Manchester City celebrate third Premier League title in row with win over Chelsea

Party time at the Etihad as Julian Alvarez's first-half strike secures victory for Pep Guardiola's side

Manchester City captain Ilkay Gundogan lifts the Premier League trophy after their victory over Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium on May 21, 2023. Reuters

Manchester City celebrated winning their third Premier League title on the trot with a 1-0 victory over Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

A 12th-minute goal from Argentine striker Julian Alvarez was enough to seal all three points for Pep Guardiola's side, who extended their lead at the top over second-placed Arsenal to seven points.

City's fifth title in six seasons was guaranteed on Saturday when the Gunners lost at Nottingham Forest and Guardiola made nine changes from the side that powered past Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final.

The likes of Ederson, Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish and 52-goal striker Erling Haaland were all left on the bench – but even that could not stop City from maintaining their current red-hot run.

They now have two league games still to play – away at Brighton and Brentford – before the quest to win a historic treble kicks into gear with the FA Cup and Champions League finals.

“We always believed we could do this,” said City defender Kyle Walker after the match. “This group of lads are professionals and winners.

“Rest assured we are not finished. We have the FA Cup against our bitter rivals and then the Champions League.

“We will celebrate tonight and then move on to try to create history. The treble would be fantastic but there is a lot of football to be played.

“To say we are up there with one of the greatest Premier League teams of all time, we have to conquer some of that.

“To go and achieve that we could then start talking about being one of the greatest teams in the Premier League.”

It has been a campaign that Walker and Co can, and will, look back on with great pride.

As long-time race leaders Arsenal skidded then stalled with the chequered flag approaching in the distance, City simply stepped up a gear and refused to take their foot off the throttle.

The Gunners spent 249 days at the top of the league this season, the most for a team who failed to win the title in English top-flight history, but saw an eight-point lead in March evaporate as the pressure of City's relentless pursuit proved too much.

City's form has been noting short of sensational. They have ended the season by winning 12 league games in a row and are now unbeaten in their last 24 matches across all competitions.

“Arsenal pushed us right to the limit, they've been fantastic, so all credit to them. We just went on an incredible run, they had a few hiccups, we capitalised on it and we've managed to end up where we have,” Walker had told the club's website after the title had been sealed.

They have simply blown away the opposition playing the type of Total Football that Guardiola had embedded in his DNA following a playing and coaching career that began at Barcelona in the football cathedral that is Camp Nou, guided by his mentor, Dutch master Johan Cruyff.

In his 14 seasons as a manager – at Barca, Bayern Munich and Manchester City – Guardiola has now won domestic title 11 times, five of those coming since moving to England in 2016.

Next up will be the FA Cup final against Manchester United on June 3, a trophy Guardiola has claimed only once before – although he lifted the Spanish and German equivalent four times in total as a coach.

One week later, and the holy grail could be back in his sights. A third Champions League crown could finally be on the way – his last came with Barcelona back in 2011 – if City beat Inter Milan in Istanbul and a historic Treble will be completed.

At the Etihad on Sunday, a heavy defeat looked on the cards for Chelsea after Alvarez confidently swept home Cole Palmer's pass for his 17th goal in a mightily impressive first season in English football. It was also City's 100th home goal in all competitions this season.

Chelsea looked well off the pace, much as they have done throughout what has been a dispiriting end to the season under caretaker manager Frank Lampard.

But they managed to get some sort of foothold in the game as former City attacker Raheem Sterling had a shot saved by Stefan Ortega and then Conor Gallagher headed against the post from a Lewis Hall cross.

At the other end, Kalvin Phillips also headed against the post while Alvarez thought he had claimed a second with just under 20 minutes remaining but Riyad Mahrez had controlled the ball with his arm before teeing-up the World Cup-winner.

Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne were given a run-out in the latter stages but there were to be no more goals as City secured yet another victory in front of a jubilant Etihad.