Utd aid City to title

OLD TRAFFORD. — The only surprise, perhaps, is that Manchester United have kept the title race going as long as they have when they are capable of playing with this lack of sophistication.

Their defeat means Manchester City are the new Premier League champions and, as if that was not galling enough for José Mourinho’s team, the final twist in the story of the 2017-18 season was a deeply ignominious one for a club with their lofty ambitions.

Was this really the team that went to Manchester City last weekend and pulled off one of the season’s great comebacks?

It was only eight days ago that the players in red were dancing in front of a euphoric away end at the Etihad stadium.

That, however, was only ever delaying the inevitable and what nobody could have imagined after that 3-2 victory was that Mourinho’s team would then lose against the worst team in the league.

To put it into context, this was West Brom’s first away win in the league since August.

They have been in the relegation zone since December and there has been only one other occasion, against Blackburn Rovers in 2011, when United have lost at Old Trafford to the league’s bottom club.

Yet this, without a hint of exaggeration, was one of the worst displays of Mourinho’s two years in charge and when Jay Rodriguez headed in the decisive goal, in the 73rd minute, it was startling to see the lack of fight from the 20-time champions.

This time there was no feat of escapology and the stands were half-empty by the time the final whistle confirmed City’s coronation.

From many of the supporters who had stayed behind there were loud, prolonged boos. And the West Brom fans? “Manchester City, we’ve won you the league,” came from the cry from the away end.