Pep Guardiola broke down in tears after watching Manchester City produce a stunning turnaround to clinch the Premier League title.
The Catalan could not contain his emotions on the touchline as the tears poured down his face after a rollercoaster day at the Etihad Stadium, hugging his assistant Juanma Lillo, after watching his side come back from the brink to clinch their fourth title in his sixth season at the club.
The 51-year-old now ranks as one of the best ever coaches to grace the game after clinching his 10th league title in just 13 seasons of management. But it was far from a straightforward success after a day filled with drama in the top flight.
Guardiola watched on in agony as his side trailed 2-0 at home to Aston Villa with only 22 minutes of normal time remaining, after Matty Cash and Philippe Coutinho struck either side of the interval. But the champions held their nerve with Ilkay Gundogan grabbing a goal back on 68 minutes.
Rodri then headed City level to make it 2-2, but a Liverpool goal would have propelled the Reds to the summit as they were drawing 1-1 against Wolves at Anfield. But up stepped the ever reliable Kevin De Bruyne with a low cross and Gundogan slid home to score his second and make it 3-2, scoring the all-important goal to clinch the title for City.
Liverpool eventually won 3-1 thanks to late goals from Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson, but it was all in vain as City celebrated jubilantly on the touchline at the sound of the final whistle.
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City's title-winning hero Gundogan, who could be leaving the club on a free transfer this summer, conceded that their "unbelievable" achievement looked unlikely when they went 2-0 down.
"It was an unbelievable game. It was fantastic. Honestly, after going 2-0 down, the chances were very small," the German said. "We had to do simple things again in the best possible way.
"It was more of a negative one than a positive one. It was about getting that goal and we knew it would be one our side to be able to score three goals. We’re fans at the end of the day. These are days that you look back too."
Gundogan also praised Liverpool for taking them all the way and hoped they will be back challenging next season for the title: "IF Liverpool would not be there and play the way they do, I don’t think the league could be that attractive," he added.
"They played an incredible season and we pushed each other to the limit. Even though it's a sad day for them, we need to appreciate what they’ve done. We’re looking forward to competing with them against next season.
Guardiola declared his players are "legends" and lifted the trophy alongside his title-winning heroes inside a raucous Eithad Stadium as the title celebrations began. With players such as Fernandinho playing his final game, and Gundogan potentially leaving, there may still be more tears to come from the City tactician as he bids farewell to his long-serving players.
