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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Rob Smyth

Manchester City 3-1 West Ham: City win Premier League – as it happened

West Ham Manchester City Pep Guardiola Rob Jeremy Doku Mateo Kovacic Aaron Cresswell Alvarez Andy Cole Angelo Ogbonna
Kyle Walker and Jack Grealish get the title party started.
Kyle Walker and Jack Grealish get the title party started. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

That’s it for another Premier League season. You can fluke a cup win but not the league, and certainly not four years in a row. Congratulations to all connected with Manchester City on an extraordinary achievement. They’re the greatest team in England, one of the greatest we’ve ever seen, and there’s every chance they’ll make it five in a row next year. Goodnight!

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More City reaction

Kevin De Bruyne

It feels just as amazing as the first one. We worked so hard for it and to do something historic is amazing.

(Phil Foden) has been so decisive for us this season and it was a brilliant goal at the start of the game.

This is one of my most special titles. I had a tough yeark, being out for six months, so to come back and help the team makes it a great achievement personally. (He’s not wrong.)

Bernardo Silva

The margins are so small. We beat Liverpool twice by one point and now Arsneal by two points. We’re so, so proud to win four in a row.

The West Ham goal created a bit of doubt because you know they don’t need to play well to do some damage – they are very good at set-pieces and counter-attacks. But we maintained the same level and the third goal was very important.

The last man up is the captain Kyle Walker. He collects the Premier League trophy, creeps theatrically towards his teammates and lifts it as high as his abundant muscles will allow: Manchester City are champions, again!

Updated

Manchester City: 35 not out

Pep Guardiola, wearing a blue City shirt like everyone else, leads the first-team squad onto the field and then up to receive their medals. The cheers for each player range from lusty to affectionate, with maybe the loudest reserved for Phil Foden.

It’s a particularly big day for Mateo Kovacic, Josko Gvardiola, Matheus Nunes and Jeremy Doku, all winning their first Premier League title. Doku, who has been electric at times in his first season, looks especially chuffed with how life is turning out.

Updated

It’s time for the trophy presentation. The City backrook staff are first out, then City legend Paul Dickov brings the trophy onto the field. Now it’s Pep Guardiola’s coaching team, all wearing the kind of smiles you can’t fake. Whatever they achieve in the rest of their careers, it’ll surely never be as good as this.

Match report: Man City 3-1 West Ham

Manchester City won their last nine league games, knowing each time that a draw would probably cost them the title. All nine victories weer by at least two goals, though that doesn’t tell the full story. Stefan Ortega’s save from Son Heung-min on Tuesday was probably the defining moment of City’s season.

These awesome last laps have been a feature of Pep’s time at City. They won 12 in a row last year to reel in Arsenal, 14 in a row to hold off Liverpool in 2018-19 and six of the last seven games in 2021-22. As a result, they’ve now won six of the last seven titles.

Updated

The pitch is clear now and the podium is being set up. It’s a low-key triumph compared to some of the others, particularly the euphoric comebacks of 2012 and 2022, but in some ways it’s the worthiest of the lot. They had a post-Treble hangover; they couldn’t beat either of their title rivals; they were trying to achieve something that has never been done before – not by Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United or even Huddersfield.

And they did it, because they’re managed by Pep Guardiola.

Updated

Kyle Walker’s verdict

Manchester City have released some quotes from their captain Kyle Walker, who has done well to produce something so articulate straight after the final whistle.

The last few years have been very special for everyone at Manchester City but to have captained this club to a fourth straight Premier League title is something I will cherish forever.

The Premier League is the benchmark by which everyone is measured. It’s rightly renowned as the hardest and most competitive league in the world so to win four in a row, especially after last season’s Treble success, illustrates what we have collectively managed to achieve.

There are so many people I would like to thank but I have to start with Pep, the backroom staff, my colleagues in the dressing room and everyone who works so hard across the club, day in and day out. There is no way we could have won this title without all their incredible work and efforts.

The support we also get from the Manchester City fans never ceases to amaze me. Week in, week out they are there, whatever the weather, supporting us all the way. Their passion and backing honestly means the world to me and all the players.

I hope that making history by winning a fourth consecutive Premier League title stands as a fitting way for us to say thank you to all our fantastic supporters.

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It’s in the Guardian, it must be true

Phil Foden speaks

It’s so hard to put into words what we’ve done today. Aaaaah. No team’s ever done it and you can see what it means to the fans and to us. We’ve worked all year for ths moment.

