Man City celebrate Premiership crown with 1-0 win over Chelsea
Brighton beat Southampton 3-1 to secure spot in Europe
Manchester City celebrated their Premier League title success on Sunday, beating Chelsea 1-0 with an early goal by Julian Alvarez in the team’s home finale at a sun-drenched Etihad Stadium.
Treble-chasing City, who wrapped up the title when second-placed Arsenal were beaten at Nottingham Forest on Saturday, have won 12 successive games in the top flight.
They have 88 points from 36 matches, seven more than Arsenal who have just one match remaining. Frank Lampard’s struggling Chelsea side are languishing in 12th spot with 43 points.
Alvarez scored in the 12th minute for a largely second-string City side, slipping the ball under goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga from a pass by Kyle Walker. He also had another goal chalked off for a handball in the build-up.
Alvarez’s winner meant City had scored 100 goals at the Etihad this season, equaling the record – which they set in 201819 – for most home goals scored in all competitions in a single season by an English top-flight club.
With nothing on the line on Sunday and two huge games on the horizon – the FA Cup and Champions League finals – City manager Pep Guardiola left his big guns, including goal-scoring machine Erling Haaland on the bench for most of the game.
The Spaniard, who claimed his 10th major trophy at City, made nine changes to the side that throttled Real Madrid in their Champions League semi-final second leg
on Wednesday.
City still dominated, proving they are a well-oiled machine no matter which parts the manager has to work with.
“It was a great feeling,” midfielder Kalvin Phillips told Sky Sports after making his first Premier League start for City. “I was happy because we won the league and I knew there might be a chance I could play. I have enjoyed every moment.
“It has been unbelievably tough this season and probably the lowest point confidence-wise in my career.”
City were crowned champions for the third season in a row and fifth in six years a day earlier than expected when Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat at Forest doused
any remaining hope the Londoners had of catching them.
The mood on Sunday was festive. Chelsea sportingly gave the City players, who had watched the Arsenal game together the previous evening, a guard of honor before kickoff while thousands of fans rushed onto the field after the final whistle.
Rather than spending a few minutes to soak up the atmosphere, the players were quickly shepherded by security down the tunnel.
Despite announcements to leave the pitch immediately, nobody was in a hurry and the mass of sky blue fans lit flares and pulled at the goalposts. One fan hoisted a banner that
read “The Treble is On.”
Haaland was a late substitute and did not extend his record of 36 goals in a single Premier League season.
Brighton make history
Brighton & Hove Albion ensured they will play in Europe next season for the first time in their history after beating Southampton 3-1 at the Amex Stadium on Sunday, with teenage striker Evan Ferguson scoring twice.
Brighton are sixth in the standings on 61 points and can no longer be caught by eighthplaced Tottenham Hotspur, meaning they are guaranteed a spot in Europe next season – either in the Europa League or the Europa Conference League.
“It’s incredible, one of the best days in my career,” Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi told the BBC.
“I am really proud to be coach of these players and the club. We won together, and I am really proud.
“They believed from the first moment that they deserved to qualify, we had a tough period, we lost a lot of players to injury but when you have something inside, you push to the end to your target.”
After Kaoru Mitoma and Carlos Alcaraz both squandered chances in a lively start, Brighton went ahead in the 29th minute through Ferguson’s powerful effort, which squirmed under Southampton goalkeeper Alex McCarthy.
A moment of individual brilliance from Mitoma doubled Brighton’s advantage 10 minutes later, as the Japan international out-muscled Romeo Lavia on the left wing before setting up Ferguson with a pinpoint cross with the outside of his boot.
Mohamed Elyounoussi got on the end of a James Ward-Prowsecorner in the 58th minute to pull one back for Southampton and the goal appeared to momentarily stun Brighton.
Southampton launched several attacks in the next few minutes and Theo Walcott had a goal disallowed for offside after a VAR check, but any hopes of a comeback were snuffed out when Pascal Gross cut inside and fired a low shot past two defenders inside the near post. (Reuters)