Manchester City have been crowned Premier League champions after one of the most historic title races of all-time.

City needed to head to Brighton and match Liverpool's result against Wolves on the final day of the season to retain the crown.

The Reds ran out 2-0 winners against Wolves, but City saw off the Seagulls 4-1 to seal the title, despite falling behind to Glenn Murray's goal.

Sergio Aguero squared things up before Aymeric Laporte, Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan ensured they ran out convincing winners at the Amex Stadium.

It is the first time in Manchester City's history that they have retained a league championship.

Earlier this season, City defended a trophy for the first time ever when they won the Carabao Cup for a second consecutive year.

Liverpool will feel especially unlucky in this year's race for the Premier League title, as they end the season on a record points total for a second-placed team.

The Reds would have won the league title in 117 of the previous 119 top flight seasons with their mammoth points total.

But ultimately it was City's dominance in the second half of the season which has seen them run out victorious.

Liverpool's only loss of the season came against City at the Etihad, where Leroy Sane's goal in the second half secured a 2-1 win for Pep Guardiola's side, which has now proved the most pivotal moment of the season.

City put themselves in a position to win the Premier League title on the final day of the season after a moment of individual brilliance from Vincent Kompany secured a 1-0 win over Leicester on the penultimate weekend.

And City finished the job by securing the result they required against Brighton.

The pressure was on Guardiola and his squad to replicate the success of the 2017/18 season, where City romped to the title by becoming the first team to ever reach 100 points.

A win at Arsenal on the opening day got the season off to a the perfect start, but a draw at Wolves early on suggested City might not have it all their own way this year.

Liverpool, meanwhile, just wouldn't be stopped. They drew only the one game (against Chelsea , who at the point had appeared to be title challengers themselves), before coming up against City at Anfield.

A goalless draw was played out, but with City's Riyad Mahrez missing a penalty in the final minutes. The Algerian was not necessarily the favourite to take the kick with Gabriel Jesus on the pitch - and duly blasted his effort over the bar to continue his miserable spot kick record.

Avoiding defeat, Liverpool then flourished and looked more like title challengers.

City, on the other hand, started to show weakness in the weeks to come. A crushing home defeat to Crystal Palace was followed up by the same outcome in their trip to Leicester over the Christmas period.

Before they knew it, they were facing Liverpool again.

City looked a shade of the team that had wobbled in the weeks before. Sergio Aguero gave them the lead, and even when Roberto Firmino brought Liverpool level, City showed the character which proved they can be champions.

Leroy Sane hammered the ball across the face of goal, out of Alisson's reach and it cannoned in off the post.

City won 2-1. The title race was back on.

And the race became a sprint. After City's final slip up - a 2-1 loss at Newcastle - it became a slugfest with each team exchanging knockout blows, but nobody refusing to drop to one knee.

But ultimately, that cold Thursday night at the start of January proved to be decisive, edging City ahead of Liverpool and allowing them to secure the Premier League title.

City now turn their attention towards securing the domestic treble, having also won the Carabao Cup, with the FA Cup final against Watford to come next week.

It has been a season of yet more history of Manchester City . All they need now is that elusive first Champions League win - and then maybe Pep Guardiola's campaign can be considered an overwhelming success. </s> Manchester City rewrote the Premier League record books as they won the title in style.

Manchester City rewrote the Premier League record books as they won the title in style.

Most Premier League points in one season Victory over Southampton, thanks to Gabriel Jesus’ injury-time strike, saw City become the first team ever to reach 100 points in a Premier League season. Chelsea’s 95 points in 2004-05 was the previous best. The goal was City’s 106th of the campaign, breaking the previous record of 103 set by Chelsea in their 2009-10 title-winning campaign. It is only the fourth three-figure total, with City and Liverpool scoring 102 and 101 respectively in 2013-14, so City are the first club to achieve the feat twice.