This means a bit more because now we can say we’re the first team to (win four in a row). I’m lost for words to be honest. I’m absolutely shattered!

It was almost the perfect start. An early goal helps with the nerves. I thought we looked confident, we played our football and it paid off. ‘The Sniper’ (nickname) is gonna stay forever now.

I want this feeling every time. There’s no better feeling than winning something.

Updated

The final Premier League table

Pos Team P GD Pts
1 Man City 38 62 91
2 Arsenal 38 62 89
3 Liverpool 38 45 82
4 Aston Villa 38 15 68
5 Tottenham Hotspur 38 13 66
6 Chelsea 38 14 63
7 Newcastle 38 23 60
8 Man Utd 38 -1 60
9 West Ham 38 -14 52
10 Crystal Palace 38 -1 49
11 Brighton 38 -7 48
12 AFC Bournemouth 38 -13 48
13 Fulham 38 -6 47
14 Wolverhampton 38 -15 46
15 Everton 38 -11 40
16 Brentford 38 -9 39
17 Nottm Forest 38 -18 32
18 Luton 38 -33 26
19 Burnley 38 -37 24
20 Sheff Utd 38 -69 16

Updated

The final scores on the final day

  • Arsenal 2-1 Everton

  • Brentford 2-4 Newcastle

  • Brighton 0-2 Man Utd

  • Burnley 1-2 Nottm Forest

  • Chelsea 2-1 Bournemouth

  • Crystal Palace 5-0 Aston Villa

  • Liverpool 2-0 Wolves

  • Luton 2-4 Fulham

  • Man City 3-1 West Ham

  • Sheff Utd 0-3 Tottenham

There’s a proper pitch invasion now, so the players are celebrating near the tunnel. Kyle Walker gives Kevin De Bruyne a piggyback; Phil Foden gives De Bruyne a big hug. Foden will forever be the face of City’s record-breaking season: he scored a career-best 27 goals, including two today. And he’s about to talk to Sky Sports.

Updated

MANCHESTER CITY ARE CHAMPIONS AGAIN!

Full time: Manchester City 3-1 West Ham History is made at the Etihad: Manchester City have become the first English team to win the title four years in a row!

Updated

90+5 min Some people are on the pitch, they think it’s all over. The City fans in the stands are booing, the players are telling them to stop acting like eejits. This is a bit weird. A points deduction for crowd misbehaviour would enliven the title race.

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90+4 min Drink it in, City fans: you’re about to make history.

90+1 min “Expecting three goals in the last eight minutes when all logic and reason tells you the league is over,” writes Krishnamoorthy V. “Does it qualify as foolish optimism.”

That would be an ecumenical matter generous description.

90 min: City substitution Mateo Kovacic replaces the marvellous Phil Foden. There will be five minutes of added time, more than enough time to score two goals on this ground. But there ain’t no jeopardy in M11 today.

89 min “If there were a minileague of City, Inter, Real Madrid and Leverkusen, I’m not sure I’d back City to win,” says Kári Tulinius. “In my lifetime, there have been a handful of club sides that have felt like a class above their contemporaries, Zidane’s Real, Pep’s Barcelona, Sacchi’s Milan come to mind, but City haven’t felt otherworldly in the same way.”

One interesting detail of this season is that City’s big-game record hasn’t been great, but they have treated the rest of the league with leadpipe cruelty. Ultimately Arsenal lost the title because they took one point from six against Fulham.

Talking of which, Kai Havertz has just put Arsenal 2-1 up against Everton.

88 min: Disallowed goal for West Ham! Ward-Prowse’s corner takes a ricochet and goes into the net via Soucek, who seems to signal that it hit his arm. So it did, and VAR does the necessary.

Updated

87 min Kudus beats Gvardiol and screws a cutback that hits Ake and ripples the side netting. Ortega probably had it covered, but City don’t want to be conceding a goal here.

86 min: West Ham substitution Danny Ings replaces Lucas Paqueta, who did nothing of note.

85 min “It feels pretty silly to make the point that this surreally good football team is not every bit as good as it was during its best ever season, but someone’s gotta,” says Phil Podolsky. “The midfield of Stones, Rodri, Gundogan and De Bruyne played teams off the pitch in a way this version almost does but not quite, y’know?”

Which City team has been the most dominant in midfield? In my head it’s 2017-18, but who knows.

