Seeking to clinch their fourth Premier League title in five seasons, Manchester City will play host to Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium in their final game of the season on Sunday.
The Citizens missed the chance to maintain their four-point cushion over Liverpool, as they had to come from behind to rescue a 2-2 draw away at West Ham United last weekend. The Reds winning away at Southampton means that the title race will now go down to the wire, with just one point separating the two sides.
Victory on home soil for Pep Guardiola's side will be enough to retain their top-flight crown and end Liverpool's quadruple hopes, regardless as to whether Jurgen Klopp's men claim maximum points against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield.
Since the inception of the Premier League in 1992, the title has been decided on the final day of the season only eight times.
City will be confident of success on Sunday given their impressive head-to-head record against Aston Villa, and their recent history on the final day of a season also bodes well heading into their clash at the Etihad.
Here, Sports Mole takes a look at Man City's record in the Premier League on the final day.
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Man City's showdown with Aston Villa on Sunday will be their 25th game on the final day of a Premier League season. In their previous 24, the Citizens have won 11 times, drawn five and lost eight.
The Sky Blues failed to win their first four top-flight games on the final day, losing and drawing two each, with a 2-2 draw at home to Liverpool not enough for Alan Ball's side to avoid relegation in 1995-96. City then endured three seasons away from the Premier League, which included a fleeting spell in the third tier, before returning to the top flight in 1998-99.
However, City lasted for just one season in the Premier League before dropping back down to the Championship. The Citizens were already relegated before losing 2-1 at home to Chelsea on the final day of the 2000-01 season. Under the tutelage of Joe Royle, City bounced back at the first attempt and have been competing in the Premier League ever since.
Between 2002-03 and 2007-08, City lost four of their six games on the final day, with an embarrassing 8-1 defeat away at Middlesbrough in May 2008 – the club's heaviest top-flight loss in their history – one result that City fans will be keen to erase from their memory.
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Since City's takeover in 2008, not only has the club elevated itself to new heights, but their form on the final day has also improved significantly. The Citizens have only lost their final league game in one of the last 13 seasons, going down 3-2 at home to Norwich City in 2012-13.
Ten victories have been picked up during this period, with the iconic 3-2 home win against Queens Park Rangers in the 2011-12 campaign unsurprisingly the pick of the bunch. The game saw arguably the greatest moment in Premier League history when Sergio Aguero scored in stoppage time to seal their first league title for 44 years.
A slender 1-0 victory away at Southampton in the 2017-18 season was another memorable triumph, as Gabriel Jesus's last-minute winner ensured that the Citizens became the first Premier League club in history to accumulate 100 points in a single campaign.
The 2018-19 season has similarities to the current title battle between City and Liverpool, as the campaign also went down to the wire after both clubs put together impressive unbeaten runs. On the final day, Guardiola's men came from behind to beat Brighton & Hove Albion 4-1 at the Amex Stadium to retain the title.
City's last two final-day fixtures have seen them beat both Norwich and Everton by 5-0 scorelines at the Etihad – with Kevin De Bruyne scoring three goals across these two matches – and another comfortable success on Sunday is exactly what Citizens supporters will be dreaming of when they face Aston Villa, a side whom they have beaten in nine of the last 10 Premier League meetings between the two clubs.
Oliver Thomas