City’s 18-game winning run from August to December was the longest ever in the English top flight, pre-dating even the Premier League era. Along the way, they amassed a record-equalling 11 successive away wins, a feat previously achieved by Chelsea in 2008. With 🕙 to spare@ManCity have won the @premierleague title with five matches remaining, equalling Manchester Utd's 2000/01 #PL record#Champions pic.twitter.com/kkotPbg7q9 — Premier League (@premierleague) April 15, 2018 City missed out on a new record with derby defeat to Manchester United but matched their neighbours’ previous mark from 2000-01 by winning the league with five games to go.

With a 19-point advantage over United, City outperformed their rivals’ 1999-2000 margin of 18 over Arsenal. At +79, City beat the goal difference record of +71 set by Chelsea in 2009-10.

Chelsea’s record of 30 wins set last season only lasted a year as City racked up 32. Their win at Southampton was their 16th on the road, surpassing the Blues’ 2004-05 record of 15. 🗓🗓🗓🗓



An unprecedented 4️⃣ in a row! for @ManCity boss Pep Guardiola - @BarclaysFooty Manager of the Month for December pic.twitter.com/Wjhw91x8G8 — Premier League (@premierleague) January 12, 2018 Guardiola was named the Premier League’s top boss in September, October, November and December, the first man ever to win four successive manager of the month awards. </s> Manchester City have won the English Premier League title without even playing on Sunday after nearest challenger Manchester United were shocked 1-0 loss at home to bottom-placed West Bromwich Albion.

After all their efforts to stop City from clinching the league in their 3-2 derby win last week, United offered a clear reminder of why they have not been close contenders for the title this year, with an abject display lacking in creativity.

Their fans, who had celebrated the comeback victory at the Etihad last week, booed Jose Mourinho's side off the field after they lost to a team who had not won since January.

It was City's third title in seven seasons and easily its most convincing, with Pep Guardiola's team 16 points clear and still having five games to play this season.

City's other two Premier League triumphs, in 2012 and 2014, were sealed on the final day.

"We've won you the league, Manchester City, we've won you the league," sang West Brom's fans near the end of the game.

"Our Time. Our City. Premier League Champions 17/18," City tweeted soon after the final whistle when the fifth English top-flight title of its history was assured.

An 18-match winning run from late August to late December laid City's platform for the runaway title victory, and it was only a matter of when it would be clinched.

The 2012 title win had the infamous last-gasp goal by Sergio Aguero. Six years later, the finale was much more underwhelming, with Rodriguez nodding in from a corner to silence the majority of Old Trafford and set up one of the most surprising wins of the season.

United manager Mourinho had long given up hopes of winning the title, instead focusing on finishing second. This result left his team one point clear of third-placed Liverpool, with a game in hand.

As for City, it has a month to finish a season with the most points, goals and wins in a single Premier League campaign.

Check out Game of Our Lives from Al Jazeera's podcast studio, Jetty. </s> Manchester City retained the Premier League crown on Sunday thanks to a 4-1 win at Brighton and Hove Albion, becoming the first team to win back-to-back titles in England's top flight for a decade.

Alex Ferguson's Manchester United made it three in a row in the 2008-09 season, after which point the Premier League has changed hands year on year.

City now have their fourth title in the past eight seasons and can contemplate the prospect of a similar era of dominance under Pep Guardiola, having followed up last season's 100-point haul with 98 to edge a relentless tussle with Liverpool.

The EFL Cup winners will now turn their attentions towards next weekend's FA Cup final against Watford at Wembley and the prospect of an unprecedented domestic treble.

As in 2012 and 2014, City were forced to go to the final day of the campaign to seal glory, although there was no need to repeat the unforgettable drama of Sergio Aguero's last-gasp strike against QPR on the former occasion, as, despite falling behind, they moved through the gears to claim the three points they required at the Amex Stadium.

Glenn Murray nodded the hosts in front but City led by half-time thanks to goals from Aguero and Aymeric Laporte. Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan netted after the break to get the party in full swing.

Liverpool have the relative consolation of finishing with the best points total of any second-placed team in Premier League history, but their 29-year wait for a 19th English title goes on.

Indeed, the 97 points Klopp's men amassed is the third highest points total any team has managed in the division, behind City's exploits of the past two seasons.

