Ten keys to Manchester City's title win: Guardiola, De Bruyne, Rodri...

Manchester City lifted the Premier League title on Sunday after a stirring 3-2 comeback victory over Aston Villa.

It was another epic title race between City and Liverpool, with Pep Guardiola's side winning the title by one point.

City are now in the top five

When Sheikh Mansour completed his takeover of the club in 2008, City had won two league titles, the last of which came in 1968.

The Sky Blues have since lifted the Premier League titles six times to take their total to eight, with only Manchester United (20), Liverpool (19), Arsenal (13) and Everton (9) above them.

Guardiola's 10 league titles

Pep Guardiola knew the scale of the task to win the Premier League title when he arrived in Manchester in 2016.

He has since lifted the title four times in six years, and, alongside his three LaLiga Santander titles at Barcelona and three Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich, he has won the league title 10 times.

Pulling clear at Christmas before downturn in form

After losing 2-0 against Crystal Palace at the Etihad Stadium on Matchday 10, City went on a run of 12 consecutive victories to open up an 11-point gap over Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table.

Then came a difficult period for Guardiola's team, failing to beat Southampton, Tottenham and Crystal Palace, whilst Liverpool reduced the gap.

However, the 2-2 draw with Liverpool in April, followed by the Reds' 1-1 draw with Tottenham, gave City breathing space, clearing the way for their title success.

Another title race with Liverpool

Manchester City played out another epic title race, which saw Guardiola's team finish on 93 points, with Jurgen Klopp's side just behind on 92 points.

In 2019, City won the title with a total of 98 points, whilst Liverpool came second on 97 points.

Guardiola's wall

One of the key factors behind City's title triumph has been their excellent defence, and, in particular, Aymeric Laporte.

Laporte has enjoyed his best season at Manchester City, helping the team concede the joint-fewest goals (26) and keep the most clean sheets (21).

A goalscoring machine without a No.9

Manchester City have scored more than 100 goals in every season since Guardiola took charge in 2016.

What makes that even more impressive in the case of his current group of players is that they do not have a recognised No.9, with the goals shared out amongst 16 different players this season.

De Bruyne and Rodri unleashed

Kevin De Bruyne and Rodri have both played pivotal roles in helping City lift the Premier League title.

De Bruyne has scored 15 times and registered eight assists, whilst Rodri has established himself as one of the best midfielders in world football, also finding the back of the net eight times in the Premier League this season.

Grealish has not lived up to expectations

One of the most disappointing aspects of City's season has been the failure of Jack Grealish to live up to expectations.

He arrived as the most expensive player in Premier League history last summer, but only managed six goals and four assists in the league this season.

No Champions League or cup success

Whilst City have enjoyed a great season across various competitions, their only silverware is the Premier League title.

They lost to Liverpool in the FA Cup semi-final and were defeated on penalties by West Ham United in the Carabao Cup fourth round.

The most painful moment of their season came in the Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid, when Los Blancos staged a remarkable late comeback to advance to the final at City's expense.

Haaland and the future

The future looks incredibly exciting for Manchester City, not least with Erling Haaland arriving at the club this summer.

Guardiola now has the No.9 that he was missing, although the Norwegian will need time to adapt to his new team's playing style.