Goals from Samir Nasri and Vincent Kompany secured the Premier League title for Manchester City
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And so the season is over. Manchester City are the champions. They've been the best team. They've got the best players, they won the most games and they scored the most goals. In the end, as wonderful as Liverpool were, City are deserved champions; they just had that telling bit of experience that helped them over the line. A word, too, to Manuel Pellegrini. Some people weren't sure when he replaced Roberto Mancini but he let his team do his talking for him on the pitch and now he has his first major trophy in Europe. The nice man has finished first. Imagine such a thing. I've got to go now. Thanks for reading and emailing. Bye!
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"We're all winners," Hart continues. "It's been a great year for me. I think it emphasised what a squad you need to win the Premier League. I was having a tough time. Costel came in and did great."
On Pellegrini: "He's a measured man."
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"That was a scrum," says Joe Hart of the fans on the pitch. "But that's the kind of rumble you want to be in, everyone's really happy."
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Meanwhile Manuel Pellegrini is running around the pitch, shirt off, twirling it round his head. He's daubed "Who's the special one now?" on his chest. What incredible scenes!
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"It's an amazing feeling," Samir Nasri says. "It's my second league in three years. It was an amazing league all year. Maybe in an hour or two we will really feel it. I am just so happy for the manager as well because it was his first title in Europe. He remains calm the whole season. It was a pleasure to work with him."
"I'm very happy to be a champion," reveals Sergio Aguero. He can't really speak much English. He keeps trying to leave the interview and is giggling as he's pulled back.
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Those celebrations will go on for a long time at the Etihad. For all the money they've spent, this still means a lot. What a feeling it must be!
4.50pm BST
Martin Atkinson puts his whistle to his lips, gives it a blow and Manchester City have won the Premier League for the second time in the space of three years after beating West Ham 2-0! There are fans on the pitch. Lots of fans. A smiling Kompany is being mobbed. So's Demichelis. He doesn't mind. A flare's gone off. They're enjoying this, it's fair to say.
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90 min+2: Yaya Toure has an ice pack on his hamstring. He won't be able to play in that exhibition game in Abu Dhabi now.
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90 min: There will be three minutes of stoppage time.
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89 min: It's 2012 all over again! A melee suddenly erupts between both teams after a stupid, petty challenge from Aguero on Noble. West Ham's players want to know what the 'eck he was playing at. Aguero is dragged away by Martin Atkinson as West Ham's players converge upon him. Eventually he settles on a booking for Noble and a booking for Aguero, who can probably do without losing his head here. He's about to win the title!
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88 min: Nasri's effort is deflected wide from the edge of the area. City take the corner short, and soon win a free-kick on the corner of the area.
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86 min: Yaya Toure, the best player in the Premier League this season, is finally replaced by Alvaro Negredo. He gets a brilliant reception as he limps off. What a year he's had. City wouldn't have won the title without him (look, there's no point keeping up the pretence, they've won it).
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85 min: Yaya Toure is still struggling. City's big day is ruined! "Hawrite Jacob!" says Ryan Dunne. "Might be an otherwise bleak time for Hammers fans, but I'm happy to report that you win, again, my Favourite MBM-Officiator of the Year Award! One more time and you get to keep it! Assuming we can't nominate ourselves for favourite MBM-commentator, I'll vote for Simon "da Man" MacMahon (surely the world's second most famous Diddy United fan!!) (NB I'm still single if any ladies reading this need a way to fill the close season cheers)."
Orderly queue, ladies. Ladies?
4.40pm BST
83 min: Yaya Toure bursts in behind Winston Reid on the right but the ball bounces off his thigh and out for a goal-kick. He seemed to pull up as he tried to control the ball. If he's suffered a hamstring injury here then it could really hurt City's title challenge! There's hope yet for Liverpool!
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81 min: Joe Cole comes on for what is probably going to be his final appearance for West Ham, replacing Mo Diame.
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78 min: Adrian makes a fine save to deny Nasri his second goal and City's third. Toure scooped a lovely, Scholes-esque pass over the West Ham defence and found Nasri. He lined one up and smashed a low shot towards goal, but Adrian blocked with his legs.
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77 min: Tomkins loses the ball in a dangerous position to Aguero. Inadvisable. Aguero finds Nasri to his left and then receives it back from the Frenchman. However he can't work enough space for the shot and ends up falling over.
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76 min: David Silva is replaced by James Milner.
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75 min: Matt Jarvis's cross is too high for Carlton Cole to reach and the ball also eludes Downing at the far post. That probably goes down as a chance for West Ham. I don't think Joe Hart has made a save.