Following their scarcely credible Champions League semi-final triumph over Barcelona in midweek, the Reds returned to Anfield to beat Wolves 2-0 thanks to Sadio Mane's double.

But football's apparent thirst for the unexpected this week was not further quenched on England's south coast, as City ensured they prevailed in this gruelling title battle of epic proportions.

Both teams took unbeaten runs into the eighth league game of the season, where they shared a 0-0 draw on Merseyside – Mahrez's late penalty miss denying City their first win at Anfield since 2003.

The first team to show signs of buckling under the unforgiving pace were City, who lost to Chelsea, Crystal Palace and Leicester City in the space of a four-game December nightmare.

That slump meant Liverpool arrived at the Etihad Stadium in January with a seven-point advantage. Goals from Aguero and Leroy Sane either side of a second-half Roberto Firmino equaliser gave City a pivotal 2-1 win and handed Liverpool their only top-flight loss of the campaign.

In normal circumstances, draws with Leicester City, West Ham, Manchester United and Everton would be welcome contributions to a title-winning haul, but those Liverpool slips proved decisive as City embarked on a run of 14 consecutive league victories after their loss at Newcastle United on January 29. </s> Brighton: Liverpool's 29-year wait for a league title continues after they had to settle for runners-up spot behind Manchester City despite Sadio Mane scoring twice in a 2-0 win over Wolverhampton on the final day of the Premier League season.

The victory for Juergen Klopp's side became irrelevant to the title outcome as City won 4-1 at Brighton & Hove Albion to ensure their second straight league crown.

City were ruthless at Brighton, ending the season with 98 points, just two shy of last season's record-breaking 100, while Liverpool's win over Wolves saw them end on 97 – by far the largest tally for a Premier League runners-up.

Needing a 14th successive league win to be certain of prevailing in an unprecedented title duel, City fell behind to Glenn Murray's 27th minute header but Pep Guardiola's side responded in devastating fashion. </s> Manchester City's Belgian defender Vincent Kompany (2nd R) shows the Premier League trophy to supporters outside the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, northern England on May 12, 2019.

Manchester City retained the Premier League title in style on Sunday, holding their nerve to come from behind and thrash Brighton to hold off a charging Liverpool after a nailbiting campaign.

Pep Guardiola's team won 4-1 at Brighton to finish with 98 points -- the second-highest total in Premier League history -- as Liverpool beat Wolves 2-0 at Anfield to finish a single, agonising, point adrift.

City, who strung together 14 league wins at the end of the season, are the first side to retain the title since their bitter rivals Manchester United managed the feat in 2009, and remain on course for the first domestic treble in English football history.

But Guardiola's team did not have it all their own way as they won a fourth English title in eight seasons and the sixth in the club's history.

A day of drama on England's south coast was in keeping with an astonishing season in which the lead switched hands time after time.

Liverpool drew first blood on Sunday, with Sadio Mane striking in the 17th minute to put them mathematically top of the table and on course for their first English top-flight title since 1990, before the Premier League era even started.

City fans' nerves were shredded even further when Glenn Murray put Brighton in front from a corner in the 27th minute, drawing a huge roar at Anfield.

But those cheers were quickly muted, with Guardiola's side level just 83 seconds later, Sergio Aguero staying onside and keeping his cool to finish after a brilliant ball from David Silva.

Ten minutes later, the unmarked Aymeric Laporte rose to head in Riyad Mahrez's corner to complete the turnaround for City and second-half goals from Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan put the result beyond doubt.

"We have to say congratulations to Liverpool and thank you so much -- they pushed us to increase our standards," Guardiola told Sky Sports.

"It's incredible, 98 points, to go back-to-back. We made the standard higher last season and Liverpool helped us -- to win this title we had to win 14 in a row. We couldn't lose one point."

"It's the toughest title we have won in all my career, by far," added the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss.

City jetted back north to celebrate with around 10,000 of their own fans at their Etihad Stadium late into the evening, with supporters singing along to "Wonderwall" by Oasis.

Players took it in turns to hoist the Premier League trophy, with club captain Vincent Kompany and Guardiola last to lift it, together.

