Manchester City manager delivers classy message to Liverpool after Premier League title win

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola insisted he had never faced a rival like Liverpool throughout his career in football.

A titanic Premier League title battle came to a dramatic end on Sunday as City recovered from two goals down against Aston Villa to secure a 3-2 win and become champions for the fourth time in five seasons.

Jurgen Klopp’s men had to settle for second place following their 3-1 home win against Wolverhampton Wanderers - but that does not tell the story of what has been an extraordinary contest between the two best sides in the Premier League.

Liverpool’s final haul of 92 points would have been enough in all but six of the 27 seasons where English football’s top tier has contained 20 clubs.

Yet that still wasn’t enough to overhaul a relentless City, who ended the campaign with a slender one-point lead over the Reds.

Guardiola lauded the standards set by Klopp and his side and admitted that overcoming such a strong rival only adding to the pride he and everyone involved at City felt over his own side’s title win.

Speaking in his post-match press conference, he said: “I want to congratulate Liverpool Football Club for this incredible battle over the last years, especially this one too.

“The magnitude of our achievement is related to the magnitude of this rival.

“Never ever have I had a rival like Liverpool in my career as a football player and manager.

“That makes me feel more proud, all of us feel more proud about these players, about this organisation because we know exactly which opponent we faced.

“We are incredibly happy.”

Liverpool will now focus on next Saturday’s Champions League Final as they look to secure a third trophy of the season against Spanish giants Real Madrid.