It’s understandable why there has been so much focus on Liverpool this season.
The Reds are one of English football’s biggest clubs and their Premier League hoodoo is perhaps the strongest narrative underpinning the domestic game in this country.
The tension was at Anfield; the story.
But now the season is over and Man City are champions.
The spotlight shines upon only them, and how they deserve it.
A dominant team retaining their title may not lend itself to headlines like scratching a 29-year itch, but it would be tragic to categorise this City side as simply party spoilers.
They’re the first team to win back-to-back Premier League titles in a decade.
Pep Guardiola’s troops finished the campaign with 98 points, a tally bettered only by their record-breaking century last season.
Most points, biggest title-winning margin, most wins, most consecutive wins, most goals, best goal difference… this side have rewritten Premier League history.
And they’ve done it in breathtaking style, exhibiting devastating attacking football, bursting with unrivalled ambition and confidence in their collective ability.
Guardiola’s City are the greatest Premier League side ever.
In 2017/18, they conquered with brutalism.
For the sequel, they edged out rivals so worthy they accumulated enough points to win any other Premier League season, save for City’s centurions and their retention.
Although, some of the more hyperbolic media outlets would have you believe the title race ascendancy has switched many times in the last few weeks.
In truth, the lead has only changed hands because of scheduling.
City won 14 consecutive games to end the season in rampant form.
In an age where fans are desperate to call out ‘bottlers’, City more than held their nerve, they relished the high stakes and performed at maximum capacity.
You can talk about transfers fees, wages, squad depth.
But City are from from the first Premier League club to wield a chequebook.
Previous Man United and Chelsea iterations have dwarfed their direct rivals in terms of recruitment.
But none have been as relentless or unflappable as this City side.
Such has been the nature of this season’s title race, we must talk about margins.
John Stones’ knife-edge clearance off the line when Liverpool visited the Etihad in a breathless game of unique intensity.
Sergio Aguero’s goal-line technology approved winner against Burnley.
Even last Monday, when City’s talismanic leader did the unexpected, and Gary Neville asked: “Where do you want your statue, Vincent Kompany?”
Neville’s instinctive reaction to the Belgian’s sensational strike may have been partially tongue-in-cheek, but there’s more than an element of truth to his sentiments.
Kompany, like Aguero and David Silva, is not just a ‘modern legend’, he’s a legend for the ages.
All three have now won four Premier League titles; more than that, they’ve been the spine upon which everything else has been built.
This core have also given City authentic identity, something that occasionally eludes clubs dependent on a rotating cast of superstars.
Whatever happens next, this side will be remembered for their unmatched superiority at a time when defending the title was as difficult as its ever been.
Congratulations to Pep Guardiola, the players, and everyone associated with Man City.
NEXT: Dream Team’s alternative End of the Season awards return for 2018/19!