Premier League giants Manchester City had a stellar year in 2023 after they clinched a historic treble in June. Masterminded by the excellent Pep Guardiola, City won the Premier League and FA Cup and rounded off the treble with their maiden Champions League title win in Istanbul. The historic treble-winning run included a series of big wins in the Champions League and the Premier League. So how did Manchester City claim the big prize and who were the architects of the treble?
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Arsenal gave City a good run in the Premier League title race and led the table until April before Pep’s side produced their ‘A-game’. City went on a 15-match unbeaten run in the Premier League after their February defeat to Tottenham Hotspur which saw them turn the screws in the race against Arsenal. The Gunners also faltered at the wrong end and surrendered the title to City after their away defeat to Nottingham Forest on May 20.
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City eventually finished the season five points clear of Arsenal on 89 points. They registered 28 wins and five draws on their way to their third consecutive title in the top flight. City’s remarkable home runs saw them lose only once on their home turf in the Premier League season while scoring 94 goals in the process.
FA Cup triumph
Pep’s side had a tough start to their FA Cup campaign in January and were paired up with Arsenal in their third round contest. However, a dominating 4-0 defeat saw them book their next round tie with Chelsea. Both the ties were played at City’s home as they later got the better of Chelsea 1-0. City’s only away tie in the competition came against Bristol where they won 3-0 and followed that with an impressive 6-0 and 3-0 wins against then-Championship high-flyers Burnley and Sheffield United respectively.
Manchester United stood in City’s way in the final where Pep again showcased his class in a 2-1 win at Wembley Stadium.
Champions League glory in Istanbul
Having overseen a tough group stage campaign, City played German giants RB Leipzig in the R16 and smashed them 7-0 in the second leg in Manchester having earlier been held to a 1-1 draw. It was a tough prospect for Pep’s team in the draws for the final as they were on the same side as Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Chelsea. However, City got the better of Bayern 4-1 on aggregate while exacting revenge on Real Madrid for 2022 loss with a 5-1 aggregate win to advance to the final.
In a night full of drama in the Champions League final, City showcased their class and prevailed 1-0 as they beat Inter Milan. City remained unbeaten in the entire Champions League season and repeated the historic treble in English football after 24 years, with arch-rivals Manchester United being the first team to achieve the feat.
Erling Haaland was the top scorer for the club with 52 goals in 53 matches in all competitions while also breaking the Premier League record for most goals. The Norwegian scored 36 goals in 35 Premier League matches for the club.
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