Manchester City were whisked back north on three planes on Sunday night to share their triumph with thousands of supporters at the Etihad Stadium.
They flew out of Biggin Hill, renowned for its role in the Battle of Britain, which felt apt given this titanic tussle with Liverpool. City lifted the trophy with fans at just gone 10pm, with celebrations continuing in the stadium’s premiere hospitality suite, the Tunnel Club, long after.
‘This was by far the hardest and most draining,’ Vincent Kompany said. ‘The first one (2012) happened in the last minute but this was constantly knowing you have to win and perform. We defeated one of the all-time great teams in England.’
Vincent Kompany lifts up the Premier League trophy as Manchester City celebrated retaining their crown on Sunday night
The Manchester City squad celebrated their title triumph with thousands of their supporters at the Etihad Stadium
The team got the chance to share their success with their fans just hours after beating Brighton to retain the title
Pep Guardiola was equally reflective, claiming retaining this title was the toughest assignment of his illustrious career.’ It was the most difficult one,’ he said. ‘The most difficult one because of the quality of Liverpool. We made 100 points last season and had to make 98 this season.’
Guardiola and his players claimed they were not aware of Liverpool’s score against Wolves, although Brighton’s home crowd made sure it was voiced.
The jubilation inside City’s dressing room was just as loud. Renditions of “Allez, Allez, Allez” were pumped out by the players, so too “Campeones”. The tens of champagne bottles did not go to waste either. Noel Gallagher joined them, still with sunglasses on, after spending the afternoon in the away end.
Thousands of City fans gathered outside the Etihad to await the arrival of the side following their journey back from Brighton
‘I knew we could win back-to-back titles straight away,’ Kompany said. ‘The first meeting of the season it was all about how we tried to get back to back. Pep’s done it before and I felt we could do it from the first moment. I felt the desire. The manager starts everything. He sets the standards.’
Raheem Sterling was also effusive in his praise of Guardiola. ‘The manager is about mentality and it’s about
