Pep says: Now let’s make it 100 points!
IT was a night for Manchester - City and Yaya a Toure to take their place in history. The Ivorian icon said his s farewell to the Etihad after r eight years and the club b that has taken him to its s heart were officially confirmed - as the best team in n the Premier League era.
Victory here saw Pep Guardiola’s s champions set new records for r points, wins and goals scored — eclipsing Chelsea on each count t — with one game of the season to go. What a season it’s been.
They have taken football in this country to a different level. So much so that even players like Toure have been left behind.
This was his first league start of the campaign and how the fans yearned for him to sign off with a goal before leaving the stage one last time to an emotional ovation.
By then, City were home and dry although victory was not quite as straightforward as it might appear.
A familiar blunder by Claudio Bravo, another fringe player making a rare appearance, briefly let Brighton back into the game.
The Chile goalkeeper has played well when called upon to replace Ederson this season, but he provided plenty of evidence here as to why City had to sign a new No 1 last summer.
In the end, goals from Danilo, Bernardo Silva and Fernandinho, all assisted by the excellent Leroy Sane, spared Bravo’s embarrassment and rewrote the record books.
City have 97 points and can reach a century at Southampton on the final day this weekend. They have 105 goals. They have 31 wins, level with the all-time top-flight best set by Tottenham in 1961.
‘I feel so good,’ said a proud Guardiola. ‘We tried all season to break the records and maintain our intensity. It’s a lot of goals, a lot of wins and that is a consequence of the season. Now we are going to try for 100 points and finish this almost perfect season.
‘We spoke that we had history in front of us to try to write a new page.
‘I cannot forget Liverpool dominating football in the 80s, the 90s with Sir Alex Ferguson — we are so happy today he is out of intensive care — and afterwards came the Invincibles with Arsene Wenger and then Jose Mourinho.
‘These kind of teams deserve to be the best but in one season we beat them. To be the best we have to win more, but we did it better than the other ones.
‘The team that is going to break our record has to do many, many good things. It was a perfect night for Yaya and for us.’
Considering City’s early domination, the only surprise was that the opening goal came after a breakaway from inside their own half.
Sane played a one-two with Fernandinho and surged over halfway. Gaetan Bong appealed for offside when Sane slipped a pass into Danilo as he galloped forward, but the Brazilian was definitely on. He took his time before guiding a shot past Mat Ryan.
A Brighton equaliser appeared highly unlikely at that stage but it arrived in the 20th minute. Not for the first time in his City career, Bravo had to shoulder much of the blame.
There seemed little danger when Anthony Knockaert played the ball into the right channel for Davy Propper to chase. Certainly there were enough defenders on hand to cover the Brighton midfielder.
Bravo had other ideas and came flying out of his goal. He dived in to punch the ball away with one hand but it didn’t go far enough, so Propper had time to swivel and cross to the edge of the six-yard box.
From that moment, Leonardo Ulloa was always favourite to rise above Fernandinho and head past Danilo on the line for his first league goal since joining Brighton on loan in January.
City restored their lead before half time and once again Fernandinho and Sane were involved.
The Brazilian played the ball l wide for the young German to o cross to the far side of the box x where Bernardo Silva was s waiting.
He controlled it with one touch h and then drilled a shot through h Bong and beyond Ryan for the e record-breaking 104th goal.
City survived another scare when Bravo spilled a cross and Knockaert fired over before they made sure with a third goal in the 72nd minute.
Gundogan caught Brighton napping with a quickly taken corner and Sane pulled the ball back for Fernandinho to stroke it home.
Danilo hit the bar with a late free kick and by then Toure had left the pitch for the last time.
This was his night but there is no doubt it has been City’s season.