Top 10 Moments from Manchester City's 2014-15 Premier League Season
Picking highlights from Manchester City's 2014-15 season is by no means an easy task. They underwhelmed for much of the campaign, particularly given expectations were so high after their league-and-cup double 12 months ago.
They've gone from Premier League champions to runners-up and eight points adrift of Chelsea within the space of 12 months, and Manuel Pellegrini's focus will now be adding further quality to his squad to ensure a more aggressive title challenge next season.
Here, though, are 10 high points from the season just gone.
10. Lampard's Late Equaliser vs. Chelsea
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The scene was set. Having spent 13 years at Stamford Bridge as a Chelsea player, winning three Premier League titles, four FA Cups and a Champions League, Frank Lampard came off the bench the bench to face them for the first time since leaving them as a free agent in June 2014 with his new side a goal down.
Lampard, as he had so often done for Chelsea, found himself on the end of a move on the edge of the area and applied a first-time finish past Thibaut Courtois, securing a point for City.
Football so often writes fine stories, and this one was up there with the best.
9. Milnerf's Goal vs. Stoke
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One of the most underrated goals of City's season was James Milner's header in the away win at Stoke.
It ended a wonderful team move, including some intricate passing between Samir Nasri and David Silva down the right, before the Frenchman's inch-perfect cross found Milner in space inside the area, which he finished emphatically.
8. Joe Hart's Save vs. Swansea
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The 2014-15 season will certainly be remembered as the campaign in which Joe Hart reasserted his quality after struggling for form during the previous campaign.
He looked much more confident throughout, and his display against Barcelona in the Champions League is considered the best of his career, even eclipsing his performance against Borussia Dortmund in 2012.
However, it was his save from Federico Fernandez in City's 4-2 win at Swansea that will go down as his save of the season, a moment of instinctive brilliance that underlined his breathtaking reflexes.
7. Aguero Scores Four vs. Spurs
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Sergio Aguero's 26 goals made him the Premier League's top scorer, and his four-goal haul against Tottenham was arguably his finest display of the season.
City, whose record against Spurs in recent years is remarkable, won the game 4-1, with their star striker rightly taking the plaudits. It was just another example of Aguero's instinct and sharpness in front of goal.
6. Ending Hoodoo vs. Sunderland and Stoke
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City's record against Sunderland and Stoke going into this season was poor. City had lost 1-0 on their previous four visits to the Stadium of Light and hadn't won at the Britannia in the league since 1999.
However, emphatic 4-1 wins have ended the hoodoos. Both performances saw City completely dominate proceedings, scoring goals of the highest quality and out-passing the opposition.
5. Win at Southampton and a Goal for Clichy
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Too often this season, City played in a disjointed manner, inhibited when compared with the quality they managed in their title-winning season of 2013-14.
However, one afternoon in which they managed to play with freedom was away at St. Mary's back in November. They won 3-0, with Yaya Toure, Frank Lampard and Gael Clichy—his first for the club since arriving in 2011—capping a convincing display.
The win saw City leapfrog Southampton into second place and cut Chelsea's lead at the top of the table to six points.
4. Another Manchester Derby Win
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Going into the Manchester derby at the Etihad back in November, City had won the last four meetings against their nearest rivals, Manchester United.
Sergio Aguero's winner made it five in a row, settling a somewhat chaotic affair which had seen Chris Smalling sent off in the first half. It was the Argentine's tenth goal in ten league games and saw City move back within six points of leaders Chelsea.
3. Six-Game Winning Run to End the Season
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After their disastrous 4-2 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford in April, City were at a low ebb. Eight defeats in 15 matches across all competitions had left Pellegrini's future in serious doubt, and City's season was in danger of imploding.
But a six-match winning run, including 18 goals, saw them comfortably finish second and go into the summer break in a far more confident mood.
Pellegrini's position now feels far more secure, with his ability to galvanise his side, which has often been questioned, evident throughout the sequence of results.
2. Fernando Scores City's 1,000th Premier League Goal
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In City's 3-0 win home win over West Brom in March, Fernando, who endured a difficult first season at City, had the honour of scoring the club's 1,000th Premier League goal of all time.
It could hardly have come from a more unlikely source. Fernando rarely ventures forward, concerned instead with limiting opposition attacks. It represents the high point of an otherwise poor first year at the club.
1. Aguero and Hart Securing Individual Honours
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In a season in which major silverware eluded City, scooping two individual honours was all they had to show for their efforts.
Aguero finished as the league's top scorer with 26 goals, a fitting reward for the superb season he had, and Hart won the Golden Glove Award for the fourth time in five years, having kept 14 clean sheets throughout the campaign.
It may not rank alongside their achievements in the previous campaign, but it at least saw two of their best-performing players receive some recognition for their efforts.
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