Here it is then, the tournament we’ve all been waiting for…
Pep Guardiola’s Man City were the first Premier League club to ever reach 100 points in a single season.
But how do they measure up against three other classic Premier League winners of the past?
Arsenal’s Invincibles of 2003/04, Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea crop of 2004/05, and Man United’s famous Treble winners of 1998/99 complete the set with each team playing their three opponents both home and away…
Let’s get stuck into Game Week 1…
What an opening fixture at the Etihad!
The hosts needed Ederson to be at his best as Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry caused havoc among City’s defence.
Patrick Vieira left his mark on Kevin De Bruyne with a crunching tackle early on but the Belgian recovered and ran the show in the second half.
Leroy Sane gave Lauren a torrid afternoon while the immobile centre-back pairing of Sol Campbell and Kolo Toure struggled to cope with City’s pace and movement.
The late kick-off was a more turgid affair as Jose Mourinho set up his Chelsea side to frustrate Sir Alex Ferguson’s treble winners.
Game Week 2…
City needed a late Gabriel Jesus goal to rescue a point at Stamford Bridge after Frank Lampard’s first-half penalty had given the visitors a lead to protect.
Patrick Vieira and Roy Keane reignited their personal battle with an ill-tempered game at Highbury.
Freddie Ljungberg’s opportunistic brace saw the Invincibles pick up their first points of the campaign.
Game Week 3…
Didier Drogba always scores against the Gunners, doesn’t he?
A Mourinho masterclass facilitated Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Arsenal in the early kick-off, although the Blues did get a little help from Mike Dean along the way.
Guardiola’s troops swaggered to a routine win at the Etihad — though it could have been very different had Andy Cole not squandered a couple of early chances.
Game Week 4…
Wow. What a thriller.
An extraordinarily open game at Highbury reached a climax when Raheem Sterling scored a stoppage-time winner.
Thierry Henry had earlier shown Kyle Walker the meaning of ‘true pace’ but Jens Lehmann’s erratic display ultimately cost the hosts a positive result.
In the late kick-off, Arjen Robben cut in off the right flank past and dribbled past Denis Irwin before bending an inch-perfect finish past the otherwise impenetrable Peter Schmeichel for a late Chelsea equaliser.
Game Week 5…
With the bus parked from kick-off, City showed patience as David Silva broke the deadlock thanks to a defence-splitting pass from Kevin De Bruyne in the build-up.
However, a moment of Joe Cole genius ten minutes later gave Mourinho’s troops a hard-earned point.
A goal each for Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke ensured the Old Trafford faithful went home satisfied for the first time this tournament.
Game Week 6…
A bore draw at Highbury ensured Mourinho’s men finish the campaign unbeaten but with only one victory to their name.
Nothing much to discuss other than a towering display at the back from John Terry.
City also finished the campaign without tasting defeat but a trademark David Beckham free-kick meant they failed to finish with a win.
The game changed after 65 minutes when Roy Keane was sent off for a dreadful tackle on John Stones.
Before the official final standings, let’s take a look at the tournament’s top scorers…
Congratulations go to Pep Guardiola and his men!
Man City’s hat-trick of victories set them apart from the pack while Jose Mourinho will now face a torrent criticism for his negative ‘anti-football’ approach.
As for Arsenal, having gone the whole 2003/04 season unbeaten, the Gunners succumbed to defeat four times in six fixtures…
There you have it, undeniable proof that Man City’s centurions are the best side in Premier League history.
You can’t argue with cold hard stats…
