They did it the hard way, as they always seem to do.
Former player and chairman Franny Lee famously joked Manchester City would be the most successful club in the land if they awarded cups for cock-ups. And, with 21 minutes left and trailing 2-0, it seemed that ignominious trait had come back to haunt City, who only needed to beat Aston Villa to make it four titles in five years.
For all their success over the past decade, the capacity for self-implosion remains in City's DNA - doing things the hard way, putting themselves and their fans through the wringer unnecessarily. It afflicted them away to Real Madrid, when they crumbled with the Champions League final in sight, and here they looked to be suffering the same fate, trailing 2-0 and blowing the Premier League title.
But just as they did a decade ago, when Sergio Aguero's iconic last-gasp goal clinched their maiden Premier League title, City found a way to turn despair into delirium in another remarkable climax to the season. The anxiety felt by City fans in the stand was mirrored on the pitch and in the dugout, on a nerve-shredding afternoon for the blue half of Manchester.
With City's players devoid of their usual fluency, boss Pep Guardiola was feeling the tension too, pacing the technical area, his head scrambled, his game-plan in ruins, the title seemingly gone. Moments before Villa took the lead, Guardiola let his own nerves show, unleashing his fury at the failure to get the ball back into play swiftly enough for City to take a throw-in.
Guardiola is always a manic presence on the touchline, even when City are in command of games, but with his side in disarray, he went through his full Basil Fawlty-style repertoire. Down on his haunches, hands on his head in despair, hands on hips in bewilderment at his side's inexplicable display, Guardiola was the epitome of a man in turmoil.
The City bench shared their manager's concern, substitutes and coaching staff complaining to fourth official David Coote about Villa keeper Robin Olsen's perceived time-wasting. It continued after the break, frustration turning to anger when De Bruyne skied a volley high over the bar and a similar reaction when Gabriel Jesus missed the target moments later.
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When Philippe Coutinho put Villa 2-0 up with 21 minutes left, many City fans left the stadium, convinced their team had blown it in spectacular fashion. How they must wish they had stayed, with City plundering three goals in five minutes to seal the title in drama right up there with Aguero's historic moment.
As Sir Alex Ferguson famously said – football, bloody hell.
