Aston Villa came close to spoiling Manchester City’s title party with a valiant performance at the Etihad on the final day of the Premier League season.
The jubilant mood inside the stadium quickly turned to despair when Matty Cash headed home the opening goal after 37 minutes.
And when Philippe Coutinho doubled the visiting Villans’ advantage on 69 minutes, it looked as though City’s hopes of winning the league had been dashed.
However, Pep Guardiola’s side showed all their quality to score three times in five minutes, inspired by super sub Ilkay Gundogan (2) and Rodri, to win consecutive titles.
The sides were greeted by a ferocious noise as they emerged for kick-off, with the hosts knowing a win would secure back-to-back Premier League titles.
Villa made two changes to their starting XI as they looked to cause an upset in the season finale, replacing Emiliano Martinez with debutant Robin Olsen and restoring Coutinho to the line-up for Carney Chukwuemeka.
Sweden’s first-choice goalkeeper, Olsen, who hadn’t played competitive club football since November, had an early scare when Gabriel Jesus charged down his clearance, with the ricochet landing a few yards wide of the goal.
Villa had lost 15 of their last 16 away league games against City, losing each of the last 11 in a row since a 2-0 win in April 2007, but they came close to dampening the jovial atmosphere inside the stadium when a diving Coutinho came within inches of connecting with a cross.
Jesus had a half-chance saved by Olsen and Phil Foden dragged a shot narrowly wide, but with each goalless minute the home fans and players became increasingly edgy.
And in the 37th minute, the life was sucked out of the Etihad when Villa took a shock lead through Cash’s fourth goal of the campaign.
A superb move began with Jacob Ramsey driving forward and feeding Lucas Digne in an advanced position on the left-hand side, with the full-back’s cross met by Cash’s thumping header.
City’s usually composed and precise passing became erratic as the atmosphere became tinged with anxiety, allowing the visitors to enjoy further chances through Coutinho and Ollie Watkins.
Despite trailing at the break, Guardiola’s side still had possession of top spot by virtue of Liverpool being held 1-1 by Wolves after 45 minutes.
City had netted 96 goals in their previous 37 league games, and Jesus spurned their best opening of the match five minutes into the second half, poking Joao Cancelo’s whipped cross over the bar from four yards out.
The pressure on Villa’s goal was beginning to build, but the away side nearly added to their lead when Watkins collected Olsen’s long ball and drove at goal before bobbling a shot wide. The linesman’s flag went up afterwards but replays subsequently showed the forward was in his own half when the ball was played.
When Gundogan entered the action on 68 minutes, Guardiola had used all of his substitutes after the Spaniard elected to bring Oleksandr Zinchenko on at half-time and Raheem Sterling shortly after.
And just moments after the change, City’s head coach had his head in his hands as he watched Coutinho roll the ball past a stationary Ederson.
A long ball was flicked into the Brazilian’s path by Watkins and the playmaker cut inside before calmly passing the ball beyond his countryman.
The travelling Villa fans were buoyant as their counterparts lost their voices in despair, but with 15 minutes to play the Citizens finally broke Villa’s brave resistance.
Gundogan rose highest at the back post to meet Sterling’s cross, with a wave of euphoria sweeping over the stadium as the ball hit the back of the net.
Suddenly the belief of everyone in light blue had been restored, and the noise ramped up to a whole new level when Rodri equalised less than two minutes later.
From 2-0 down on 76 minutes, City were 3-2 up on 81 minutes when Gundogan was in the right place to tap home Kevin De Bruyne’s cross.
Two late goals for Liverpool at Anfield proved to be inconsequential as City’s storming comeback saw them win the Premier League.