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73 min: West Ham's passing accuracy is at a surprisingly high 81%, which means that Adrian has been pinpoint with his delivery to Andy Carroll's head.
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72 min: City have taken their foot of the gas. But they'll want to look lively now. Carlton Cole has just replaced Andy Carroll. Here comes trouble!
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69 min: A searching ball from the right finds Carroll in the area. He tries to bring it down with an expert piece of control. Goal-kick to City, who then bring on Fernandinho for Dzeko. "What the hell would Big Sam have done with West Ham if he hadn't have had Andy Carroll to aimlessly lump high balls at for most of the season," says David Flynn. "Would he have been forced to revert to tiki-taka?"
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67 min: What a miss by Sergio Aguero! The miss of the season! The outstanding Zabaleta reached the byline on the right and his low cross reached Aguero, all of three yards out and with barely a single defender anywhere near him. He just had to tap it in but somehow he got it all wrong, the ball hitting the inside of his left leg and rolling to an astonished, relieved and chuckling Adrian. Always said that Aguero was overrated. Rubbish, in fact.
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66 min: There's been an amazing turnaround at Anfield! Goals from the two Daniels, Agger and Sturridge, and Liverpool lead 2-1! Three West Ham goals now and this is on!
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65 min: David Silva's carefully placed shot from 15 yards is deflected wide. The corner is cleared.
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64 min: West Ham make a change, Matt Jarvis replacing Kevin Nolan. A chant of "you're getting sacked in the morning" goes up round the stadium. I assume it's being directed at Allardyce.
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63 min: City have their first attack for a few minutes, Silva releasing Zabaleta on the right. He crosses to Aguero, who sends an awkward header wide.
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61 min: Demichelis is booked for an overly robust challenge on Downing. He got the ball, but he didn't really look to be in control of the tackle.
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60 min: City are toying with West Ham now. The game has been robbed of all tension by Kompany's goal.
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58 min: This game needs more Joey Barton.
Not really.
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57 min: Matt Taylor hoicks a high cross from the left towards Carroll at the far post. Who else? Hart races off his line and claws the ball off Carroll's bonce and out for a corner. Downing swings it in and McCartney heads wide at the near post.
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55 min: Samir Nasri shifts the ball on to his left foot and pings a low drive on target, but straight at Adrian, who holds with some difficulty. From there, West Ham attack. That's right. No need to adjust your screen. Downing lobs a cross towards the far post, where Carroll makes a nuisance of himself. The ball eventually comes to Diame, who chips it towards Nolan, but it doesn't reach him on account of Demichelis's clearing header. Taylor's follow-up effort from the edge of the area bobbles harmlessly wide.
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54 min: If it's any consolation to Liverpool fans, 2-0 is the most dangerous scoreline in football.
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52 min: Silva drifts a pass from left to right, finding Aguero, whose attempt at a spectacular volley doesn't come off. It goes well wide, but it's that sort of game now. City can bring out the party tricks. They're going to fill their boots.
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51 min: The camera has just been focusing on the City fans for the past two minutes. They're doing the Poznan. There'll be no need for any last-minute heroics from Sergio Aguero today.
4.07pm BST
They can probably give City the trophy now. Vincent Kompany has rid the stadium of any lingering nerves and City can start to party now. Andy Carroll missed his header from the corner and Dzeko was able to turn it into the six-yard box, where Kompany smashed it past a helpless Adrian. That's City's 102nd goal of the season and this is going to be a 40-minute title celebration for them now.
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49 min: Samir Nasris' teasing delivery towards the near post is almost headed in by Javi Garcia, but he'll have to settle for a corner. From which...
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48 min: Silva knocks a pass through to Kolarov, who cuts back inside Downing, whose sliding challenge brings the left-back down.
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47 min: A second goal and the party atmosphere can begin. As long as it stays 1-0, which probably won't be long, the City fans will stay anxious.
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46 min: Here we go again. West Ham kick the second half off again and need 10 seconds to give the ball back to City.
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And as Philip Podolsky points out, it was also Yaya Toure with the assist then.
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Samir Nasri's goal came in the same minute as Pablo Zabaleta's against QPR two years ago.
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If any City fans are worried, don't worry. West Ham have scored an equaliser in three games this season. The only time they have come from behind to win was against Southampton in February. The only other point they have earned from a goal down was the 3-3 draw with West Brom in December, although they led twice in that game.
3.48pm BST
Congratulations to Manchester City for winning the league.
3.47pm BST
45 min+2: David Silva almost doubles City's lead on the stroke of half time. Toure bustles into the area on the right and then finds Silva. It's not an exaggeration to say that West Ham are defending from inside their six-yard box now. Silva turns and then goes for goal. His shot takes a deflection and pings off the face of the bar and away to safety!
