Manchester City celebrate title triumph with fans at the Etihad

May 12, 2019

Manchester City celebrate Premier League title triumph with thousands of fans at the Etihad hours after beating Brighton to pip Liverpool to the crown

MATCH REPORT: Manchester City secured their second straight Premier League title with victory at Brighton
Pep Guardiola’s side pipped Liverpool to top spot with a 4-1 victory that took them to an amazing 98 points
The squad were whisked back north on three planes on Sunday night to share their victory with supporters
City lifted the trophy with fans at 10pm with celebrations continuing in the Etihad’s premiere hospitality suite

Manchester City were whisked back north on three planes on Sunday night to share their triumph with thousands of supporters at the Etihad Stadium.

They flew out of Biggin Hill, renowned for its role in the Battle of Britain, which felt apt given this titanic tussle with Liverpool. City lifted the trophy with fans at just gone 10pm, with celebrations continuing in the stadium’s premiere hospitality suite, the Tunnel Club, long after.

‘This was by far the hardest and most draining,’ Vincent Kompany said. ‘The first one (2012) happened in the last minute but this was constantly knowing you have to win and perform. We defeated one of the all-time great teams in England.’

Vincent Kompany lifts up the Premier League trophy as Manchester City celebrated retaining their crown on Sunday night

The Manchester City squad celebrated their title triumph with thousands of their supporters at the Etihad Stadium

The team got the chance to share their success with their fans just hours after beating Brighton to retain the title

Manager Pep Guardiola (left) and assistant Mikel Arteta looked over the moon as they showed off the trophy to the crowd

Pep Guardiola was equally reflective, claiming retaining this title was the toughest assignment of his illustrious career.’ It was the most difficult one,’ he said. ‘The most difficult one because of the quality of Liverpool. We made 100 points last season and had to make 98 this season.’

Guardiola and his players claimed they were not aware of Liverpool’s score against Wolves, although Brighton’s home crowd made sure it was voiced.

The jubilation inside City’s dressing room was just as loud. Renditions of “Allez, Allez, Allez” were pumped out by the players, so too “Campeones”. The tens of champagne bottles did not go to waste either. Noel Gallagher joined them, still with sunglasses on, after spending the afternoon in the away end.

Thousands of City fans gathered outside the Etihad to await the arrival of the side following their journey back from Brighton

A party atmosphere formed as the team made their way on stage and streamers and fireworks filled the night sky

Kompany (left) and Guardiola (right) each held one handle of the trophy as the rest of the team stood back and applauded

Kevin De Bruyne kept his celebrations typically low key as he held the trophy under his arm and waved to the crowd

Guardiola looked to be savfouring every moment as he stood with his arms around members of his coaching staff

‘I knew we could win back-to-back titles straight away,’ Kompany said. ‘The first meeting of the season it was all about how we tried to get back to back. Pep’s done it before and I felt we could do it from the first moment. I felt the desire. The manager starts everything. He sets the standards.’

Raheem Sterling was also effusive in his praise of Guardiola. ‘The manager is about mentality and it’s about winning no matter what,’ the forward said.

‘How we can win every game, it’s a credit to him and how he sets us up. I’m just happy to be under his wing. This is exactly what I came here for to win these trophies and I’m happy to get a second medal.

‘It’s about having multiple players in every position and having them challenge. No one is comfortable and everyone gets their chance. Riyad (Mahrez) gets his chance here and I knew he would score.’

The noise outside the ground was deafening as the City fans sang songs in appreciation of their team’s efforts this season

Star striker Sergio Aguero was in a jovial mood after adding a fourth Premier League title to his list of accomplishments

The City faithful looked to be having the time of their lives as they rejoiced at the end of another glorious season

Guardiola was the last person to leave the stage as the rest of the team headed inside to continue their celebrations

Guardiola laughed when asked about the lack of weaknesses in this team, suggesting there is much to be done at set pieces. ‘I am the tallest guy – in the set pieces it is go to the church to pray,’ he said. ‘It is a drama. We did it well in Burnley, we didn’t concede one and that is the target.’

Bernardo Silva, who could take the club’s player of the year award, insisted they did not believe this level of consistency was possible when the season started.

‘After last season we didn’t think we could get close to the points that we did last season,’ Silva said. ‘That was great, we still have the FA Cup and that’s very important we want the Treble. No one has done that and we want to do it.

Manchester City celebrate title triumph with fans at the Etihad

Manchester City celebrate Premier League title triumph with thousands of fans at the Etihad hours after beating Brighton to pip Liverpool to the crown

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