MATCH REPORT AND PLAYER RATINGS - MANCHESTER CITY 3-1 WEST HAM UNITED - CITY WIN THE PREMIER LEAGUE FOR THE FOURTH CONSECUTIVE SEASON

Image courtesy of beinsports.com

Manchester City made history under Pep Guardiola once again by becoming the only team to win four consecutive English First Division titles with a 3-1 victory against West Ham United, thanks to a magnificent overall performance from Premier League Player of the Season Phil Foden.

The 23 year old's two goals were enough to help City on their way to securing their sixth league title in seven years, in a fairly drama free affair - especially considering Arsenal didn't take the lead in their home match against Everton until the 89th minute.

Foden's first goal - a screamer with his left foot from the edge of the box into the top corner - helped set City on their way after just one and a half minutes and set them off on the right foot, in a first 30 minutes that they utterly dominated.

Good work from Jeremy Doku - a surprise inclusion in the starting XI - on the left hand side gave Foden the opportunity to slot home inside the penalty area for goal number 19 of the season in the Premier League, putting him ahead of the likes of Mohamed Salah and Son Heung-Min in the scoring charts.

The Blues were 2-0 up and cruising, with full dominance of the ball and creation of chances all heading in their favour.

Erling Haaland could've scored to add to City's lead, but he couldn't make proper connection with a far post bicycle kick inside the six yard box after being put off by a defender.

And out of absolutely nothing, a spectacular overhead kick following a corner from Mohammed Kudus gave West Ham a lifeline in the game just minutes before the half time interval.

The Ghanaian was a thorn in City's side all afternoon in the absence of Jarrod Bowen due to illness, but he was well contained for the most part, as City continued their momentum in the second period.

Rodri scored at the start of the second half to reinstate City's two goal cushion, after slotting into the bottom corner from a Bernardo Silva lay off to spark wild celebrations in the stands and put the champions in a really strong position to retain their crown.

There was a nervy moment late on, as Tomas Soucek pulled a goal back for the visitors, only for the intervention of VAR to correctly disallow the goal after it deflected in off his arm.

A pitch invasion followed the full time whistle, as it has after in every final home game in the last three seasons, before the players came back onto the pitch for the trophy presentation to signify yet another successful season from Guardiola's side.

They won't be satisfied yet however, because after a few days to celebrate and rest, they'll be back in training ahead of the FA Cup final against Manchester United on Saturday, where they'll be in with a chance of making history again by becoming the first team to win the Premier League and FA Cup in consecutive seasons.

Here are some pictures from our trophy presentation!

The squad lifts the trophy!

The best duo in the world - bar none

Two players who've chipped in with plenty of goal contributions this season!

Super Jack with his third title on the spin!

Haaland and Foden - our boyhood Blues

TEAM

A first Premier League title for Jeremy Doku!

Our Croatian pair are also experiencing their first taste of Premier League glory

Stones & KDB have been plagued with injuries this season - but they're both over the moon now

And here are the player ratings from the final day victory against the Hammers:

Ortega-Moreno - 7/10 - An uneventful game for the German shot stopper, as West Ham created few chances, with their goal unstoppable from Ortega's point of view.

Walker - 7/10 - Used his pace at the back to stop a few transitions, and was secure and incisive with his passing.

Dias - 7.5/10 - Really bold and aggressive when duelling with a tough opponent in Michail Antonio, stepping up once again to perform in a big game as he did in the run in last season too.

Akanji - 7/10 - Solid once again form Akanji at centre back, making no mistakes and contributing to City's control of the game with accurate passing at the back.

Gvardiol - 7.5/10 - Give more license to roam forward, Gvardiol was excellent once again, as he was involved in build up in the second goal and impressed in the second half in the hybrid defence/midfield role John Stones excelled in last season.

Rodri - 8/10 - Dictated the tempo of the game from deep in the first half, and helped defend against Kudus in transitions. Tucked his goal away nicely, to keep up his magnificent record of scoring goals in huge games in a sky blue shirt.

Bernardo - 8/10 - In what was potentially his final game at the Etihad Stadium ahead of a move this summer, Bernardo chipped in with two assists and a workmanlike performance on the right hand side.

De Bruyne - 7/10 - Started the game very well, but ultimately his final ball just wasn't quite at the very top level that we're used to seeing from the Belgian international.

Foden - 9/10 - Dominated the game with a 10/10 performance in the first half hour, in which he scored his two goals and threatened for more. Went a little bit quieter after that point, but was still affecting the game positively like he has done all season.

Doku - 8/10 - Really effective, especially in the first half when running at Vladimir Coufal. The 21 year old sparkled on the left flank and cropped up with an excellent assist for Foden's second strike, to cap off an impressive debut season in the Premier League.

Substitutes:

Ake - 7/10 - Didn't need to do much after coming on to replace Akanji, other than pass the ball around the pitch to see the game out.

Kovacic - Not enough time to make an impact.