 2018-19 season

By Andy EdwardsMay 12, 2019, 1:20 PM EDT
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Feast your eyes upon the final Premier League table of the 2018-19 season, in which:

  • Manchester City are champions with 98 points;
  • Liverpool finish second on 97 points, the third-highest total in history;
  • Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur backed into third and fourth place, respectively;
  • Arsenal and Manchester United missed out on Champions League qualification;
  • Wolverhampton Wanderers finished seventh in their first season back in the top flight
  • Fulham and Cardiff City head back down to the EFL Championship after one season;
  • Huddersfield Town finish bottom and head back down after two seasons in the PL
Team GP W D L GF GA GD PTS
 Manchester City 38 32 2 4 95 23 72 98
 Liverpool 38 30 7 1 89 22 67 97
 Chelsea 38 21 9 8 63 39 24 72
 Tottenham Hotspur 38 23 2 13 67 39 28 71
 Arsenal 38 21 7 10 73 51 22 70
 Manchester United 38 19 9 10 65 54 11 66
 Wolves 38 16 9 13 47 46 1 57
 Everton 38 15 9 14 54 46 8 54
 Leicester City 38 15 7 16 51 48 3 52
 West Ham United 38 15 7 16 52 55 -3 52
 Watford 38 14 8 16 52 59 -7 50
 Crystal Palace 38 14 7 17 51 53 -2 49
 Newcastle United 38 12 9 17 42 48 -6 45
 Bournemouth 38 13 6 19 56 70 -14 45
 Burnley 38 11 7 20 45 68 -23 40
 Southampton 38 9 12 17 45 65 -20 39
 Brighton 38 9 9 20 35 60 -25 36
 Cardiff City 38 . 10 . 4 . 24 . 34 . 69 . -35 . 34
 Fulham 38 7 5 26 34 81 -47 26
 Huddersfield Town 38 3 7 28 22 76 -54 16

PL Golden Boot: Mane, Salah, Aubameyang all win with 22 goals

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By Daniel KarellMay 12, 2019, 12:34 PM EDT
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For the first time in nearly a decade, there’s no singular winner of the Premier League’s Golden Boot.

Instead, the honor for most goals in the Premier League this season is shared by last year’s winner, Mohamed Salah, his Liverpool teammate Sadio Mane, and Arsenal forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The trio of stars finished with 22 goals, as Mane and Aubameyang both hit a brace on Championship Sunday.

[READ: Man City win Premier League title]

The last time the Golden Boot was shared was in 2011, when Carlos Tevez and Dimitar Berbatov shared it with 20 goals.

For Arsenal, it’s the club’s first Golden Boot winner since Robin Van Persie scored an incredible 30-goals in the 2011-2012 season, before moving to Manchester United and winning a Premier League title. Aubameyang becomes Arsenal’s third Golden Boot winner, following Thierry Henry and Van Persie. Mane meanwhile becomes Liverpool’s fourth Golden Boot winner, after Salah, Luis Suarez, and Michael Owen.

Aubameyang double helps Arsenal down Burnley (video)

By Kyle BonnMay 12, 2019, 12:05 PM EDT
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A Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang double saw Arsenal finish the Premier League season on a winning note, and the Gabon international draw level with the Premier League top scorers as Arsenal topped Burnley 3-1 at Turf Moor on the final day of the season.

Aubameyang started the day off strong, hitting the bar in the opening minutes. A free kick from a lateral angle swung in to the near post and the Arsenal striker clattered the crossbar with a chested ball. Tom Heaton was also forced into action in the early going, with Aubameyang again coming close minutes later.

[ MORE: Watch full PL match replays ]

Arsenal was nearly broken down past the half-hour mark on a scrum in the box but a critical tackle from Mateo Guendouzi kept Burnley off the board. Just before the break, James Tarkowski got his head to a corner, but it fired just wide.

The Gunners had a familiar sight when Konstantinos Movrapanos went off injured past the half-hour mark, with Laurent Koscielny coming on in his place. The back line for the Gunners this season has been a revolving door with injuries dotting the landscape, and now with the Europa League final on the horizon, they will have to deal with another.

[ VIDEO: Premier League highlights ]

Burnley finally broke thanks to a poor back-pass from Jack Cork, leaving Ben Mee in trouble. Aubameyang snatched the wayward ball, and he finished cooly through on goal for the opener 52 minutes in, his 21st goal of the season.

The second came 10 minutes later with Aubameyang on the double, smashing home a looped cross from Alex Iwobi to the far post. The goal was notable in the Golden Boot race, but Burnley made sure the celebration was short-lived as a header from Ashley Barnes pegged the Gunners back.

Aubameyang had a glorious chance to not only seal his hat-trick but also to win the Golden Boot, and he somehow missed. Henrikh Mkhitaryan‘s pinpoint cross came right to a sliding Aubameyang at the doorstep, but he managed to put it wide with the goal gaping.

[ MORE: Premier League schedule ]

19-year-old Eddie Nketiah finished off the scoreline with the final kick of the game as he scored from an absurdly tight angle, squeaking it through a defender’s legs right on the end line and into the far corner. The goal was somewhat noteworthy given that Aubameyang was wide open at the penalty spot calling for the ball, and another goal for him would have sealed not only the hat-trick but the Golden Boot outright. Instead, Nketiah took it himself and wrapped up the game.

With the win, Arsenal finished the season in fifth, just a point off the Champions League places with 70, inches behind rival Tottenham’s 71-point haul. Burnley ends up in 15th, right on the magical 40-point mark.