(CNN) The Premier League title race between Manchester City and Liverpool went down to the wire but there were to be no final twists in what's been a thrilling tale. Despite going a goal down in the first half, Man City retained the title after defeating Brighton 4-1 at the Amex Stadium, meaning Liverpool's victory against Wolves was in vain. Sergio Aguero, Aymeric Laporte, Riyad Mahrez, and Ilkay Gundogan all scored for the visitors after Glenn Murray had given the home side the lead on 25 minutes. It's the first time a team has won back-to-back titles since Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United in 2009, and City's total of 98 points is the second highest haul in Premier League history -- two shy of the 100 points Pep Guardiola's men accrued last year. Read More<doc-sep>In the end there was to be no denying Manchester City, no excruciating stress to endure as Brighton & Hove Albion repelled the barrage whipped up by the visitors on the south coast and no nail-biting finale as City strained for a winner while news filtered through of Liverpool’s ascendancy on distant Merseyside. What tension that existed here had been lanced after a little over an hour. Everything thereafter was a celebration of the champions’ excellence. City know they have been challenged this year, stretched wonderfully by Liverpool’s startling progress. The mind-boggling tally of points collected by Jürgen Klopp’s side would have been enough to claim the championship in all but three of the previous 119 campaigns based on three points for a win and yet it was still not enough to overhaul Pep Guardiola’s team. They have won 198 points across two seasons, a staggering haul. Their 95th top-flight goal of the campaign, a free-kick whipped sumptuously into the top corner by Ilkay Gündogan, summed it all up. Mat Ryan sprang to his left but could not lay a glove on it. Opponents have been trying and failing to do that with City all season. The Fiver: sign up and get our daily football email. Not for a decade has a side retained this title but the form mustered in the run-in – 14 successive wins stretching back to a defeat at Newcastle in late January – represented a blistering response to the challenge on their authority being mustered from Anfield. Times had been slightly more trying over recent weeks when Liverpool simply would not let up, with a succession of slender wins keeping the holders marginally ahead, and there would be early pangs of anxiety here against opponents liberated from their fears of relegation. Brighton were more adventurous than normal and Glenn Murray’s header, the striker reaching Pascal Gross’s corner ahead of a flailing Ederson, had represented City’s first deficit in a Premier League match since that defeat at St James’ Park. 02:35 Guardiola calls Man City's Premier League title his 'toughest triumph' – video Perhaps uncertainty would have crept in if that advantage had held a little longer, say to the interval. Maybe City would have wilted as they chased the contest, particularly with confirmation of Sadio Mané’s goal at Anfield having rippled round the arena. In hindsight neither of those seemed remotely plausible. The worst thing Brighton could have done was to provoke them. Where the visitors had initially been laboured in their monopoly of possession, prone to over-elaboration as they ran aground on Albion’s resistance, the shock of shipping that opener shook them awake. Suddenly there was urgency. Instantly there was incision. The hope that flared up on Merseyside was snuffed out in 83 seconds as Aymeric Laporte and David Silva, with a flick Chris Hughton described as “sublime”, sent Sergio Agüero into space within sight of goal. The striker slipped a crisp shot through the on-rushing Ryan and in an instant the champions’ momentum had been restored. “The most important thing was this team went behind but came back immediately,” said Raheem Sterling. “The manager here is all about mentality: it’s about winning no matter what. I’m just happy to be under his wing.” There was an air of inevitability about so much that followed, with Brighton never likely to withstand the onslaught that ensued. Ryan may have done well to deny Bernardo Silva’s diving header but there was pizzazz to City’s passing again and a far more upbeat tempo to their movement. They smothered the life out of their hosts in what remained of the first half, swarming over panicked opponents. Quick Guide Follow Guardian sport on social media Show Twitter: follow us at @guardian_sport Facebook: like our football and sport pages Instagram: our favourite photos, films and stories YouTube: subscribe to our football and sport channels Photograph: Chesnot/Getty Images Europe Was this helpful? Thank you for your feedback. Murray’s poor pass would present the ball to David Silva, with Ryan doing well to deny Riyad Mahrez. Unperturbed, the Algerian swung over the corner and Laporte, having evaded Murray, thumped his header down and in from the edge of the