83 min De Bruyne’s clipped corner from the left hits the shoulder of Haaland at the near post and goes just wide of the far post. Haaland could have had three or four today.

82 min Doku’s shot hits Coufal and deflects into the side netting at the near post.

81 min: West Ham substitution The teenager George Earthy replaces Michail Antonio up front.

79 min Bernardo Silva cuts inside Cresswell and shoots over. City are cruising; West Ham haven’t had a shot off target in the second half, never mind on.

76 min Alvarez is booked for a lunging tackle on Bernardo Silva. He won the ball so he must have been penalised for the follow through.

74 min Foden, who wants that hat-trick every bit as much as Jackie Treehorn’s heavies wanted that money, Lebowski, curls a free-kick into the side netting from 25 yards.

72 min Arsenal are still drawing with Everton, so as it stands City could throw three in and win the league. Not that they’re going to: apart from a five-minute period before half-time, they’ve barely given West Ham a kick.

71 min: West Ham substitution Edson Alvarez replaces Emerson, which means a switch to a back four.

71 min: City substitution Nathan Ake replaces Manuel Akanji.

70 min Areola holds Foden’s inswinging corner but almost falls over the line under pressure from Ruben Dias.

70 min: No penalty

69 min: VAR check for a City penalty Akanji’s shot hits the outstretched arm of Cresswell. He was very close to Akanji, which might save him.

68 min There have been times on the final day, particularly against QPR and Aston Villa, that City fans could barely look. Today they’re not looking for a different reason: it’s Poznan time.

De Bruyne almost scores direct from a corner, a big inswinger that beats Areola and is headed off the line by Soucek.

66 min De Bruyne plays a nice angled pass to the underlapping Foden, who cuts the ball back towards Haaland at the near post. His shot hits Zouma and flies behind for a corner.

Haaland isn’t quite as dementedly single-minded as some great goalscorers, but he still’s Jonesing for a goal.

65 min Blimey, Crystal Palace are now 5-0 up against Aston Villa, with Jean-Philippe Mateta scoring six of them.

Edit: VAR, 4-0.

Updated

64 min Here’s the goal that restored City’s two-goal lead.

63 min City’s goals have come from their two best players this season, Phil Foden and now Rodri.

Foden tries for his third with a stinging half-volley from a tight angle that is held by Areola.

City kept the ball for an age, with maybe 30 or 40 passes before Bernardo Silva pushed it back to Rodri in the D. He sidefooted a low, first-time shot that went through the left hand of the diving Areola into the net. Areola must have seen that late.

GOAL! Man City 3-1 West Ham (Rodri 59)

Another big goal from Manchester City’s midfield giant!

Updated

56 min Doku accidentally catches Paqueta in the face with a flailing arm: reckless, perhaps, but nothing more than that. The referee keeps his yellow card in his pocket.

55 min There’s a slightly peculiar atmosphere at the Etihad. City have controlled the second half and look comfortable, but they need a third goal quicksmart to help everyone relax.

Updated

54 min Soucek pulls back Haaland 30 yards out, a brazen foul for which he should really have been booked.

53 min Doku wins a corner off Coufal, who will be treated for twisted blood after this game. Foden curls it out and Ward-Prowse heads away.

51 min The utter state of this.

Updated

51 min Foden has too much space, 25 yards out, and curls a lovely shot just wide of the far post. I think Areola had it covered

50 min “Am stuck in a windowless room at an airport hotel missing this glorious weather to say goodbye to the shiny-toothed one,” writes Ian Copestake, who knows how to show himself a good time.

49 min A defensive clearance rolls to De Bruyne on the edge of the D. He cracks a first-time shot with his left foot that goes a few yards wide.

48 min City have started the half calmly, passing the ball from side to side as they look for openings. They’ll want to get this done in the first 15 minutes.

47 min “This is more exciting at half time than I was expecting,” says Liz White. “I had to turn to the Arsenal game at the first Foden goal. All the Toronto teams are out of the playoffs (hockey) so what am I going to do with my weekends until the Euros?”

I don’t suppose county cricket is big in Canada, is it. MotoGP?

46 min Michail Antonio has the first kick of the second half. The first few minutes should reveal the mood of both teams and tell us whether West Ham have a realistic chance of a stunning comeback.