"I'm so, so proud," said Kompany as the party got underway at 22:45 local time. "This team is amazing. We're able to fill this place at this time of night. Thank you so much."

City finished a record 19 points clear of Manchester United last season, but this term has been a totally different campaign.

Guardiola's side had to dig deep to see off the relentless challenge of Liverpool, who lost just one Premier League game all season.

The outcome was cruel on Liverpool, who are second behind only United in the all-time list of English champions with 18 titles.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp praised City but vowed his side would be back.

"City got the points they have because we were there," he told the BBC.

"They have 198 points in two years, that's special. We made such big steps. It's only the first step. Always after a good year we lost key players (in the past) but we won't (this time) so we'll be there again."

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah shared the Premier League Golden Boot award with teammate Mane and Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after they all scored 22 goals.

The Merseysiders' points tally is the third-highest in Premier League history.

Klopp's side travelled to face City at the Etihad in January with the chance to open up a 10-point lead but the defending champions won 2-1 in what turned out to be the pivotal match of the campaign.

Liverpool suffered a blip in late January and February, held to a series of draws, but they found their form again and relentlessly harried City, finishing with nine straight league wins.

Klopp's team will have to put the disappointment behind them as they prepare to face Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League final in Madrid on June 1.

Elsewhere on the final day of Premier League action, Spurs made mathematically certain of a place in the top four, drawing 2-2 against Everton.

Arsenal beat Burnley 3-1 while fellow Europa League finalists Chelsea were held to a goalless draw at Leicester but secured third place.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Manchester United finished their season with a whimper, losing 2-0 at home to relegated Cardiff -- a side he once managed.

There were also wins for Crystal Palace, Newcastle and West Ham. Southampton and relegated Huddersfield drew 1-1. </s> Having absorbed everything Liverpool could throw at them in a titanic Premier League title battle, Manchester City will retain their crown with victory at Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday.

It is possible they could get by with a draw, or even an unlikely defeat, as they will start the final round of a monumental title battle one point ahead -- but Pep Guardiola's side know better than to expect gifts from Merseyside.

In all likelihood, City will rack up a 14th successive win and Liverpool will beat Wolverhampton Wanderers to make it nine in a row. If that happens, City will take the honours with 98 points to Liverpool's 97.

To put that into perspective, those totals would be the second and third highest in the history of the Premier League -- behind only City's record-breaking 100-point haul last season when Guardiola delivered his first title.

If there was ever a case to share the trophy it is this season, such has been the excellence of both clubs, but in reality finishing second will be a bitter pill to swallow. </s> (Reuters) - Following are facts and figures after Manchester City clinched the Premier League title on the final day of the season:

*A 4-1 victory at Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday meant that City ended their campaign with 98 points to pip Liverpool to the league crown by a single point.

*The top two scored more points than what 13-times winners Manchester United ever managed in a 38-game season.

*City retained the league title for the first time in their history and became the first Premier League team to do so since United in 2009.

*They won their fourth league crown in eight years, with the latest title coming on the back of a 14-game winning run.

*Pep Guardiola’s side beat every team they faced for a second straight season. The only other English top-flight team to do so was Preston between 1888-89 and 1889-90.

*City, who won the League Cup earlier this season, can clinch their third major trophy of the campaign if they beat Watford in the FA Cup final next week.

*They have scored 100 goals in all competitions at the Etihad Stadium this season, extending their record for most home goals by an English top-flight team in a single season.

*Liverpool, who finished with 97 points, set a record for the highest tally for a team finishing second, beating the previous Premier League best of 89 amassed by Manchester United in 2011-12.

*Their tally would have won them the league title in 25 of the previous 26 seasons, barring last season where City accumulated a record 100 points.

*Guardiola has now won eight league titles, including three each at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, for a total of 25 major trophies in his career.

*The lead at the top of the Premier League table changed hands a record 32 times this season.

*Guardiola’s last four titles have been won by a margin of at least 10 points, but this season is the joint-closest race he has been involved in — with only one of his previous seven league title wins decided on the final day.

