City thrash Swansea to celebrate title
Citizens on course to rewrite EPL record books
MANCHESTER, UK, April 22, (AFP): Pep Guardiola’s hope that his team’s hunger to rewrite the English football record books would see them maintain their championship-winning form proved well-founded as Manchester City swept aside Swansea City 5-0 at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
The only negative aspect of the occasion for the newly-crowned Premier League champions was a post-match pitch invasion by several hundred City supporters, who ignored pleas over the loudspeakers to burst through stewards and onto the field.
Seven days after Manchester United’s shock home defeat to West Bromwich Albion had made the title certainly left City, who have four games remaining against teams in the bottom eight of the league, well placed to do precisely that.
They stand one victory short of Chelsea’s Premier League record tally of 30, set last season, and with 90 points, are also well on course to break the record of 95 points, again set by Chelsea in 2010.
That season also saw the London club set the current best for goals scored with 103, a mark City now trail by just five.
In short, Guardiola has presided over a season for the ages in his second season in England, even if there was a slightly anti-climactic feeling about the way in which City clinched the title just days after a Champions League quarter-final exit to Liverpool.
But there was still no denying the triumphant air around the Etihad as a huge banner proclaiming “Welcome to the home of the Premier League champions” was unfurled across the East Stand.
Manchester City’s English midfielder Raheem Sterling (left), evades the challenge of Swansea City’s English defender Kyle Naughton (right), during the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Swansea at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester,
north west England on April 22. (AFP)
City, and their captain Vincent Kompany, must wait a further two weeks before physically getting their hands on the trophy — their third Premier League title in the last seven years — with the authorities having decided that a formal presentation will be made when Huddersfield Town visit the Etihad on May 6.
Still, Swansea provided City with a guard of honour before kick-off and the visitors were largely reduced to watching and admiring as City showed them why they are setting records this season.
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