The half-time scores

  • Arsenal 1-1 Everton

  • Brentford 0-3 Everton

  • Brighton 0-0 Man Utd

  • Burnley 0-2 Nottm Forest

  • Chelsea 1-0 Bournemouth

  • C Palace 2-0 Aston Villa

  • Liveprool 2-0 Wolves

  • Luton 1-2 Fulham

  • Man City 2-1 West Ham

  • Sheff Utd 0-1 Spurs

“I have previously joked in these parts about a Danny Ings heat map requiring thermals and a woolly hat,” writes Brian Withington. “Antonio’s is currently doing a passable imitation of the heat death of the Universe.”

Half-time reading

Half time: Manchester City 2-1 West Ham

City are on course for their fourth successive title, but the mood has changed a little at the Etihad. For 37 minutes the match was painfully one-sided, a celebration of City’s greatness, with Phil Foden scoring twice and Alphonse Areola making a number of saves.

It probably became too easy. City started to sleepwalk and West Ham dared to cross the halfway line. Mohammed Kudus forced a good save from Stefan Ortega before scoring with a glorious overhead kick.

City will surely be fine once Pep gets his hairdryer out. But for now there are thousands of people at the Etihad fighting the urge to think the unthinkable.

Updated

45+3 min Don’t try this at home, unless you’re Klaus Fischer.

45+1 min: Good chance for Haaland! Doku, the man of the half apart from Foden, beats Coufal yet again and slides a low cross towards the near post. Haaland makes a classic striker’s run across Zouma but then clips over from six yards. The ball bobbled but it was still an excellent opportunity.

45 min Four minutes of added time.

GOAL! Arsenal 1-1 Everton (Tomiyasu)

Suddenly City are only a two-goal swing away from being in trouble.

Pos Team P GD Pts
1 Man City 38 61 91
2 Arsenal 38 61 87
3 Liverpool 38 45 82
4 Aston Villa 38 18 68
5 Tottenham Hotspur 38 11 66

That’s a stonking goal from Mohammed Kudus. Ward-Prowse’s corner hit Soucek at the far post and bounced towards Kudus, back to goal eight yards out. He touched the ball up in the air to set up himself for a beautiful overhead kick that beat Ortega for pace.

Pep Guardiola throws his water bottle down in disgust. City definitely switched off for a bit.

Updated

GOAL! Man City 2-1 West Ham (Kudus 43)

And Arsenal have equalised as well.

Updated

42 min Coufal’s excellent cross is turned behind by Walker at the far post. West Ham are having their first decent spell of the game, and City might be sleepwalking towards one last brollocking from Pep Guardiola.

39 min The gap at the top is now five points, which would be harsh on Arsenal. Sometimes the league table can be economical with the truth. For example Arsenal won the title by a point in 1997-98, when in reality it was six or seven points. I’ll be honest, I don’t know what I’m going about here; I feel slightly dizzy after watching City play about 40 consecutive passes.

GOAL! Arsenal 0-1 Everton (Gueye 40)

For the Manchester City fan who enjoys a certain schadenfreude.

38 min: Good save by Ortega! West Ham enter the City box and almost do a goal. Kudus cuts inside from the right, then chops back outside Gvardiol and forces a good shot across goal with his right foot. Ortega dives to his right to paw it away.

37 min Rodri’s curler from distance is comfortably saved by the flying Areola.

35 min It’s still goalless at the Emirates, not that it matters, so here the as-it-stands jobbie.

Pos Team P GD Pts
1 Man City 38 62 91
2 Arsenal 38 61 87
3 Liverpool 38 44 82
4 Aston Villa 38 19 68
5 Tottenham Hotspur 38 11 66

34 min “No team could win four straight titles and not be the baddies,” says Max Williams. “Yet there’s something so bloodless about Man City. I despise what the team represents but I struggle to muster much emotion about the individual players or manager. The great teams of yore bristled with players loved by their fans and reviled by the opposition (and often the neutral): Drogba, Ronaldo, Keane, Ashley Cole, Pires, Terry. (I could basically list the entire Chelsea 2005 squad here.) Yet most names on the City teamsheet elicit nothing more than a shrug. They aren’t even good pantomime villains!”

I suspect supporters of a few clubs would disagree, human nature being what it is, but as a neutral I know what you mean. Maybe even generation gets the villains (sic) they deserve.

Updated

31 min Gvardiol marches forward and plays in Haaland, whose shot is half blocked by Areola and dribbles fractionally wide. It wouldn’t have counted as Haaland was a millimetre offside.

