Manchester City were crowned Premier League champions without kicking a ball in anger. Rivals Manchester United were beaten 2-1 by Leicester City at Old Trafford on Tuesday, meaning City can now not be caught at the top of the table. Pep Guardiola's side missed a chance to seal the title when they <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/manchester-city-title-party-put-on-hold-after-marcos-alonso-s-late-winner-for-chelsea-1.1219027">lost 2-1 against Chelsea</a> at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, but Marcos Alonso's late winner only temporarily delayed their celebrations. City turned the title race into a procession since the new year and deservedly won the league for a third time in four seasons. Guardiola's team enjoyed a remarkable revival after a spluttering start to the season. After a 1-1 draw at home to West Bromwich Albion in mid-December, City had won just five of their opening 12 Premier League games and started their next match at Southampton 11 points adrift of defending champions Liverpool. It was the worst start of Guardiola's managerial career, but since a transformative <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/n-golo-kante-3-hakim-ziyech-4-kevin-de-bruyne-8-phil-foden-8-chelsea-v-manchester-city-player-ratings-1.1139916">3-1 victory at Chelsea</a> on January 3, City have left their rivals trailing in their wake. That was the start of a run of 18 successive wins in all competitions, a record sequence for an English top-flight club. They have also won their last 18 away games in all competitions, also a record a team from England's top tier. City's achievements have been even more impressive given the issues posed by a frantic fixture list amid the coronavirus pandemic. It has been a remarkable season so far for City. They beat Tottenham with an Aymeric Laporte header to <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/aymeric-laporte-scores-late-winner-as-manchester-city-beat-spurs-in-league-cup-final-1.1210710">lift the League Cup</a> last month and have also made it to the <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/thomas-tuchel-delighted-with-chelsea-spirit-after-cruising-past-real-madrid-to-set-up-all-english-champions-league-final-1.1217433">Champions League final</a>, where they face Thomas Tuchel's Chelsea in Istanbul on May 29.
