Guardiola hails 'legends' as Man City prepare to party

Pep Guardiola described his Manchester City players as "legends" after they staged an incredible fightback to win the Premier League, with fans preparing to line the streets on Monday to hail their heroes. City sealed their fourth title in five seasons in breathless fashion on Sunday, scoring three goals in five minutes to overturn a 2-0 deficit late in the second half against Aston Villa and break the hearts of Liverpool fans.

The dramatic scenes at a rocking Etihad Stadium came 10 years after Sergio Aguero sealed the title in a similarly nerve-shredding 3-2 final-day win. Liverpool ended up 3-1 victors against Wolves but the result at Anfield ultimately proved immaterial after substitute Ilkay Gundogan scored either side of Rodri's strike to complete an astonishing turnaround.

City finished on 93 points, one ahead of Jurgen Klopp's men as they ended their rivals' hopes of winning an unprecedented quadruple and lifted a ninth major trophy of Guardiola's reign. City, who for so long lived in the shadow of neighbours Manchester United, are now establishing their own dynasty to match the achievements of previous great United and Liverpool teams.

"In the last five years winning four Premier Leagues, these guys are legends already," an ecstatic Guardiola said after the match on Sunday. "I'm sorry, people have to admit it.

This group of players are absolutely eternal in this club because what we achieve is so difficult to do. "Just Sir Alex Ferguson with United has done it years ago two or three times, now I realised again the magnitude of Sir Alex Ferguson and his United." Guardiola also paid tribute to Liverpool, who were 14 points behind City in January, and seemingly out of the title picture before relentlessly hunting