29 min After another menacing run from Doku, De Bruyne’s shot is blocked by Coufal. This is so one-sided; according to the official Premier League site, City have had 82 per cent possession and six shots on target. I won’t insult you by telling you how many West Ham have had.

28 min Foden’s corner is headed wide by Gvardiol at the near post. The xG algorithm is going to explode in a minute.

27 min Now Akanji sweeps a long-range shot that is held by Areola, falling to his left. He’s already made at least four or five saves.

Make that at least five or six. Moments later, De Bruyne’s curler from the edge of the area is fingertipped round by Areola.

This performance is reminiscent of 2017-18 City, when opposition teams could barely breathe.

27 min “Hi Rob,” writes Frinton Bojangles. “I’m almost able to shed my memories of Steve Lomas wasting time by the corner flag despite us going down due to results elsewhere (with a post-substitution & post-shower Niall Quinn running down the touchline in slacks & loafers to shout at him) and then two years later going to Stoke and battering them but still going down to Division 2.”

If you were a City fan in the 20th century, Cityitis will never truly leave you. Watching the best team in the world has a certain medicinal benefit, though.

25 min Foden’s long-ranger is pushed away awkwardly by Areola; it was straight at the keeper but wobbling dangerously. City are battering West Ham.

24 min: Chance for Haaland! Bernardo Silva angles a ball towards Dias at the far post, he helps it back across the face of goal and Haaland can’t turn it from five yards. It bounced awkwardly and I think Mavropanos put him off.

Updated

23 min Doku’s shot nicks off Coufal and spins behind for a corner. He’s been a constant menace, as he was in the return fixture.

Updated

21 min You don’t get many eye-of-the-needle crosses, but this certainly qualifies.

20 min That was a deceptively brilliant pass from Doku, who had to bisect four West Ham defenders to find Foden. In a way you don’t want Doku to ever grow up, because he’s so much fun to watch, but imagine how devastating he could be in two or three years’ time.

That was such a simple goal, the kind City love to score: pass, pass, pass, goal. Gvardiol and Haaland combined to find Doku on the left; he got his head up and squared a precise low cross to Foden, who swept it first time past Areola from 15 yards.

GOAL! Man City 2-0 West Ham (Foden 18)

Twenty-seven goals this season for Foden, four titles in a row for Manchester City!

Updated

17 min: Chance for Rodri! City win the ball near the corner flag on their right. De Bruyne pushes it back to Rodri, who toebungs an unusually tame shot wide of the near post. He had a bit more time than he thought.

This should/will be Rodri’s 74th consecutive game for City without defeat, which would be a new world record according to IFFHS.

Updated

16 min Another Doku shot is blocked at the near post by Areola, a routine if slightly stinging save.

In other news, Moises Caicedo has scored from the halfway line.

15 min: Good save by Areola! Doku crackles inside from the left, cuts onto his right foot and hits a deflected shot that is tipped over acrobatically by Areola.

15 min Passes in the final third so far: Man City 81-1 West Ham.

14 min Emerson wanders infield from the halfway line, keeps going, does a little slalom and suddenly finds himself beyond the City defence. Dias catches up with him so he gives the ball to Coufal, whose cross is cleared.

13 min It looks like West Ham have switched from 5-3-1-1 to 5-4-1. Game on.

13 min One thing City haven’t done is clinch the title with a last-day exhibition; the closest was the 4-1 at Brighton in 2018-19. If they get another one soon they could run riot.

11 min De Bruyne whips in a free-kick from a very tight angle on the left. Areola punches it away.

11 min We haven’t seen the possession stats yet. I’d honestly be surprised if West Ham’s percentage is in double figures. Their 4-1 win is going to be one helluva shock after this start.

9 min “Well that was a fun final day of the season,” writes J.R. in Illinois. “What should we talk about now?”

The past, obviously.

8 min This is for all you As It Stands perverts.

Pos Team P GD Pts
1 Man City 38 61 91
2 Arsenal 38 61 87
3 Liverpool 38 43 80
4 Aston Villa 38 19 68
5 Tottenham Hotspur 38 10 64

7 min De Bruyne’s long-range shot is pushed away by Areola, diving to his left. A comfortable save but it’s all City, so much so that the phrase “it’s all City” feels inadequate.

7 min Pick it oot.

6 min Now City can just pass the ball around and wait for openings. West Ham are defending really narrowly, with eight of their team playing centrally, so De Bruyne goes wide to Doku. He beats Coufal and drives a low cross that is kicked away at the near post.

