A one-sided second half saw Mohamed Salah end a six-match scoring drought by firing a low shot past Guglielmo Vicario in the 63rd minute — celebrating his 28th league goal of an outstanding season by snapping a selfie with a fan. Tottenham’s Destiny Udogie then bundled in an own goal to complete a miserable afternoon for the visitors, who have lost 19 Premier League games this season.
Liverpool, who have now matched Manchester United’s English titles record, have 82 points from 34 games played, with Arsenal a distant second on 67. Dutchman Arne Slot is only the fifth manager to win the Premier League title in his debut season in English soccer, and while it was a formality before kickoff on Sunday, there was still the small matter of Liverpool ensuring the cake was iced in front of their own adoring fans.
Five years ago, when Juergen Klopp’s Liverpool ended a 30-year wait for a 19th title, the COVID pandemic meant an anticlimactic finale inside an empty stadium.
City in FA Cup final
Manchester City reached the FA Cup final for the third year in a row by beating Nottingham Forest 2-0 at Wembley Stadium on Sunday to maintain a chance of ending a dismal season with a trophy. City scored early in each half as Rico Lewis put his team ahead in just the second minute, and defender Josko Gvardiol doubled the lead in the 51st with a header from a corner. Forest hit the woodwork three times after that but couldn’t get a consolation goal in its first FA Cup semifinal since 1991.
The win gives Pep Guardiola’s team a chance to salvage something from a disappointing campaign where its hopes of a fifth straight Premier League title disappeared early, and it failed to even reach the round of 16 in the Champions League. City will play Crystal Palace in the final on May 17.
Liverpool clinched the title at the same time as City were playing, and even an FA Cup title would be a mere consolation for a club that has dominated English football under Guardiola. The jaded feeling among City fans was made evident by the 5,000 or so empty seats at Wembley in the sky blue section, but the supporters who did make the trip had reason to celebrate.