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45 min: There will be one minute of added time. "Speaking of aesthetics, there's a bunch of imposters and amateurs wearing the Man Utd away kit at Southampton today," says David Flynn.
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44 min: A free-kick to City on the right. Nasri whips it in and Aguero glances a free header wide of the far post.The marking from West Ham was poor. Their players might be starting to think about the beach now. Moments later Nasri feeds a pass through to Aguero on the right. He centres it low to the near post. It's behind Zabaleta, who decides to improvise, only to discover he's not Johan Cruyff. A corner to City, though. And then another. The onslaught ends after Garcia volleys wide.
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41 min: That's probably that to be honest. I think West Ham have picked up three points from a losing position this season. The City fans have woken up again. They're singing about Steven Gerrard. City might have had a penalty just there, by the way, as Dzeko fell with George McCartney nearby. Nothing doing.
3.41pm BST
Just when it seemed we were entering a lull, that Manchester City's intensity was starting to drop, Samir Nasri edges them even closer to the title by breaking the deadlock at long last! He accepted a pass from Toure and then unleashed a fierce low drive with his right foot from 25 yards that flew through the massed bodies and seemed to take Adrian by surprise. He got a hand to it as he dived to his right but it wasn't strong enough to keep it from finding the bottom-right corner. City were getting a little bit frustrated. They needed that. But it's their title to lose now.
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37 min: Do you like pictures? Then click here. "JR from Illinois is right," observes Simon McMahon. "Aesthetics play a big part in football. Newcastle are wearing a ridiculous shirt at Anfield as well. It's not right."
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36 min: A moment of worry in the City defence, as O'Brien's cross from the right is headed up into the air by Demichelis and Carroll converges upon Hart, who spills it under pressure from the big man. He's grateful to hear the whistle go for a free-kick against Carroll. The two then exchange in some banter. Lads.
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35 min: Noble sprays a pass behind Kolarov, who's outpaced by Downing, but there's the imperious Demichelis steaming across to stop the West Ham winger in his tracks with a perfectly timed tackle.
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33 min: Edin Dzeko flicks a lovely pass into the path of Silva. He's clear in the area but decides to take an extra touch and the chance goes. He still wins a corner off Reid, though. City keep the pressure up, winning another corner, but West Ham stand firm.
3.32pm BST
31 min: West Ham enter Manchester City's half. That's basically a goal. McCartney\'s cross from the left takes a slight nick off Zabaleta and heads towards Hart, who is caught by Nolan as he catches it. It was a bit unnecessary from Nolan, although you'll see worse. City aren't happy and Nolan is booked.
3.30pm BST
30 min: West Ham have hardly had a kick, although they are defending well. City are playing with a swagger and a purpose, but they haven't been able to make the breakthrough yet. Kolarov has another go from long range. This one doesn't require any heroics from Adrian.
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28 min: Silva wriggles and squirms and schemes in the West Ham area but his low cross only finds Adrian.
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27 min: West Ham are more or less playing with a back six. Or maybe a back eight. It's difficult for City to find a way through. They have to move the ball quickly.
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25 min: Andy Carroll is the only West Ham player not behind the ball. They're so deep. It means City have a lot of opportunities to shoot from long range and Kolarov accepts that invitation, blasting one towards the top corner. It moves viciously in the air and Adrian has to make a wonderful flying save to tip the ball over. From the subsequent corner, Demichelis flicks on at the near post and the ball flashes across the face of goal and out for a goal-kick. It only needed a touch.
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23 min: Edin Dzeko blasts handsomely wide from 25 yards. As dominant as City have been, their shooting hasn't been great yet. "That dude holding the radio was holding a smartphone in his other hand," says JR in Illinois. "Also, is this the first time West Ham has worn this shirt? I haven't seen it before. It's shocking. And when you combine their kit and City's kit the result is that this is very aesthetically displeasing match to watch." It's the first time.
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22 min: Yaya Toure tries to sweep one towards the far corner from the right side of the area from a standing start but he achieves too much curl. Wide it goes. It's loud. A City goal now and the roof will go off.
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21 min: The news of Newcastle's goal has rippled around the ground here and it's as if a surge of electricity has coursed through City. They attack at great pace on the left and when the ball is cut back to Aguero on the edge of the area, he looks poised to score, or at least make Adrian work, but he doesn't catch his shot cleanly. It takes a deflection and McCarntey hacks clear. This is attack v defence. West Ham haven't been in City's half for a while. They haven't been out of their third for a while.