six-yard box. The Frenchman has been a pillar of strength all season. It was fitting he should draw the focus on the league season’s final day. If there was anxiety to endure thereafter, it was mainly born of Guardiola’s pursuit of perfection. Ederson kept out Lewis Dunk’s free-kick but the City manager expected something more resounding than mere narrow success. It was only after Mahrez, on only a fourth league start this calendar year, gathered and tormented Dunk, cutting back inside to leave the centre-half crumpled on the turf, before ripping a glorious right-footed finish into the top corner via a touch off Ryan’s glove that the City manager acknowledged the race had in effect been won. He joined those on the visitors’ bench, from coaching staff to substitutes, in spilling out on to the turf, the goalscorer lost in the mess of joyous bodies. They knew there would be no coming back for either Albion or Liverpool from this. City’s players including Aguero, De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Kompany celebrate victory. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian The rest, from Gündogan’s free-kick to Vincent Kompany being granted the ovation he deserves as he departed the fray five minutes from time, was a celebration. This is the Belgian’s fourth Premier League title. “And by far the hardest and most draining,” said the captain, whose winner against Leicester last week ended up feeling like the campaign’s defining moment. “The first one was one in the last minute of the season [with Agüero’s goal back in 2012], but this was constantly knowing you had to win and perform. “We defeated one of the all-time great teams in England, too. But, from the first meeting we had this season it’s all been about trying to get back-to-back titles, and, straight away, I knew we would achieve that.” Kompany and City have an FA Cup final to come next weekend as they attempt to secure an unprecedented domestic treble. It is hard to contemplate them being denied when they are as irresistible as this.<doc-sep>Manchester City's incredible domestic season has already seen them secure the EFL Cup in February and then the Premier League title on Sunday, and yet, there's still space in the trophy room for more. Man City is just days away from taking on Watford in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium, with the domestic treble within reach. If history is any indicator of what's to come, City should be on the verge of earning its third trophy of the season. Pep Guardiola's team, which brilliantly overcame the injuries to Kevin de Bruyne with the emergence of Bernardo Silva, ended the league campaign with 14 straight wins. That just doesn't happen in a major European league. Consider the fact that in-city rival Manchester United finished the league season with 19 wins, and you can clearly see just how remarkable that is. In domestic competitions, City went undefeated from February on. Many forget that City was on the verge of potentially going 10 points back of Liverpool when they hosted the Reds on Jan. 3. It's that 2-1 win with Leroy Sane's second-half winner that saw something click, and the rest is history. Two trophies in the bag, and with one more remaining, the 2018-19 campaign has a chance to be the very best in the club's history with its first domestic treble. As a result, City rises in this week's rankings. How the rankings work We list the top 25 teams in the world based on recent form. The teams playing the best soccer -- in their respective leagues and in international competitions -- will be considered. Quality of the opponents will also be taken into an account, but above all, the most important factors are recent results and overall standings in competitions. World Club Soccer Power Rankings Previous rankings: May 6 | April 29 | April 22 | April 15 | April 8 | April 1 | March 11 | March 4 | Feb. 25 | Feb. 18 | Feb. 11 | Feb. 4 | Jan. 28 | Jan. 21 | Jan. 14 | Jan. 7 | Jan. 1 | Dec. 24 | Dec. 18 | Dec 10 | Dec 3 | Nov. 26 | Nov. 12 | Nov. 5 | Oct. 30 | Oct. 23 | Oct. 10 | Oct. 3 | Sept. 26 | Sept. 17 | Sept. 4 | Aug. 28 | Aug. 23 | Aug. 15 | Preseason rankings RK TEAM CHG ANALYSIS 1. Liverpool (ENG) +2 No shame in finishing second in the Premier League. If they win the Champions League final, nobody would have asked for a better season. 2. Manchester City (ENG) +1 Well-deserved Premier League title. Fourteen straight wins to end the league season is absolutely bonkers. They are one win (FA Cup final on Saturday) away from winning a rare domestic treble. 3. Barcelona (ESP) -2 Quite the collapse by Barcelona. Lionel Messi is getting a lot of heat, but did you see those three sitters he set up that nobody finished vs. Liverpool? 4. Tottenham (ENG) +4 On cloud nine until June 1 after that comeback against Ajax. What Mauricio Pochettino has done is similar to that of what Diego Simeone has done at Atletico Madrid. 5. Bayern Munich (GER) -- The Bundesliga title is within reach. Doing enough down the stretch but it will all come down to this weekend. 