4 min “If two teams finish on the same points,” says Phil Grey, “don’t you think the number of PGMOL apologies should come before goal difference?”

Phil Foden was moved into central midfield today, but I doubt even Pep Guardiola expected such an instant dividend. Bernardo Silva set the goal up with a square pass 20 yards from goal. Foden took it beautifully across his body, losing Ward-Prowse in the process, and arrowed a rising drive into the far corner with his left foot. Areola had no chance.

It’s Foden 26th goal of the season, the season in which he fulfilled most of his glorious potential.

Updated

GOAL! Man City 1-0 West Ham (Foden 2)

The player of the year scores a banger after 79 seconds!

Updated

2 min City have started with Doku on the left, Foden in central midfield and Bernardo Silva on the right. West Ham’s formation is 5-3-1-1 with Kudus behind Antonio and Paqueta in central midfield.

Updated

1 min The players take a knee, and then Kevin De Bruyne gets things going. City are kicking form left to right as watch.

“Can you feel it, Rob?” says Charles Antaki. “More pertinently, can Moyes and his team feel it – the wave of love coming at them from the other side of London? Of course, like much love, it is destined to be utterly unrequited. But even if it wasn’t, if you’re going to beat Man City, then love probably isn’t going to have much to do with it.”

The players are late coming onto the field, so the kick-off could be delayed. Bit weird. The City fans are in fine voice, belting out their variation on Hey Jude.

The last three times City needed to win on the final day, they had to come from behind to do so:

  • Man City 3-2 QPR 2011-12

  • Brighton 1-4 Man City 2018-19

  • Man City 3-2 Aston Villa 2021-22

The moral of this story will be exclusively revealed at about 5.52pm.

Arsenal v Everton, which will decide who wins the title should City fail to beat West Ham, is being followed by Daniel Harris. And John Ashdown has drawn the Clockwatch straw.

“As a Liverpool fan, all I want is for Arsenal to score early and for the Hammers to be resolute in defense for at least the first half,” writes Joe Pearson. “Then City can crush all our neutrals’ dreams with a devastating second half rout. For myself, I’m watching Klopp’s Last Rodeo, but I’ll be checking in with you to know when it’s all over.”

It’s odd that, in Europe’s other big leagues, the leaders are often overtaken on the final day. Never seems to happen in England though. Even 1988-89 was slightly different because the top two were playing each other (although Arsenal still needed a miracle). In the 1990s and early 2000s, in particular, it happened all the time in Italy, Germany and Spain. Maybe today’s the day for good old English jeopardy to strike back.

“Scott Murray remains adamant West Ham are going to nick a draw today, leading me to wonder if I shouldn’t reach out to his wife re: cognitive testing,” writes Grant Tennille. “We shall see…

“Not the album anyone would willingly choose, but perhaps you’ve discovered that Locust Abortion Technician isn’t a half-bad soundtrack for United’s season this year? Deeply unsettling, all over the shop, with some moments of absurd brilliance.”

You’re making these up now, aren’t you? (But seriously, thanks for the tip, I’ll give it a go once I find a way to stop playing this on loop.)

The Premier League as it stands

Pos Team P GD Pts
1 Man City 37 60 88
2 Arsenal 37 61 86
3 Liverpool 37 43 79
4 Aston Villa 37 20 68
5 Tottenham Hotspur 37 10 63
6 Chelsea 37 13 60
7 Newcastle 37 21 57
8 Man Utd 37 -3 57
9 West Ham 37 -12 52
10 Brighton 37 -5 48
11 AFC Bournemouth 37 -12 48
12 Crystal Palace 37 -6 46
13 Wolverhampton 37 -13 46
14 Fulham 37 -8 44
15 Everton 37 -10 40
16 Brentford 37 -7 39
17 Nottm Forest 37 -19 29
18 Luton 37 -31 26
19 Burnley 37 -36 24
20 Sheff Utd 37 -66 16

As does David Moyes

My emotions are fine. I’ve enjoyed my time at West Ham, I had a great send-off with a good result last week and we’re hoping we can that again today.

Declan Rice and Mikel Arteta were both great captains for me, but it’s got nothing to do with today. We’ve got to try to perform against a team who are really difficult to beat. We have to do our own job.

