RESULT: MAN CITY 3 VS QPR 2
The city of Manchester is officially under blue control after Sergio Aguero incredibly helped Manchester City come from 2-1 down in injury-time to end their 44-year wait for the tag of 'English champions' on Sunday. After the most phenomenal climax to a Premier League season, there was cause for double celebration at the Etihad Stadium as City lifted their first top-flight title since 1968, while QPR survived relegation courtesy of Bolton's draw at Stoke. The Champions League places go to Arsenal and Tottenham, for now at least in the case of Spurs, after what was a compelling final day of Premier League action. Manchester City have been, without question, the best team in England this season, scoring more goals and conceding fewer than any other side. They required three points at home to QPR in order to witness Vincent Kompany lifting the Premier League trophy, but it needed a quite incredible injury-time fightback as Edin Dzeko and then Aguero scored in a dramatic 3-2 victory. Roberto Mancini said it would be his "greatest achievement" if he was able to wrest the league title away from United, and after a season when he has had to deal with severe hindrances in Carlos Tevez and Mario Balotelli, the Italian's name rightly echoed around fortress Etihad - where no visitor has won a league game all season. It was absolute one-way traffic at Eastlands as QPR barely got out of their own half, but after news of a Wayne Rooney goal at Sunderland filtered into the ground City suffered a nervy period when the title was slipping away. That agonising spell appeared to have been brought to an end by Pablo Zabaleta, thanks to the soft hands of Paddy Kenny, but a shocking error from Joleon Lescott brought back City's pain. Seemingly in no danger, Lescott opted to blindly flick the ball back to Joe Hart, succeeding only in playing Djibril Cisse clean through for a powerfully volleyed equaliser. City's cause was aided by former player Joey Barton, who really should have been shown three red cards after he elbowed Carlos Tevez, for which he was sent off, then before he left the pitch he kicked out at Sergio Aguero and aimed a headbutt at Kompany. With half an hour still to play, a winning City goal surely had to arrive, but instead it was Jamie Mackie who stole in at the back post to send QPR - and United - into raptures. City threw everything at Rangers, but as the clock ticked into injury-time the score remained 2-1. Suddenly there was hope when Dzeko managed to bundle home for 2-2 with less than four minutes of added still to play. And, with Mancini a ball of anguish on the sidelines, it was Aguero who broke into the box in the 94th minute to score the most dramatic title-winning goal in Premier League history. Manchester United started the day knowing victory at Sunderland likely wouldn't be enough to overhaul City, and so it proved despite their 1-0 victory at the Stadium of Light. Back in October Sir Alex Ferguson, following City's 6-1 win at Old Trafford, prophesied that "you never know when goal difference will count", and that one game has ultimately decided the title. As United's game came to a conclusion, the title was staying at Old Trafford after Wayne Rooney netted the only goal of the game for the Red Devils. A simple strike for the England man, he nodded home unmarked at the back post from a right-wing delivery, later hitting the bar as Sunderland failed to cope with United's top scorer. However, as United's players stayed on the field to wait for news of City's result, the groans from the travelling faithful told Ryan Giggs and Co all they needed to know as a miraculous title triumph was snatched from their grasp. QPR's defeat at City meant Bolton could have stayed up, had they won their final game at Stoke's Britannia Stadium. However, Owen Coyle will have to prepare his men for life in the Championship next season after they drew 2-2, leaving them one point adrift of safety.
SOURCE: www.soccernet.com