The champagne was already on ice, but the corks were popped 24 hours ahead of schedule. Arsenal's defeat to struggling Nottingham Forest on Saturday evening meant that Manchester City secured a seventh Premier League title, without a ball being kicked.
The Blues' loyal support will stroll down to the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon, safe in the knowledge that the Premier League will be presented to their skipper Ilkay Gundogan after the game, no matter the result. It is a much less heart stopping end to another storied season compared with the 2021-22 campaign, when City edged out Liverpool on the final day, but it is no less of an achievement.
A fifth league title in six years, even the most optimistic Blue could surely not have hoped to see City go on to dominate English football following Sheikh Mansour's takeover in 2008. After a few years of ups and downs following the regime change, which culminated in the unforgettable 2012 last gasp title, courtesy of Sergio Aguero, City have become a well-oiled winning machine.
