6
MANCHESTER, England —
The songs and the chanting started well before the
final whistle. After it blew,
Manchester City fans set of
blue flares and streamed
onto the field by the thousands. And it would not be
long before manager
Manuel Pellegrini was
tossed in the air by his jubilant players. Needing
Manchester City
Manchester City's Vincent Kompany,
right, celebrates after scoring against
West Ham during the English Premier
League soccer match
far less drama than two years ago, City won the Premier League for
the second time in three seasons Sunday with a 2-0 victory over West
Ham.
City won behind goals from Samir Nasri and captain Vincent Kompany,
meaning Liverpool's 2-1 win over Newcastle at Anfield was meaningless and City finished two points above the Merseyside club.
"It was my first season in the Premier League and I had to change a
lot of things," Pellegrini said. "It's amazing we are here after just one
year."
For a club that has spent so much time in the shadow of United — last
year's champion — this was just the fourth time in City's 134-year history that fans could celebrate a league title.
In 2012, City won the title on goal difference ahead of neighbor Manchester United after coming from behind to beat Queens Park Rangers
on the final day.
"You can't repeat what happened last time," City goalkeeper Joe Hart
said. "This year, we've really come on strong at the end when we
needed to."