THE NOTEBOOK: Raheem Sterling congratulates his old side on the title
THE NOTEBOOK: Raheem Sterling congratulates his old side on the title, Ederson dyes his hair blue – only to be benched – and Man City hit a century of home goals for the season
- Raheem Sterling was part of Chelsea side that gave City a guard of honour
- Manchester City reached 100 home goals this season across all competitions
- 102-year-old fan Geoffrey Rothband has seen all nine of City’s title successes
Manchester City lifted the Premier League trophy following their 1-0 win against Chelsea.
Julian Alvarez’s goal saw City prevail at the Etihad Stadium but they had already secured the title on Saturday after Arsenal lost to Nottingham Forest.
It was a day of celebration for City, who have now won five of the last six Premier League titles.
Here, Mail Sport’s Jack Gaughan reflects on the key talking points.
The fact that Arsenal imploded one final time made sure Manchester City would definitely be parading another trophy in front of their own supporters irrespective of this result. A nice position to be in.
That also meant Chelsea, two games unbeaten for the first time since March, had to offer a guard of honour.
Raheem Sterling, who left the Premier League champions for more game time, was one of those players lined up congratulating City. He did it with good grace, as you would expect.
But there was an awkward moment for another prominent face soon after. As the teams lined up, the league’s anthem was played over the PA system and — as usual — was promptly booed by the home crowd. Nothing unusual in that but it must have made for awkward listening for Premier League chief executive Richard Masters who was present at the Etihad.
Raheem Sterling was part of the Chelsea side that gave Manchester City a guard of honour
Chief executive Richard Masters was in attendance as the Premier League anthem was booed
Difficult for Pochettino to take encouragement
Mauricio Pochettino will have been watching this already aware of the issues that need fixing at Chelsea, but there were one or two brighter glimpses for the Argentine as he prepares to take charge this summer.
The Blues did force Stefan Ortega into two fine stops and Conor Gallagher hit the post. But given City began with a second-string side, Pochettino knows he has his work cut out.
Bolt from the blue for Ederson
Spare a thought for Ederson, who had done his hair for the occasion, dying it blue. Only for Pep Guardiola to then give him a rest and pick understudy Ortega instead.
The German — who signed from Arminia Bielefeld following their relegation from the Bundesliga — made his 12th appearance of the season in all competitions yesterday and now has nine clean sheets, an impressive return.
City goalkeeper Ederson dyed his hair blue in celebration but didn’t play against Chelsea
100 home goals for City
Manchester City have scored 100 goals at the Etihad Stadium this season, equalling the record they set in 2018-19 for the most home goals in all competitions in a season by an English top-flight club. Pep Guardiola’s side have also now won their last six games against Chelsea.
City fan shows incredible longevity
An incredible feat in the stands. Geoffrey Rothband, 102 years young, has witnessed all nine of City’s top-flight title wins — from their first in 1937 right through to the present day. There cannot be too many fans up and down the land who can boast such longevity!
Pitch protection plan doesn’t work
There was a major operation, a ‘pitch protection plan’, in place for thwarting a fan invasion at full time but in reality, that was never going to come off.
More than 250 security staff were stationed at various points around the Etihad Stadium’s perimeter to prepare for thousands of supporters running on to celebrate this latest title victory.
So, of course, there was the inevitable delay as the pitch was cleared before the trophy presentation could commence, but that was only to be expected.
Alex Williams, a former goalkeeper who worked for City in the Community (CITC) for 33 years, is leaving the club and was bestowed the honour of handing over the silverware alongside teenage trophy bearer Tom O’Dell, who has taken part in a CITC project, which he says has ‘turned his life around’.
Manchester City fans invaded the pitch following their victory against Chelsea
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