Manchester 8 London 1

Probably the most annoying thing about the media’s coverage of this season’s title race, and the current focus on City’s legal battle with the Premier League, is how it minimalized a truly remarkable achievement.

A few days after the Cup final I was chatting to a (untypically happy) United fan. “So you won the league quite easily this year then,” he said. When I pointed out to him that we’d only won it by two points after winning our last nine games he was genuinely surprised.

I also told him we’d scored 33 goals in those games and conceded just six. “Fuck. I had no idea,” was his response. But by then the media narrative of the “inevitable” City title win had done its job.

It’s a shame, as I think this season’s title win is possibly the club’s greatest ever achievement considering the mountain we had to climb. City played 12 games in 46 days from 3 April to 19 May, including the two legs against Madrid on 9 & 17 April and the FA Cup semi on 20 April. That’s a game every 3.8 days, and all but one of them a must-win.

And here is the spread of goalscorers in those nine League games:

Haaland - 9 (4 pens)

Foden - 8

Gvardiol - 4

Alvarez - 3 (1 pen)

De Bruyne - 3

Rodri - 2

Doku - 1

Kovacic - 1

Lewis - 1

OG - 1

The fact that the five goals in the cup competitions during this period were scored by Bernardo (2), Foden, Gvardiol and De Bruyne, makes City’s spread of goalscorers even more impressive.

And finally (in case you’re wondering about the headline), I had a look at when the title was won in previous Premier League seasons. Here is a list of when the title was decided, and who won it:

2024 – Final game – Man City

2023 – 2 games remaining - Man City

2022 – Final game - Man City

2021 – 3 games remaining - Man City

2020 – 7 games remaining - Liverpool

2019 – Final game - Man City

2018 – 5 games remaining - Man City

2017 – 2 games remaining - Chelsea

2016 – 2 games remaining - Leicester

2015 – 3 games remaining - Chelsea

2014 – Final game - Man City

2013 – 4 games remaining – Man United

2012 – Final game - Man City

2011 – 1 game remaining – Man United

2010 – Final game - Chelsea

2009 – 1 game remaining – Man United

2008 – Final game - Man United

2007 – 2 games remaining – Man United

2006 – 2 games remaining - Chelsea

2005 – 3 games remaining - Chelsea

2004 – 4 games remaining – Arsenal

2003 – 1 game remaining – Man United

2002 – 1 game remaining – Arsenal

2001 – 5 games remaining – Man United

2000 – 4 games remaining – Man United

1999 – Final game - Man United

1998 – 2 games remaining – Arsenal

1997 – 2 games remaining – Man United

1996 – Final game - Man United

1995 – Final game - Blackburn

1994 – 2 games remaining – Man United

1993 – 2 games remaining – Man United

Since 1992-93 the title has gone down to the final game on ten occasions. City won it on five of those, United three, and Chelsea and Blackburn once.

And, of course, Liverpool’s 2019-20 win is officially the most boring Premier League title race of all time. But I’m sure the papers told us that at the time.

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