Manchester City F.C. 3–2 Queens Park Rangers F.C.
The final match of the 2011–12 Premier League season was contested at the Etihad Stadium between Manchester City and Queens Park Rangers on 13 May 2012. City entered the match in first place on goal difference, being level on points with local rivals Manchester United, and needed to match United's result to win the league. Meanwhile, QPR entered the match in the relegation zone, knowing that a draw would secure safety at the expense of Bolton Wanderers. City won the match in dramatic fashion, reversing a 2–1 deficit by scoring two  goals in stoppage time, with the winner being scored by Sergio Agüero, to clinch their first league title since the 1967–68 season. The win began a period of dominance in English football for City, with the club winning five Premier League titles over the subsequent 10 years. The match, and more specifically the final goal of the match, has repeatedly been described as the greatest moment in Premier League history. The terms "93:20" and "Agueroooooo" have entered Manchester City folklore as a result, the former describing the exact second of the match at which point the final goal was scored , while the latter was commentator Martin Tyler's live response to the goal. Background. Manchester City. Throughout their history, Manchester City and Manchester United had been continued rivals, with their sparring particularly intensifying during the 1960s and early 1970s, but while United entered a golden era during the 1990s under the leadership of Alex Ferguson, City instead struggled and spent several seasons in the same period battling in the second and third divisions. Nonetheless, after a takeover by Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the Abu Dhabi royal family City's fortunes turned around, and over the course of several  seasons they built a team capable of challenging for a title for the first time since the 1970s. With the rivalry between the two clubs heating up once more, Ferguson, sensing the growing threat of City, provided a series of soundbites in response to press questions, describing City as "noisy neighbours" following a match between the two teams in 2009 which had finished 4–3 in United's favour, and dismissing their potential to challenge United's supremacy with the words "not in my lifetime". These comments further served to inflame feelings between the two clubs and to make City more  determined to succeed. Going into the 2011–12 season, many pundits had continued to pick United as probable league winners, though the traditional gap between the two clubs was considered to have shrunk considerably after City had knocked United out in the semi-finals on their way to winning their first trophy in 35 years plus qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in the Premier League era in the previous season. Both teams matched each other for results in the early rounds, but in the first Manchester derby of the season City caused a shock by beating United  6–1 at Old Trafford, equalling the record largest victory in a match between the two. After that match City took a 5 point lead at the top of the table, but occasional poor results led to United resuming first place in March. Following this loss of place City's belief seemed to take a dip and their resulting bad form over the next four matches ended up with United leading the table by eight points with only six games each left to play. Having taken this lead, though, the two clubs seemed to trade form, with United suffering several poor  results compared to City's straight victories, and a 1–0 home victory in the second derby of the season put the two clubs level on points going into May. Going into the final game of the season on 13 May, both teams were tied at the top of the table, with an identical record of 86 points, 27 games won, 5 drawn and 5 lost. Only goal difference separated the two teams, with City having the advantage by eight goals, meaning that City needed only to match United's result to win the league, with a victory by any scoreline  likely to be enough to make sure of the result. Manchester City found themselves playing at home against a Queens Park Rangers side still under threat of relegation, while United travelled to the Stadium of Light to play Sunderland, who were safe in mid-table and with no chance of European qualification remaining. Under the circumstances, both teams were expected to win their matches. Adding to the atmosphere of the match for City was the fact that lining up for their opponents were several of their former players in Nedum Onuoha, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Joey Barton. QPR were also  managed by Mark Hughes, who had been sacked by City two years previously. Queens Park Rangers. In their early history Queens Park Rangers had been a traditional lower-league side, joining the Football League in 1920 and spending almost all of the next 50 years in the third tier. In the late 60s, however, the club experienced a change of fortune as they won back-to-back promotions to reach the Football League Division One – the predecessor to the Premier League – as well as triumphing in the 1967 Football League Cup Final to win their first major silverware. Though they  were relegated in their first season at the top of the English football league system they returned again in 1983 