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Manchester City edge out Liverpool to retain Premier League title

Michael Regan / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Manchester City crossed the line first. Just barely.

Pep Guardiola's men retained the Premier League title on Sunday, beating Brighton 4-1 on the final day of the season to ensure they wouldn't be pipped to the crown by Liverpool.

The Reds did their part, topping Wolves 2-0 at Anfield, but the Citizens' victory rendered that result meaningless.

City, the first team since Manchester United in 2009 to win back-to-back Premier League titles, finished an enthralling campaign on 98 points. Meanwhile, the Merseyside club fell just one point shy of that enormous total.

An early header from Brighton's Glenn Murray at the Amex Stadium on Sunday, combined with a Sadio Mane strike in the concurrent fixture at Anfield, suggested the back-and-forth title race could be set for one final twist.

Alas, that wasn't to be.

The Citizens responded to Murray's goal with Sergio Aguero's equalizer 83 seconds later, and then added three more to cement the crown. Goals from Aymeric Laporte, Riyad Mahrez, and Ilkay Gundogan followed the Argentine's slick finish.

As the seconds ticked away both at the Amex and at Anfield, it became clear a shocking result wasn't coming.

Instead, City got their hands on the Premier League trophy for the second consecutive season, and fourth time overall. They've now collected 198 points over the last two years.

Liverpool, a club now turning its attention to the impending Champions League final against Tottenham, recorded the third-best point total (97) in Premier League history. Yet they still end the domestic campaign without any silverware.

If that isn't proof of City's brilliance, nothing is.

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