6. Juventus (ITA) -- Just one trophy this season feels like too little for this team. The future is bright, but it's Champions League or bust next season. 7. Atletico Madrid (ESP) --- Going to finish ahead of rival Real Madrid, so no complaints from them. Strong, consistent but just not sharp enough to win a trophy this season. 8. Ajax (ENG) -4 You have to feel for this young Ajax team. They'll look much different next season. This club has returned to its titanic status on the continental stage. 9. Chelsea (ENG) -- Into the Europa League final and finished third in the Premier League. Remember how Maurizio Sarri was supposed to be fired? 10. Arsenal (ENG) -- They'll be disappointed in not finishing in the top four, but that won't matter if the Gunners win Europa League. Pressure is on to beat Chelsea. 11. PSG (FRA) -- PSG has scored 100 goals in 36 league matches. There's no sign of anybody stopping this team in France. In Europe, it's another thing all together. 12. Lille (FRA) +1 The biggest surprise in a major European league? Second place in Ligue 1 with 72 points ... after finishing last season in 17th place with 38 points. Deserving of a Champions League spot 13. Benfica (POR) +1 Two-point lead with a game to go, Benfica can wrap up the league title next Sunday. A slip up, and rival Porto will have a chance. 14. Porto (POR) -- Going to need a victory and for Benfica to slip up. Not looking likely, but they can still win the Taca de Portugal on May 25. 15. Manchester United (ENG) -3 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has done what he can, but he got the job with United in sixth place, and that's exactly where the Red Devils finished. Big summer ahead. 16. Napoli (ITA) -- Four wins out of five and second place in Serie A wrapped up. Now can they build the roster to truly contend with Juventus again? 17. RB Leipzig (GER) -- Champions League spot wrapped up and a chance to win the German Cup against Bayern Munich. Not bad for a club established in 2009. 18. Atalanta (ITA) +2 Third place in Serie A and in the Coppa Italia final. Who saw any of that coming? Duvan Zapata has 27 goals in 44 matches. 19. Borussia Dortmund (GER) +6 Valiantly fighting for the Bundesliga crown. Unlikely to take it home on the final matchday, but credit is due for not giving up. 20. Real Madrid (ESP) -2 Los Blancos have lost 11 games this season, more than anyone in the top five in La Liga. Time to weed out the players that don't belong. Zinedine Zidane has some work to do. 21. Bayer Leverkusen (GER) NR The fight this team has shown has giving it a chance to make the Champions League on the final matchday. The draw against Schalke wasn't great, but this team still has a real shot. 22. Valencia (ESP) NR Overpowered against Arsenal, but this team finds itself in fourth place in La Liga for the first time all season with just a game to go. This team just doesn't give up. 23. Inter Milan (ITA) -- Inter Milan plays Chievo on Monday. 24. Rangers (SCO) NR Four straight wins, including a victory over rival Celtic. A strong way to close out the season. 25. Lyon (FRA) NR Massive win over Marseille to pretty much lock up a spot in the Champions League. Three wins out of four down the stretch. Biggest movers: Dortmund (+6) and Ajax (-4). Out of top 25: Watford (ENG), PSV (NED), Eintracht Frankfurt (GER), Stade Rennes (FRA). Honorable mentions: Sevilla (ESP), Wolves (ENG) and Monchengladbach (GER).<doc-sep>
The 2018-19 Premier League season is over. Defending champions Manchester City have won it again — the first time in over a decade that any team has defended the title. It is City’s 4th of the Premier League era (i.e. since 1992), moving them one clear of Arsenal (3) and just one behind Chelsea (5). Manchester United, the all-time leaders in this category finish only sixth. The Premier League table in full... pic.twitter.com/nePtdB58ID — WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) May 12, 2019 For the first time in five years, the title race came down to the final day, and for a moment it looked like we might be in for some drama. Liverpool took the early lead against Wolves at Anfield while Manchester City fell behind to a Glenn Murray goal at Brighton. City equalized almost immediately, but entering the day with just a one-point lead, the situation still favored Liverpool. But just ten minutes later, City were in the lead and from then on, there was only ever going to be one winner. Two second-half goals ensured a solid 4-1 win for Pep Guardiola’s champions. Liverpool’s eventual 2-0 triumph over Wolves means that they finish the season with 97 points, the most ever for a second place team, and enough to win the league in almost every other season. That’s almost as funny as Spurs failing to beat Everton at home, meaning that Chelsea finish third. So, bragging rights to the Blues over our London rivals and the title to the Sky Blues, over everyone else. Not the worst outcome.