and managed this time to stay for a total of 13 seasons, becoming Premier League founder members in the process. After relegation in 1996 they again found themselves battling in the lower divisions, as well as fighting financial difficulties. The investment of billionaires Bernie Ecclestone, Flavio Briatore and Lakshmi Mittal in the late 2000s finally gave them firm financial footing, and by 2011 they were back in the Premier League. Since their last stay in the Premier League, the financial  implications of relegation had become much more severe, making relegation a fate to be avoided at all costs. In the pre-season, QPR had been tipped to be relegated at the first time of asking by many pundits, and the club were taken over by Malaysian businessman Tony Fernandes in mid-August. A good run of results in the early months of the year put Rangers firmly mid-table but results tailed off in late 2011 and by the end of the year they were barely above the relegation zone leading to the sacking of manager Neil Warnock on 8  January 2012, being replaced by Mark Hughes who achieved his first victory two weeks later against fallow relegation candidates Wigan Athletic. However, QPR's revival under Hughes did not ultimately start until 21 March, eventually putting together a run of five wins in nine games. QPR went into the final game of the season only two points above safety, knowing that they needed to take at least one point from their final match, or for rivals Bolton fail to win, in order to guarantee their survival. Match. Team selection. City had a full-strength squad to select from, with the  only player missing through injury being Owen Hargreaves. QPR had been without both Kieron Dyer (foot) and Alejandro Faurlín (knee) since August, while Ákos Buzsáky (hamstring), Shaun Derry (thigh), Samba Diakité (illness), and Heidar Helguson (groin) were all doubts for Hughes' team. First half. The game kicked off at 15:00BST in front of a crowd of 48,000 at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, in addition to a peak audience of more than three million viewers on Sky Sports 1. City started strongest, with Samir Nasri narrowly missing out on a tap-in in the 15th minute after Paddy Kenny recovered  his own fumbled catch, and a minute later David Silva hit a low shot straight into Kenny's arms. City defender Pablo Zabaleta opened the scoring in the 39th minute; having failed to find Carlos Tevez with a low cross, Zabaleta chose instead to make his own run into the box. Quickly closed down by both Clint Hill and Taye Taiwo, Zabaleta opted for a shot on goal; QPR goalkeeper Kenny got both hands to it but could only palm the ball over his head and onto the far post, where it rebounded in to give Zabaleta his only goal  of the season. In the buildup to the opening goal, City midfielder Yaya Touré picked up an injury and was replaced just before half-time by Nigel de Jong. At half-time, with City leading 1–0 and Bolton winning 2–1 against Stoke City, QPR were in a position to be relegated while City would be crowned champions. Wayne Rooney's goal in the 20th minute of United's match against Sunderland meant that City needed to keep their lead through the second half in order to win the title. Second half. QPR equalised three minutes into the second half when  Djibril Cissé ran onto a miscontrolled defensive header by Joleon Lescott, entering the penalty area and shooting past Joe Hart at the first touch. Seven minutes later QPR were reduced to ten men when Joey Barton appeared to elbow Carlos Tevez off the ball and was shown a straight red card by referee Mike Dean. Walking away from Dean, Barton then walked up behind Sergio Agüero and kicked him in the back of the leg before attempting to headbutt Vincent Kompany in the ensuing melee. Needing to be escorted off the pitch by former teammate Micah Richards, Barton made a  further attempt at starting a fight with Mario Balotelli before he could be sent down the tunnel. Despite being a player down, QPR scored again in the 66th minute when a looped cross from Armand Traoré found Jamie Mackie unmarked to head in past Hart. City responded to the scoreline with a period of sustained attacking pressure. In the 72nd minute, Kenny tipped a Tevez header onto the bar from one corner before unconvincing defending for the second corner led to a shot by Zabaleta which ricocheted through the penalty area. In the 78th minute, Agüero salvaged a ball on  the goal line to allow Edin Džeko a shot to the near corner which Kenny kept out with the toe of his boot. The following minute, Balotelli, a recent substitute coming on for Tevez, hit a powerful shot straight at Kenny. During a series of four corners in short succession, a diving save by Kenny was needed to stop Mario Balotelli header's from going in at the top corner. At the end of regulation time, City still needed to score two more goals to win the league title. A 77th minute equaliser for Stoke in their match against Bolton  meant that QPR were now safe from relegation regardless of the final result of their match against City. Five minutes of injury time were added on to the end of the game, with City continuing to exert pressure. In the second of those minutes substitute Džeko equalised, powering a header past the goalkeeper from an in-swinging Silva corner - City's 18th of the match. From the resulting kick-off