Premier League 2017/18: 5 games that helped Manchester City win the title

It had been inevitable for most of the season, but it’s finally official. After Manchester United suffered an embarrassing defeat at home against the league’s bottom club, their neighbors Manchester City were confirmed champions of England with five games to spare.

Having lost only twice in the league so far, City managed to clinch the trophy in joint-record time, tied with the Manchester United side of 2000/01. For a team that at one point looked like imitating the Invincibles, it’s no surprise that they have managed to seal the title this soon.

City were in a class of their own this season and showed that time and again in every match. However, there are certain games every season that separate the champions-elect and put them above and ahead of the chasing pack.

We look at five such games that really gave us the sense that Manchester City were really on to something special – something that made them deserved Premier League Champions.

---

#5 Bournemouth 1-2 Manchester City (26 August 2017)

Sterling scored the winner and was later sent off for his excessive celebrations

On paper, this fixture looked like it should have been a routine win for Manchester City, but it was anything but that. City weren’t really destroying the opposition right from Matchday 1.

In fact, it was their neighbors Manchester United who were handing heavy defeats with their 4-0 demolitions. City, on the other hand, had just managed to scrape a 1-1 draw against Everton at Etihad. It’s funny how fortunes can change over the course of the season, as United are now accused of playing boring football.

'When this game kicked off and it wasn’t really the start that City had hoped for. The home side started brightly and soon went on to take a deserved lead through Charlie Daniels’ volley in the 13th minute.

Thankfully for City, Gabriel Jesus equalised soon, but then it was still 1-1, and another draw would have meant United go four points clear of City at the top. City were having none of it. Or rather Raheem Sterling was having none of it.

A second-half injury time madness, which lasted nearly 10 minutes, saw City clinch the victory after Sterling scored the winner in the 97th minute. A spark of emotions followed as he went on to celebrate wildly with the fans in the Vitality Stadium.

Having already cautioned Sterling a few minutes later, Mike Dean would then go on to hand the City winger a second yellow card. As many as nine players were booked in the match, but this game really was the beginning of City’s climb to the top as they showed that they had the character to clinch maximum points when it seems impossible to do so.

#4 Manchester City 5-0 Liverpool (9 September 2017)

The red card for Sadio Mane was the talking point of the fixture.

Liverpool managed to get their revenge for this defeat against City, after handing them their first Premier League defeat of the season and knocking them out of the Champions League a couple of months later. The Reds are now being touted as a strong favorite for the European title.

Considering Jurgen Klopp’s record against the top 6 teams, and also his record against Pep Guardiola’s teams, it was important for City to come out victorious and continue their long-standing undefeated Premier League streak.

If Sterling’s dismissal in the last game was the talking point last time around, Sadio Mane’s high challenge on the Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson left Liverpool outnumbered, allowing City to thrash the Merseyside club 5-0 at Etihad.

It was an even game before the controversial red card, with Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah continuously asking questions of Nicolas Otamendi. But the red card prompted Klopp to take Salah off for an extra body in midfield - Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

A couple of more goals later and Roberto Firmino was taken off as well. That was a clear indication that Liverpool had conceded defeat and were already looking forward to the next game.

This was their first high-profile clash of the season and the result surely managed to send an ominous message of intent to their rivals.

#3 Watford 0-6 Manchester City (16 September 2017)

Sergio Aguero's hat-trick wrecked Watford and they could never recover

Watford were buzzing earlier in the season, having got off to a great start under Marco Silva. An unbeaten start, consisting of two wins and two draws helped The Hornets to a surprise fourth position stay for a brief period of time.

Considering their vast improvement, this fixture looked like it was an early season top of the table clash, as a victory for either team would have seen them go top.

Three consecutive clean sheets in the league supported their cause as they looked strong to blunt the City attack, who had recently destroyed Liverpool. It was all looking good and nice, but only until the match started.

Six goals is what separated the two sides at the final whistle as Sergio Aguero ripped them apart with a hat-trick, neatly supported by one goal each from Gabriel Jesus, Nicolas Otamendi and Raheem Sterling.

The Vicarage Road faithful were left stunned and astonished as the Watford side ended up slipping to 11th in the table, and they never really managed to recover from this. Silva also lost his job.

Manchester City, meanwhile, went on top of the table and they have never looked back since.

#2 Chelsea 0-1 Manchester City (30 September 2017)

Kevin De Bruyne struck a sensational goal against his former club

Coming into Stamford Bridge for the second high-stakes clash of the season, league leaders Manchester City were dealt a huge blow as Sergio Aguero was ruled out of the match following rib injuries owing to a car crash only a couple of days before the game.

Being at home, Chelsea would have hoped to kick on their season with an important win against their rivals. But just like how most of the season had been for The Blues, it just wasn’t meant to be.

Guardiola’s men capped off a brilliant all-round performance and, while the scoreline suggests that it was a close match, it was anything but. A superb strike from former Chelsea player Kevin de Bruyne in the second half went past Thibaut Courtois that helped City consolidate their position on top of the table.

It was a formidable win that kept them level on points with United but, in reality, gave them an advantage as United were yet to face any strong opposition.

Paul Pogba got injured, the goals fizzled out, points were dropped, and a couple of months later, it was time for the match that ultimately sealed it for Manchester City...

#1 Manchester United 1-2 Manchester City (10 December 2017)

And then they knew, that they will soon be champions of England!

First versus Second. Red versus Blue. Unbeaten Streak versus Unbeaten Streak.

There were multiple ways to describe one of the most awaited Manchester Derbies in history, as Manchester United welcomed runaway leaders to The Theatre of Dreams in an attempt to stop their run.

Following an emphatic victory over Arsenal at The Emirates Stadium a week ago, many hoped for a similar performance from The Red Devils which could reinvigorate a dying title challenge with 8 points separating the two sides going into the match.

While City were unbeaten in the league and were on a 13-match winning streak, United had the advantage of playing in front of the Old Trafford faithful as the Red Devils had not lost a game at home since September 2016.

Romelu Lukaku had a horror of a game as he inadvertently ended up assisting Otamendi for the second half winner after a poor attempt at clearing the ball in the danger zone. He couldn’t rectify his mistakes in front of the goal either, as his goal-scoring record in the games that matter worsened and attracted a lot of criticism.

The year of 2017 didn’t end brightly for The Red Devils, as they ended up dropping six more points by the turn of the year, while City kept winning. This top of the table clash and its eventual aftermath ensured that the title race was well and truly over.