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Son Heung-min wins history-making Golden Boot as Man City and AC Milan crowned champions
Updated 14:28, 23-May-2022
CGTN
Man City captain Fernandinho lifts the Premier League trophy after their win over Aston Villa at Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, May 22, 2022. /CFP

Man City captain Fernandinho lifts the Premier League trophy after their win over Aston Villa at Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, May 22, 2022. /CFP

It was thrilling, nerve-shredding and hair-raising. The final day of the Premier League certainly did not disappoint.

After Aston Villa established a stunning two-goal lead at the Etihad Stadium with just over 20 minutes to play, Manchester City supporters across the world feared the worst. Pep Guardiola's side were on course to become the first team to give away the title having led the table on their last hurrah.

But in a sensational passage of play that evoked memories of their famous comeback against Queens Park Rangers from a decade earlier, City somehow managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat with three goals in five minutes. 

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola kisses the Premier League trophy at Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, May 22, 2022. /CFP

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola kisses the Premier League trophy at Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, May 22, 2022. /CFP

Substitute Ilkay Gundogan put up his finest performance at home by netting twice, while Rodri also produced a brilliant wonder strike that turned the title race on its head.

City did need those precious three points as Liverpool comfortably outclassed Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-1. When the dust settled, Jurgen Klopp's men fell short by just a point and City joined arch-rivals Manchester United as the only clubs in the Premier League era to have won four titles in five seasons.

"It was an unbelievable game," beamed Gundogan. "We are human beings and, after going 2-0 down, the chances were just very, very small. But we had to do the simple things and scoring two goals quickly and then having 10 minutes to score the third one gave us the right lift."

Ilkay Guendogan of Manchester City poses with the Premier League trophy at Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, May 22, 2022. /CFP

Ilkay Guendogan of Manchester City poses with the Premier League trophy at Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England, May 22, 2022. /CFP

City's veteran captain Fernandinho, whose last season with the club ended with another unforgettable trophy, added, "It feels like we came back from the dead to win the league. This is the Man City spirit. You never give up."

For Guardiola, the ninth major trophy since he arrived at Manchester spoke volumes about his ever-lasting ability to stay on top. But the Spanish tactician insisted his players are the ones who deserve praise.

"Four Premier Leagues – these guys are legends already; people have to admit it," he told a press conference. "This group of players are absolutely eternal in this club because what we achieved is so difficult."

"I want to congratulate Liverpool for what they've done. The magnitude of our achievement is because of the magnitude of this rival. That makes us feel more proud because we know which team we face and we are incredibly happy," he added.

Liverpool's Luis Diaz looks dejected during their Premier League match at Anfield, Liverpool, England, May 22, 2022. /CFP

Liverpool's Luis Diaz looks dejected during their Premier League match at Anfield, Liverpool, England, May 22, 2022. /CFP

Klopp, meanwhile, could only accept his fate. "Finishing second is the story of my life. I'm still record holder for not getting promoted in Germany with the highest points tally. You need to get more points than any other teams, but we didn't do that," he observed.

"It's not the result we wanted. It was a bit of a rollercoaster. I don't know the results exactly but I know Villa were 1-0 up – were they 2-0 up as well? Of course at the moment there's disappointment here as well.

"Congratulations to Man City and Pep Guardiola. Thank you to Aston Villa and Wolverhampton for making a proper game of it. It's not the result we wanted...but now it's OK."

Tottenham Hotspurs' Son Heung-min displays his Premier League Golden Boot award at Carrow Road, Norwich, England, May 22, 2022. /CFP

Tottenham Hotspurs' Son Heung-min displays his Premier League Golden Boot award at Carrow Road, Norwich, England, May 22, 2022. /CFP

Elsewhere, Son Heung-min scored twice as Spurs hammered Norwich 5-0 to secure their return to the Champions League at the expense of Arsenal. 

The South Korean superstar took his total to 23 goals this season and claimed a share of the Golden Boot with Liverpool's Mohamed Salah. In doing so, Son has written a new chapter in football history as he became the first-ever Asian player to win the top scorer award in Europe's top five leagues.

"It's incredible to have this award," said the 29-year-old during the awards ceremony. "I can't believe it. I got really emotional. I dreamed of it as a child. Literally it's my in hands. I can't believe it. This season was a great lesson. Next season we can look forward to the Champions League. Everyone deserves to be there."

AC Milan players celebrate their Serie A title at Mapei Stadium in Reggio nell'Emilia, Italy, May 22, 2022. /CFP

AC Milan players celebrate their Serie A title at Mapei Stadium in Reggio nell'Emilia, Italy, May 22, 2022. /CFP

In Italy, AC Milan won their first Serie A title in 11 years after swatting aside Sassuolo 3-0 to dethrone city rivals Inter Milan, who also won 3-0 at home to Sampdoria.

Stefano Pioli's team needed just a point to claim their 19th Scudetto, and Olivier Giroud settled their nerves by bagging two goals to set Milan on the way to the easy win. The result meant Milan finished two points ahead of Inter and ended more than a decade of disappointment since their last title in 2011.

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"I'm happy for me, the fans, the players and the whole Milan world, they all deserve this Scudetto," an emotional Pioli said after the game. "We always believed in it. The players were fantastic from the first match to the last, never losing intensity and never stopping working."

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