Manchester City won the Premier League title without even playing on Sunday when its rival and nearest challenger Manchester United surprisingly lost 1-0 at home to last-place West Bromwich Albion.
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.
Second-place United dragged the title race out for at least another week by winning 3-2 at City last weekend, only to gift the trophy to City by losing to a team that is destined for relegation and had just one league win since August.
Guardiola might not have seen Jay Rodriguez’s 73rd-minute winning goal at Old Trafford because he was due to be playing golf with his son instead of watching the match.
Instead of City likely clinching the title at home to Swansea next weekend, that game at Etihad Stadium will now be a party and a celebration of one of the Premier League’s finest teams which could yet break a host of records by the end of the season.
The Associated Press
