Manchester City wins their historic fourth Premier League title in a row

Manchester City secured its fourth consecutive English Premier League title and sixth in seven years with a typically dominant 3-1 win over West Ham on Sunday.

City went into the final day of the EPL with a two-point lead over Arsenal and knew a win would bring another trophy. And to achieve that victory – plus a celebratory pitch invasion – there was hardly any need to fret or sweat.

Exactly 78 seconds after kick-off, Phil Foden gave City the lead. Sixteen minutes later, Foden doubled the lead and seemingly pushed West Ham out of sight.

The Hammers responded shortly before half-time with a bicycle kick goal out of nowhere – and suddenly slight doubts began to appear. But Rodri, another Man City protagonist, wiped them out in the 59th minute and restored City's consolation.

Arsenal, playing at the same time 200 miles south in London, beat Everton. But the Gunners, who had pushed City to the limit, were powerless – as City stormed towards the finish line, unbeaten in all competitions since December 6's defeat at Aston Villa.

As they always seem to do, the Citizens accelerated as winter turned to spring, dispatching inferior opponents with ease. They had struggled against the EPL's top six, winning just twice in ten games; but in the end they won 26 of 28 against the last 14. On March 31st they played Arsenal, then won each of their last nine league games – and claimed they were the greatest English team of all time.

No club had ever won four consecutive top flight titles in the 124-year history of English football.

No club had ever achieved six wins in seven seasons.

No club has ever won two consecutive domestic doubles, something City could achieve if it beats Manchester United in the FA Cup final on Saturday.

And no English club had ever played like City under Pep Guardiola, dominating the ball, controlling games and picking apart overwhelmed opponents.

The caveat, of course, is that they allegedly cheated. There may be asterisks coming. The Premier League has accused City of 115 breaches of the rules, most of them related to false accounting and excessive spending. According to leaked documents published by German magazine Der Spiegel, City essentially inflated the value of sponsorships to give players more money, among other nefarious schemes.

This money fueled City's success. Since Sheikh Mansour and the Abu Dhabi royal family bought the club in 2008, they have spent around $2.8 billion on transfer fees. They brought in players like Sergio Aguero and Yaya Toure, Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri, Ruben Dias and Erling Haaland. They won titles in 2012 and 2014; Then, in 2016, Guardiola arrived to turn her into a machine.

But their newest superstar, Foden, cost $0.

He was born, raised and shaped in Greater Manchester. He came through City's academy, breaking into the first team and contributing to the previous five titles in a complementary role. On the way to the sixth, he became the main character.

In the 2023/24 season, Foden established himself as one of the best players in the world. Earlier this week he was voted Premier League Player of the Season. And then, on Sunday, he capped his breakthrough with the goals that gave City their fourth top-flight win – and the club's 10th English top-flight title overall.