The bald genius speaks to Sky Sports

Normally, in all leagues, the last game [to win the title] is difficult. It is all about how you think. If your thoughts are positive, you will stay in the game in the bad moments. If your thoughts are negative, or you start thinking about what you are playing for, anything can happen.

This is the key point. The players have to try to be inside the game. What are my duties, individually and collectively? All the details, the transitions with Antonio. What do I have to do.

[On his team selection] It was a really gough decision because Kova has helped us play with rhythm. But I thought West Ham would [defend deep] and he has quality, especially one against one. That was the reason why.

It’s a privilege to be here. We all know how difficult it is to win the Premier League, especially with opponents like Liverpool and Arsenal. The reason we are here is [jabs his forehead] the mentality: not just the players but throughout the club.

Team news: Doku in for Kovacic, Bowen absent

Pep Guardiola has picked a more attacking side, which is mildly intriguing given West Ham’s aptitude on the break. Jeremy Doku replaces Mateo Kovacic, which probably means Bernardo Silva will move into the centre of midfield, and Stefan Ortega starts in goal.

There’s no Jarrod Bowen in the West Ham squad, which is very bad news for Arsenal. He has tonsillitis. Aaron Cresswell replaces him, with West Ham switching to a back five. Konstantinos Mavropanos is in for Angelo Ogbonna.

Man City (possible 4-1-2-3) Ortega; Walker, Dias, Akanji, Gvardiol; Rodri; De Bruyne, Bernardo; Foden, Haaland, Doku.
Substitutes: Carson, Stones, Ake, Kovacic, Grealish, Bobb, Alvarez, Nunes, Lewis.

West Ham (possible 5-2-2-1) Areola; Coufal, Zouma, Mavropanos, Cresswell, Emerson; Soucek, Ward-Prowse; Kudus, Paqueta; Antonio.
Substitutes: Fabianski, Johnson, Alvarez, Cornet, Ings, Earthy, Casey, Mubama, Ogbonna.

Referee John Brooks.

Updated

Alternative preamble (jeopardy is alive! Ish)

“Good afternoon, Rob,” says Justin Kavanagh. “There are several shades of the final day of the 1995 season blowing in the wind today: All that stands between Mancunian champions reclaiming their title is a West Ham team with little to play for but their pride; meanwhile, a Liverpudlian team threatens to spoil the party for the challengers. But it’s hard to see the Hammers getting the required draw or Erling Haaland playing the Andy Cole role of roving around the park with a five-stringed instrument in search of a bovine derriere to swing at and miss. And miss again. Also, there’s maybe more than a millennium’s worth of daylight between the Liverpool of Barnes, McManaman and Fowler and Sean Dyche’s Everton. But that’s the joy of football, I suppose. For the neutral (at least until City score the first goal today), it’s the hope that thrills you.”

Poor Andy Cole: legend has it that he missed 49 open goals that day rather than hit the post and draw two very good saves from Ludek Miklosko.

This is also the last game of David Moyes’ second spell as West Ham manager. In four full seasons he won the Europa Conference League, reached the Europa League semi-final and finished 6th, 7th, 14th and 9th in the table. He is one of the greatest managers in West Ham’s history, even if he hasn’t always been treated as such.

Preamble

Manchester City are jeopardising jeopardy. Their aura is such that most neutrals have already anointed them as champions, even though they still need to win their final game against West Ham at the Etihad. There’s a simple reason for that: they’re dead, dead good at football.

City’s five titles under Pep Guardiola have all included runs of at least 12 consecutive wins, some under the pressure of knowing a draw could be fatal. The best City can manage this year is nine, but there has been the same feeling of inexorability. A pre-Christmas break in Saudi Arabia – during which they keep themselves occupied by becoming world champions – woke City up, and since their return their league record is P20 W17 D3 L0.

This is the fifth time in 13 seasons that City have gone into the final game needing a particular result to win the league. It’s a familiar job that comes with a bonus reward. City can become the first team in English football history to be champions in four successive seasons. Huddersfield, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United (twice) managed three in a row.

Sir Alex Ferguson and Guardiola are the only managers to have done so. Fergie came close to four in a row on two occasions, but he never got the cigar that Pep will be munching on should all go to plan this afternoon.

We can’t ignore those 115 charges lurking in the background, and in time we may view City’s imperial phase differently. For now, all we can say with certainty is that they are an extraordinary football team who are one win away from a unique feat. And that jeopardy ain’t what it used to be.

Kick off 4pm.

Updated

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