For the first time in 44 years, Manchester City football club were crowned as champions of England in a pulsating encounter where the English champion was not known until the last minute of the last game of the league.
In their final fixture, which was played simultaneously alongside 9 other games, Manchester City defeated Queens Park Rangers (3-2) to emerge as champions of the English Premier league. The victory left City with 89 points, same as Manchester United, winners of the last three editions of the Premier league.
City emerged league winners following a better goal difference over their city rivals. City have a goal difference of 64 while United have a goal difference of 56. (Goal difference is a difference between goals scored by a team and goals conceded (over the course of the season).
Manchester City would however count themselves lucky as they scored their winning goal against QPR in the 94th minute courtesy of a strike by Argentinean Sergio Aguero.
Nigerians escape relegation
Though on the losing sides, two Nigerians who played full 90 mins for QPR, Taiye Taiwo and Nedum Onuoha, have reasons to be thankful as their club escaped relegation from the premier league.
QPRs escape follows a 2-2 draw by Bolton against Stoke city. Taiwo is on loan at QPR from Italian side AC Milan.
This ensures that it is Bolton that joins previously relegated Wolverhampton Wanderers and Blackburn football club (the club Nigerian Yakubu Aiyegbeni plays for). Bolton needed a win against Stoke to escape relegation as the draw saw them finish with 36 points while QPR finished with 37 points.
Tottenham will pray against Chelsea
Fans of Tottenham football club will be hoping that a German club, Bayern Munich, beat their London city rivals on Sunday, next week. This is because Tottenham’s fourth placed finish which would ordinarily have guaranteed them a champions league play-off spot is now dependent on the UEFA champions league final between Bayern and Chelsea.
Should Chelsea win on Sunday, Tottenham would have to settle for the second tier Europa league as Chelsea would automatically fill the fourth spot meant for English clubsides. Arsenal, meanwhile have qualified for the Champions League after finishing in third place with 70 points, one ahead of Tottenham.
Chelsea, as expected rested several players who are expected to feature in next week’s Champions league final. Nigerian midfielder Mikel Obi; Frank Lampard; Salomon Kalou, Jose Bosingwa and others were rested as Chelsea came sixth in the league (their worst showing since Roman Abrahamovic took control of the Club in 2003) with 64 points.
