Manchester City go into the final match of the Premier League as favourites to lift the trophy – and history is on their side when it comes to last-day finishes.
City lead Liverpool by one point and they both have home games – against Aston Villa and Wolves – respectively on Sunday as all 10 remaining games kick off at the same time.
It will mark the ninth time in the Premier League era that the title race has been decided in the last round of fixtures, and on each of the previous eight occasions, the team in first place before kick-off went on to lift the silverware.
Every Premier League leader playing at home to finish the season has won the game, though City went close to blowing their opportunity in 2012 when Roberto Mancini's team had to score twice in stoppage time to defeat QPR 3-2 and beat Manchester United to the title.
1994-95
Blackburn won their only Premier League title despite losing 2-1 on the final day at Liverpool. Manchester United started the day two points behind in second place but could only draw 1-1 at West Ham.
1995-96
Alex Ferguson's Manchester United bounced back to win the title the following year, this time having no problems on a final-day fight with Kevin Keegan's Newcastle. United had a two-point lead and won 3-0 at Middlesbrough while Toon, who led the table by 12 points in February, drew 1-1 with Tottenham.
1998-99
Another title for Manchester United, who needed to come from behind to beat Tottenham 2-1 at home and hold off Arsenal by a point. Arsenal did their job by beating Aston Villa 1-0 and were given hope by Les Ferdinand's early goal for Tottenham. David Beckham equalised for United and Andy Cole's deft lob in the 47th minute proved decisive.
2007-08
Both Manchester United and Chelsea entered the final day on 84 points, with United leading on goal difference. United beat Wigan 2-0 away thanks to goals by Cristiano Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs, while Chelsea could only draw at Bolton 1-1 after conceding a late equaliser. United and Chelsea met in the Champions League final 10 days later – and again United triumphed after a penalty shoot-out.
2009-10
Chelsea left nothing to chance in their efforts bid to stay ahead of Manchester United and end their rival's three-season stay at the summit. An 8-0 thrashing of Wigan at Stamford Bridge, which included a hat-trick from Didier Drogba, was Chelsea's biggest victory in their Premier League history and took the team past 100 goals for the season. United beat Stoke 4-0 but finished a point back in second.
2011-12
The most thrilling finish to a Premier League season saw Manhester City become English champions for the first time in 44 years. Stoppage-time goals by Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero were needed for a 3-2 victory over QPR, who started the game under the threat of relegation. United had completed their 1-0 win at Sunderland before Aguero scored to clinch the title on goal difference.
2013-14
Manchester City left it to the last day again for their second Premier League title, but this was less of a rollercoaster ride than two years earlier. A routine 2-0 win at home to West Ham was secured by goals from Samir Nasri and Vincent Kompany, and it was enough to hold off Liverpool, who finished two points behind following a 2-1 home win over Newcastle.
2018-19
Manchester City started the final day a point ahead of Liverpool – like this season – but it looked like there could be a twist to the title race when Pep Guardiola's team fell behind to Brighton in the 27th minute, with Liverpool already leading against Wolves. However, Aguero equalised within a minute and City wound up 4-1 winners, making Liverpool's 2-0 victory at Anfield meaningless.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo
Power: 435hp at 5,900rpm
Torque: 520Nm at 1,800-5,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Price: from Dh498,542
On sale: now
Persuasion
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The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
Iran's dirty tricks to dodge sanctions
There’s increased scrutiny on the tricks being used to keep commodities flowing to and from blacklisted countries. Here’s a description of how some work.
1 Going Dark
A common method to transport Iranian oil with stealth is to turn off the Automatic Identification System, an electronic device that pinpoints a ship’s location. Known as going dark, a vessel flicks the switch before berthing and typically reappears days later, masking the location of its load or discharge port.
2. Ship-to-Ship Transfers
A first vessel will take its clandestine cargo away from the country in question before transferring it to a waiting ship, all of this happening out of sight. The vessels will then sail in different directions. For about a third of Iranian exports, more than one tanker typically handles a load before it’s delivered to its final destination, analysts say.
3. Fake Destinations
Signaling the wrong destination to load or unload is another technique. Ships that intend to take cargo from Iran may indicate their loading ports in sanction-free places like Iraq. Ships can keep changing their destinations and end up not berthing at any of them.
4. Rebranded Barrels
Iranian barrels can also be rebranded as oil from a nation free from sanctions such as Iraq. The countries share fields along their border and the crude has similar characteristics. Oil from these deposits can be trucked out to another port and documents forged to hide Iran as the origin.
* Bloomberg
Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
