After three defeats on the trot, Manchester City returned to winning ways in some style against Tottenham Hotspur. What made it sweeter is the fact that rivals Manchester United lost which meant City have won the league with five games to spare.
The fans won’t really be complaining as they have the chance to reach the 100-point mark which has never been done before. Of course, they would have liked to have won it against Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United, but the way they’ve achieved it will take some beating in the coming seasons.
Winning the league with five games to spare makes it a record for Guardiola side. But who did they eclipse? We take a look…
#1 Manchester United – With 4 games left (Finished with 91 points)
The Manchester United team of the 1999-2000 season had quite a few characters and they managed to win the title by an astonishing 18-point margin. Arsenal finished a distant second with just 73 points, a tally that United had mustered more than a couple of months prior to winning the title. The two strikers – Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke – contributed a total of 39 goals.
That season, Sir Alex’s side scored 97 goals and lifted the famous treble in May. Manchester City will be a bit relieved the record won’t stand anymore as the standards that United team had set were pretty high!
#2 Arsenal – With 4 games left (Finished with 90 points)
For a brief time, Guardiola’s City were so good that there was hope they might be able to replicate Arsenal’s ‘Invincibles’. Liverpool shattered the notion, but City’s free-flowing approach has nevertheless earned them plaudits.
Arsenal’s Invincibles combined the pleasing football with the aggression on the pitch which is why they didn’t lose a single game. They finished the season with 90 points, which isn’t the highest because they drew a lot of games. But still, going unbeaten takes some doing.
Thierry Henry was the wrecker in chief up top and his 30 goals powered the side to the league title with four games to spare.
#3 Manchester United – With 4 games (Finished with 89 points)
The last time Manchester United won the league title, they did it in some style with four games to go. Robin van Persie joined from Arsenal and scored 26 goals to help them lift the title ahead of the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea.
United lifted the title having mustered 89 points, 11 more than City who drew nine games that season to bottle it in the end.