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20 min: Toure prods a pass through to Nasri on the right. His low cross is put behind by Reid at the near post. The corner is swung in by Nasri and Kompany heads harmlessly over. But look here - there's been a development at Anfield and not the one we were expecting. Newcastle lead thanks to a horrendous own goal from Martin Skrtel!
3.18pm BST
18 min: Sergio Aguero has a dig from 25 yards. It bounces in front of Adrian, but he holds well. Meanwhile Liverpool have just had a goal disallowed. It's still 0-0 at Anfield.
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17 min: A City fan is holding a radio to his ear. Doesn't he have a smartphone?
3.16pm BST
16 min: Vincent Kompany has returned to the pitch. I didn't know he'd gone, which tells you the way this game is going. Or that I'm not doing my job properly. Let's stick with the former.
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13 min: City are starting to turn the screw. Their full-backs are starting to cause problems for West Ham. Nasri slips a pass inside to Zabaleta, who will not stop running, and he goes down under a challenge from Diame. City scream for a penalty again, claiming Diame caught Zabaleta, but Martin Atkinson isn't interested. It could have been given. Diame tackled from the wrong side, although it's not clear how much contact there was.
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12 min: Now it's West Ham's turn to threaten, as Downing scampers behind the City defence on the right. He cuts inside, past Demichelis, before looking up and seeing no one in the middle. He waits for support and then plays a pass back to Nolan, who leans back and wallops the ball into the top tier.
3.12pm BST
11 min: City are quickening the pace now, weaving their pretty patterns and pulling West Ham's defence all over the place. First Silva and Aguero combine brilliantly on the left of the area, but Aguero can't quite reach Silva's cleverly disguised return pass to him. He was clear in the middle. The ball breaks back to Toure, whose rasper from 20 yards is blocked. Then it's Zabaleta's turn on the right. He crosses and although everyone in the middle misses it, the ball hangs in the air and then drops to Silva, who's unmarked 10 yards from goal. He waits for it to fall on to his left foot and then sends a volley miles over the bar. What a chance!
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10 min: Just another 80 minutes for West Ham to hold on.
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9 min: City attack again, Silva finding space in the middle and feeding the overlapping Zabaleta on the right. His firm cross hits Noble on the foot and deflects up on to his left hand, causing City's fans to appeal loudly for a penalty. No chance.
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8 min: This time City work the ball cleverly on the left, Kolarov playing a neat one-two with Toure and fizzing a devilish low ball into the six-yard box. A sliding Tomkins does excellently to clear.
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7 min: City haven't got going quite yet. They're passing the ball quickly and mostly dominating possession but there's no fury to their game at the moment. It's a calm and measured approach, I suppose. Plenty of time, no need to panic. They know their quality will shine through at some point.
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5 min: Adrian sends another long ball towards Carroll, whose presence is enough to unnerve Kompany. The ball flies over both of them and runs to Diame, who chests the ball down and tries to burst into the area, a path to goal presenting itself to him. However Zabaleta read the danger and was across quickly to cover and play the ball back to Hart, who whacked it away. There's still a lot of confetti on the pitch.
3.04pm BST
4 min: It's absolutely tipping it down in Manchester, which should make for good entertainment. A comedy own goal could be on the cards. Speaking of which, Martin Demichelis is on the ball as I type. Not much has happened yet. It's been a tight, fairly scrappy start from both sides.
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3 min: City haven't scored yet! This is on for Liverpool.
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2 min: That foul allowed West Ham to send the big lads forward - they're all big lads - and Adrian pumped a long ball towards Andy Carroll. He won the header, nodding it down to Taylor, who was unable to wriggle away from Pablo Zabaleta.
3.01pm BST
And we're off! Manchester City are officially 90 minutes away from winning their second Premier League title in three years. Surely they're not going to blow it now? Let's not rule anything out. It's been a strange season. It's City who get the game underway, kicking from right to left in the first half. They're immediately on the attack, only for Nasri to concede a free-kick for a foul on George McCartney. The City fans are singing about Manuel Pellegrini.
2.57pm BST
The teams are in the tunnel. Manchester City are wearing white tracksuit tops. Vincent Kompany is staring ahead, utterly focused. And then turns around for a chat with Joe Hart. No hint of a smile. They walk out to a great reception from their fans. There's cheering, there's chanting, there's ticker tape and it's raining. West Ham are in their third kit, by the way. It's navy. They've not worn it before. What a day to unveil it. History in the making.
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"Ignoring the Bradford fire is disgraceful," says Tom Shaw. "It was one of the worst things I've ever seen on television, the sight of people running away whilst their clothes were on fire was so horrific the pictures have never been shown again. The people killed and injured that day deserve a small mark of respect."