*Neither City nor Liverpool have dropped points since March 3, when Juergen Klopp’s side could only manage a draw against local rivals Everton. </s> BRIGHTON, England (AP) — Earning 97 points is almost always enough to win the Premier League. Not for Liverpool, which had the misfortune of running up against a Manchester City team setting new standards of excellence.

Only for 21 minutes during Sunday's season finale was the title in Liverpool's hands.

But by completing the season with a 14th successive victory — coming from behind to overwhelm Brighton 4-1 — City finished a point ahead of Liverpool and retained the trophy.

An English title drought that has clocked up 29 years rolls on for Liverpool. It's no consolation that Juergen Klopp's side combined with City to amass 195 points for the highest Premier League tally for the top two.

The only comfort for Liverpool is that it didn't sign off the season on Sunday with a 2-0 victory over Wolverhampton. While City has an FA Cup final to come to try to complete a domestic treble, Liverpool can win a sixth continental title if it beats Tottenham in the June 1 Champions League final.

The one major trophy missing in the City trophy cabinet is the European Cup. It's the target for the Abu Dhabi ownership and manager Pep Guardiola who has shown he can conquer the Premier League.

Captain Vincent Kompany has been part of City's four title triumphs since 2012, having previously won under Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini before the Guardiola double.

"It was the hardest and most satisfying Premier League title win ever," Kompany said. "Liverpool was exceptional, I don't mean to rub it in, it is what it is, they didn't deserve to lose."

Ten minutes after Liverpool went in front against Brighton through the first of Sadio Mane's two goals, City fell behind at Brighton.

Although Sergio Aguero leveled 83 seconds after Glenn Murray's header, it took Aymeric Laporte's header in the 38th minute to put City back in control of its title destiny.

That goal turned out to be the title-clincher, with City's anxieties only eased in the second half by record-signing Riyad Mahrez netting and Ilkay Gündogan scoring from a free kick.

It was on the south-coast exactly 21 months ago where Guardiola's first title-winning campaign began.

By the time the blue-and-white streamers had rained down on the City players on Sunday night, 201 goals had been scored and 198 points collected across the two title-winning campaigns.

Long forgotten is the spell four months ago when Liverpool blew the chance to go 10 points clear of City.

Instead the title hinged on Liverpool's only defeat of the campaign in January to City, which could afford to lose four times and still emerge victorious.

"As long as City are around," Klopp said, "with the quality they have, the power, the financial power and that stuff, then it's not any other team will pass them easily, that is clear. So we need to be very, very close to perfection to win the Premier League as long as this is the case."

Tottenham qualified for a fourth successive season in the Champions League after an unlikely series of results failed to materialize, leaving north London rival Arsenal finishing a point behind in fifth.

Christian Eriksen's free kick clinched Tottenham's 2-2 draw with Everton and Arsenal beat Burnley 3-1. Arsenal could still make the Champions League if it beats Chelsea in the Europa League final on May 29.

Chelsea was already sure of its return to the Champions League going into the final day and sealed third place — 25 points behind Liverpool — with a 0-0 draw at Leicester.

Manchester United slumped to its first league loss to Cardiff since 1960 in front of many empty seats as fans left Old Trafford before the final whistle.

The 2-0 collapse ensured United finished in sixth place — just where the record 20-time English champions were when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replaced the fired Jose Mourinho in January. A bright start to Solskjaer's interim reign saw him rewarded with a three-year contract in March, but United has endured a miserable run since then.

There was a three-way split for the Golden Boot as Liverpool duo Mane and Mohamed Salah finished level on 22 goals with Arsenal forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Both Mane and Aubameyang netted twice on Sunday.

With doubts over his future, Rafael Benitez will hold talks with Newcastle owner Mike Ashley after completing the season with a 4-0 victory over relegated Fulham.

Crystal Palace's club doctor has said he and his family were racially abused by a young child near Selhurst Park ahead of the team's 5-3 home victory over Bournemouth.
Manchester City F.C. win England's 2018–19 Premier League for the second year in a row with 98 points, while Liverpool F.C. come in second with 97 points, continuing their 29-year title drought.