Manchester City crowned Premier League champions after 3-2 win over Aston Villa – live reaction!

Pep Guardiola has his arms round Gabriel Jesus. Knowing him he’s probably already looking to next season, trying to persuade Jesus to stay. Guardiola has received quite a lot of criticism in the last couple of months, some of it legitimate, but anyone who doesn’t think he’s one of the greatest managers of all time needs to give their noggin a wobble. This is his tenth league title, and he’s only 51 years old.

Last up, after his final game as a City player, is the club captain Fernandinho. He walks over to his mates, crouches down and then lifts the trophy as high as his arms will allow. Manchester City are the champions of England!

The players are all walking up to receive their medals. Oleksandr Zinchenko and Nathan Ake are doing a silly dance, Jack Grealish has his shorts even higher than usual. Other players are milling around, waiting for the big moment. It’s a lovely scene, full of warmth and joy.

On the pitch invasion Apparently Steven Gerrard has said that Robin Olsen, the Villa goalkeeper, was hurt during the pitch invasion at the final whistle. I’m sure we’ll hear more about that.

A smiling Pep Guardiola leads out the champions, both arms raised in the air. Now he’s clenching his fists to all four corners of the stadium. We’ve rarely seen him as emotionally naked as this.

This is City’s fourth title in five years, a level of dominance that brooks no argument. The next challenge, at least domestically, is to make it three in a row, and then maybe set a new English record by winning four on the bounce.

Now it’s time for all the first-team coaching staff to walk out. Pep Guardiola is waiting in the tunnel, having a chat with Richard Wright before he goes out.

The pitch has been cleared and the title presentation is about to begin. First out are all the City staff, and there’s an army of them.

How to celebrate winning the title, with Roy Maurice Keane

“Did you enjoy celebrations like this Roy, when it was all over?”

“Oh yeah, back in the day you’d drink as much as you could for a few weeks.”

Here is David Hytner’s match report from the Etihad:

A breathless Ilkay Gundogan speaks

“There’s something of Luis Enrique about Gundogan,” says Phil Podolsky. “Incredibly versatile, great at getting into the box from midfield unmarked, big game player.”

I assumed Bernardo Silva was injured, but I was probably guilty of underestimating Gundogan again.

“Congratulations to City,” says Liverpool fan Matt Dony. “They deserve the title. They’ve been brilliant. Obviously, Liverpool have been brilliant, too. But City have just been a tiny bit brillianter. It’s horrible that it comes down to such tiny margins, but this is football. That wonderful, awful, magnificent, horrible sport. This is exactly the outcome I expected, but the way it played out was nail/finger/arm-biting. But today is about City. And my hat is off to them.”

There are thousands of fans still on the pitch. They’ve broken one of the crossbars, though I think that’s the extent of the disorder. It’s a euphoric scene, as you’d expect. The poor fella on the tannoy is pleading for them to do one so that the team can be presented with the trophy. I suspect it will take a while.

Look at his face! Just look at his face!

This footage of Pep Guardiola at the final whistle is fantastic.

Ilkay Gundogan has spent his career being the guy behind the guy. Even last season, when his spurt of goals catalysed City’s march to the title, Ruben Dias won all the individual honours. Today his substitution barely registered – partly because he wasn’t Jack Grealish, mainly because Philippe Coutinho made it 2-0 as soon as he came on.

Gundogan has always been a Swiss Army knife of a midfielder, and today City were in urgent need of his goal threat. The two finishes were simple, open goals really, but only because of the quality and timing of his runs into the penalty area. Before today he was a much-loved, thoroughly admirable footballer. Now he is a City legend.

All three substitutes made a big difference – Raheem Sterling created the first goal and Oleksandr Zinchenko set up the second for Rodri. And finally, the inevitable Kevin De Bruyne showed his power, personality and class to make the winner for Gundogan.

Pep Guardiola and his staff are going doolally, and there are hundreds of fans on the pitch. Now Guardiola is in tears, and he has charged straight down the tunnel.

City were facing humiliation when Philippe Coutinho made it 2-0 to Villa after 69 minutes. As it turned out, the key moment happened seconds before that: the introduction of Ilkay Gundogan. He scored the first and the third as City produced an incredible sequel to the Aguerooooo moment ten years ago. That day they scored twice in injury time; today it was three in six spine-tingling minutes.

MANCHESTER CITY ARE CHAMPIONS OF ENGLAND FOR THE EIGHTH TIME!

90+3 min Jesus takes the ball to the corner. City, the masters of keeping the ball, need to do that now more than ever.

90+3 min Ederson is going to continue, though he is still grimacing and feeling his hamstring.

90+2 min Ederson is still being treated. City might have to put an outfield player in goal here – if it’s a hamstring, he will struggle to leap or dive.

90+1 min Foden is down with cramp. Ederson is also down with a hamstring problem, though the ball is in the Villa half. This is a concern for City; he doesn’t look good at all and they’ve used all three substitutes.

90+1 min City are four added minutes from the title.

90 min Liverpool have scored again at Anfield, though it doesn’t change City’s position.

88 min Villa bring on Ashley Young for a weary Emi Buendia. I bet Young is thrilled to be involved in this.

88 min City are trying to pass the clock down, though there’s still a frantic feel to the game.

87 min Nakamba is booked for booting someone.

87 min And after all that, City are winning 3-2, same as against QPR in 2012.

85 min Danny Ings, another ex-Liverpool player, has come on for Jacob Ramsey.

GOAL! Liverpool 2-1 Wolves (Salah 84)

It’s not over yet – Liverpool have done their job, so City need to hold on to their 3-2 lead.

City have scored three times in six minutes to take the lead! And Ilkay Gundogan, whose substitution barely registered, has scored two of them! It was made quite magnificently by Kevin De Bruyne. He beat Douglas Luiz to a loose ball on the edge of the area, marched past Mings and slid one of his trademark, devastating balls across the six-yard box. Gundogan arrived beyond the far post to tap it gleefully into the net!

This is spine-tingling stuff, even for the neutrals. And if City win the league, that rampant assist from De Bruyne will go down in City folklore.

GOAL! Man City 3-2 Aston Villa (Gundogan 81)

80 min SHOW ME THE BLOODY AS IT STANDS TABLE.

City have scored two in three minutes to move within one goal of the title! Zinchenko zipped infield from the left and laid a simple pass back to Rodri on the edge of the area. He opened his body to slide a low shot that beat Olsen and sneaked inside the near post! It wasn’t the most powerful strike, but it could not have been more precise.

All three substitutes have been involved in the two goals.

GOAL! Man City 2-2 Aston Villa (Rodri 78)

77 min De Bruyne’s corner is headed down by Stones and claimed comfortably by Olsen.

Two of the substitutes have combined to give City some hope. Sterling scurried past Digne and lifted an outstanding cross to the far post. It cleared Olsen and Cash and was headed in from close range by Gundogan.

GOAL! Man City 1-2 Aston Villa (Gundogan 76)

74 min City are still top of the league on goal difference, though that will change if, and surely when, Liverpool take the lead at Anfield.

73 min: Chance for De Bruyne! Sterling picks out De Bruyne, who lifts the bouncing ball over the bar from 15 yards. I think Sterling was offside in the build up anyway.

73 min I’m not the only one whose brain is frazzled – Gary Neville has just said it’s time to bring Jack Grealish on, even though City have used all their subs.