2.45pm BST
"I think that West Ham will be a very difficult team here," says Manuel Pellegrini. But he's fooling nobody. City's players have just walked off to a fantastic reception. They're playing The Doves at the Etihad. An atmosphere is building. They're going to rip into West Ham from the first whistle, aren't they.
2.21pm BST
Thinking about it, maybe Liverpool should have requested West Ham put Ludo Miklosko in goal.
2.18pm BST
Today is the 29th anniversary of the Bradford City stadium fire. Fifty-six people died that day. There will be no minute's silence before today's matches, which is a surprise. A lot of people are upset.
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Manchester City name Sergio Aguero up front alongside Edin Dzeko: Hart; Zabaleta, Kompany, Demichelis, Kolarov; Nasri, Garcia, Toure, Silva; Aguero, Dzeko. Subs: Pantilimon, Lescott, Clichy, Milner, Fernandinho, Negredo, Jovetic.
West Ham make one change from the win over Tottenham, with Joey O'Brien in for Guy Demel: Adrian; O'Brien, Tomkins, Reid, McCartney; Taylor, Noble; Downing, Nolan, Diame; Carroll. Subs: Jarvis, Armero, Vaz Te, Collins, Jaaskelainen, C Cole, J Cole.
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The team news in. Sergio Aguero starts for Manchester City. I'll have the full teams in a minute.
1.57pm BST
I've got Liverpool fans excited. Sorry.
"Being a Liverpool supporter in Malaysia, I thought I had the kickoff time completely wrong when I saw your preamble," says Min Hun Fong. "Shock quickly gave way to pleasure and I immediately called my City-supporting friend (with whom I was supposed to watch both matches tonight) to gloat. He was puzzled, as I was, before realisation dawned. Curse you Jacob Steinberg. You used to be my favourite on Football Weekly, but now it's Barry Glendenning."
1.54pm BST
It's not been a great day for people called Richard who work in football, by the way. That's the second Richard to deal a massive blow to the fight for equality. Are they any good people called Richard in the world? Let me know if you know any and why.
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A lot has also been made of West Ham's last visit to the Etihad. It got a bit messy. It was the first leg of their League Cup semi-final and they lost. They lost 6-0. That result is kind of relevant today, in that City could easily do it again, but it's worth pointing out that West Ham's defence contained Roger Johnson. The side they put out this afternoon will be much stronger, not that it's likely to make much of a difference.
This is, in a way, a big game for West Ham too. Or at least for Sam Allardyce, who is rumoured to be heading for the exit door after the final whistle. It would be quite hard to sack him if he's just beaten Manchester City. Although he's just beaten Tottenham for the third time this season and that doesn't look like it will be enough to save him. I'm not sure what I make of all this. Allardyce is not a popular man with the West Ham support and a lot of them want him out, which is making this decision for the board easier, but it's not clear who would do a better job. Malky Mackay isn't an improvement and while Gus Poyet's odds dropped dramatically on Friday, Allardyce is far more experienced. Maybe they've got a deal lined up with Ferguson? Either way, it's a gamble. This season has been hard work but Allardyce has done a good job at West Ham and although he can be difficult to warm to, he deserves a bit more respect.
1.00pm BST
GOAL!!!!!!!!!!! Manchester City 0-1 West Ham (Carroll, 90 min+4): You couldn't make this stuff up if you tried! Andy Carroll has finally repaid the £35m Liverpool spent on him all those years ago by surely winning them their first Premier League title since 1990! Manchester City's players are on the floor. Vincent Kompany is crying, Joe Hart has a 1000-yard stare on and their fans are all heading for the exits. Somehow they've thrown it away. At Anfield, the Kop is in raptures. Brendan Rodgers doesn't know whether to laugh or cry. Back here, nor does Manuel Pellegrini. This is the most incredible end to a Premier League season since, er, 2012 and City only have themselves to blame. The goal came from one of their own attacks, for crying out loud. With Liverpool hammering Newcastle 15-0, City had to score and were throwing everyone forward in their desperation. Sergio Aguero made some space in the box, 15 yards out, and sent a curling shot towards the top corner, only for Adrian to make his 17th awe-inspiring save of the afternoon. And from there, West Ham went for it. Why not? They have nothing to lose. Stewart Downing charged up the right flank in that devastating style for his; he went past one City player, he went past a second, then a third. He looked up and saw Carroll peeling away from Kompany at the far post and found him with a pinpoint cross. The ball dropped on to Carroll's head and 6ft 4in of brute Geordie force sent it past a stunned Joe Hart and into the top corner! You couldn't make this stuff up if you tried!
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