Jay Bothroyd simply sent the ball out for a throw-in. QPR cleared the resulting attack, but after Rangers lost control of the ball in City's half the ball  was played straight to Agüero. The Argentine passed to Balotelli, who was wrong-footed by a challenge by Anton Ferdinand and fell prone to the floor. With an outstretched leg, Balotelli still managed to flick the ball back into the path of Agüero, who sidestepped around a tackle by Taiwo before hitting the ball in hard at the near post past Kenny, restoring City's lead. When the match was restarted, QPR - knowing that they were still safe from relegation - again hit the ball out for a throw-in and remained in their own half as Clichy and Hart passed  the ball near their corner flag until Dean ended the match a few seconds later. Aftermath. Manchester City. The win sealed Manchester City's first league title since the 1967–68 season and their first Premier League trophy; additionally they became the first, and currently only, club to win the Premier League on goal difference alone. When the final whistle was blown, the City fans responded to the full time whistle with a pitch invasion. Phil Foden, then 11 years old, was among the fans who entered the playing field to celebrate: he would make his debut for the club five  and a half years later. The media immediately lauded the match as a historic moment: The New York Times described it as "the most dramatic and improbable end to the English season anyone could remember" and the BBC claimed it to be "a truly remarkable piece of football theatre and the most dramatic conclusion to a season in Premier League history", while Bleacher Report labelled it as "the perfect way to end what many believe has been the greatest Premier League season ever". In the post-match interviews, Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini commented that "I have never ever seen  anything like this. Never. It’s incredible, I don’t know what to say." Captain Vincent Kompany referred to the drama of the victory with: "You want to say it's the personal moment of your life but if I'm honest, please never again this way." In 2021, City's kit paid tribute to the late winning goal, using the image of a digital clock with the time "93:20", the time of Aguero's goal, both in the sublimated pattern and the name printing font used in cup competitions. Sky Sports commentator Martin Tyler's call of Aguero's  goal is considered by many as one of the most memorable commentaries in the history of the sport. In 2017, it was ranked by "The Independent" journalist Miguel Delaney as the most significant moment in Premier League history. Queens Park Rangers. Despite their loss, QPR escaped relegation after Bolton only drew 2–2 against Stoke, unable to overtake them. Following the match with City, manager Mark Hughes promised that the following season would not see another relegation battle. QPR invested heavily in their squad over the summer, bringing in a dozen new players. Regardless, QPR started the 2012–13 season poorly and  Hughes was sacked on 23 November 2012 after failing to win any of the club's first twelve league matches. He was replaced by Harry Redknapp the following day. QPR's winless run ended with a 2–1 victory over Fulham on 15 December 2012. In the January transfer window, the club again brought in a number of new signings, breaking their transfer record twice in the space of a fortnight, but after winning only four league games all season QPR were relegated to the Championship at the end of the season, finishing 14 points from safety. QPR were promoted to  the Premier League again in 2013–14, qualifying on 25 May 2014 after a playoff final victory over Derby County but lasted only one further season in the Premier League; they were relegated on 10 May 2015 after a 6–0 loss to City. They remained in the Championship for the remainder of the decade. Joey Barton. In the hours after the match, Joey Barton sent a series of tweets apologising to his club's fans but admitting that he had continued attacking players in the hopes of seeing City players sent off too. On 23 May, Barton was charged with two  separate counts of violent conduct by the FA. He was given a four-match ban for the incident with Tevez, and an additional eight game ban for the further actions he took as he was leaving the pitch, as well as a £75,000 fine. The total 12 game was the longest suspension handed out in the Premier League's history. Two days later, Queens Park Rangers stripped him of the club captaincy and fined him six weeks of wages. In the following weeks he would also be left off his club's pre-season tour, and he was not  given a squad number for the following season. On 31 August, Barton completed a season-long loan move to Ligue 1 club Marseille, believing that the move to France would allow him to serve his suspension from English football while still getting match time. On 7 September, the LFP announced that his 12-match ban would also apply for French matches, leaving him only able to take part in Europa League matches until it had elapsed. Barton ultimately made his domestic debut on 25 November, in a 1–0 home win against Lille. Although Barton initially claimed that he had no  intention of returning to QPR, he returned to his parent club for the 2013–14 season. He played with them for two more seasons before leaving in 2015.