City beats West Ham to clinch EPL title
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E-mail Shanghai Daily, May 12, 2014
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Manchester City players are jubilant as captain Vincent Kompany (center) hoists the EPL trophy yesterday. |
Manchester City secured a second Premier League title in three seasons by comfortably defeating West Ham United 2-0 at a jubilant Etihad Stadium yesterday.
City needed only a point to claim the championship ahead of Liverpool, but goals in each half from Samir Nasri and Vincent Kompany meant that it completed its mission with room to spare.
Victory took City's goals tally to 102 — one short of Chelsea's Premier League record from 2009-10 — and made Chilean Manuel Pellegrini the first non-European manager to win an English top-flight title.
Liverpool, which led the table with three games to play, finished two points below City in second place after coming from behind to win 2-1 at home to Newcastle United, which had Shola Ameobi and Paul Dummett sent off.
Third-place Chelsea, meanwhile, came from behind to win 2-1 at relegated Cardiff, with Andre Schurrle and Fernando Torres securing victory after Craig Bellamy had put the Welsh club ahead.
Ashley Cole, whose contract is due to expire, captained Chelsea on what may have been his last appearance.
David Silva, Sergio Aguero and Aleksandar Kolarov all threatened for City before Nasri put the Blues ahead in the 39th minute, gathering a pass from Yaya Toure and arrowing a 22-yard drive into the bottom-left corner.
West Ham striker Andy Carroll deflected a shot from Silva onto the post in first-half stoppage time, before Kompany doubled City's lead early in the second half by stabbing home from a corner.
The home fans celebrated with their customary ‘Poznan' dance — bouncing up and down with their backs to the game — and then flooded onto the pitch in delight at the final whistle.
Liverpool went into its last game of the campaign with a slim hope of winning a first league title since 1990, but it fell behind in the 20th minute when Martin Skrtel sliced Yoan Gouffran's cross into his own net.
However, carbon-copy goals by Daniel Agger and Daniel Sturridge, both of whom volleyed in Steven Gerrard freekicks, turned the game around in the space of two minutes in the second half.
Agger's goal was Liverpool's 100th in the league and made this the first English top-flight season in which two teams have reached that milestone since 1960-61.
Tottenham Hotspur secured the last available Europa League berth by crushing Aston Villa 3-0 through a Paulinho strike, a Nathan Baker own goal and an Emmanuel Adebayor penalty, all of which arrived before half-time.
Spurs' victory means that Manchester United will not play in Europe next season for the first time since 1989-90.
United drew 1-1 at Southampton in Ryan Giggs's final game as interim manager, which saw last season's champion finish 22 points below cross-town rival City in seventh place after a miserable campaign.
United captain Nemanja Vidic, playing his last game for the club, was left with a bloodied nose by Ricky Lambert as the Southampton striker put the hosts in front in the 28th minute.
Juan Mata equalized for United with a sumptuous freekick early in the second half.
Norwich City's relegation was confirmed after it lost 0-2 at home to Arsenal. Aaron Ramsey's sublime 53rd-minute volley put Arsenal ahead, with Carl Jenkinson adding a second goal shortly after.
Arsenal's FA Cup final opponent Hull City finished the campaign by losing 0-2 at home to fifth-place Everton, which prevailed through goals from James McCarthy and Romelu Lukaku.
Elsewhere, Swansea City spoilt Sunderland's survival party with a 3-1 win at the Stadium of Light, while Stoke City won 2-1 at West Bromwich Albion and Fulham drew 2-2 at home to Crystal Palace.
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