Manchester City Edge Liverpool for 2018-19 EPL Title with Win vs. Brighton

Manchester City retained the Premier League title after beating Brighton & Hove Albion 4-1 at the Amex Stadium on Sunday.

Goals from Sergio Aguero, Aymeric Laporte, Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan brought the Citizens back from a goal down after Glenn Murray had headed the hosts into the lead in the 27th minute.  

The result meant City finished one point ahead of nearest Liverpool, who won 2-0 against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Anfield.

Pep Has Surpassed Mourinho's Premier League Legacy

Separating Pep Guardiola from Jose Mourinho hasn't been easy during football's modern era, and not just because of their infamous battles when both were in Spain—in charge of Barcelona and Real Madrid, respectively.

Fortunately, Guardiola's arrival in England has settled the debate. He's surpassed Mourinho in almost every way, even exceeding Mourinho's dominance of England's top flight with Chelsea.

Mourinho romped to the title with 95 points in 2005, a record obliterated by Guardiola's City 'Centurions' in 2017. Retaining the prize with a not-at-all modest 98 points exceeds Mourinho's 2006 Chelsea winners, who scooped the domestic crown with 91 points after leading from the opening day onwards.

More than the final tallies, Guardiola's awesome City machine will be more fondly remembered than Mourinho's defensive fortress at Stamford Bridge. While the latter won with a functional side built to stifle opponents, Guardiola has prized style over steel.

His artful team have turned the logic of the Premier League, where power was traditionally though to trump pretty passing, around. City have proved it's possible to not only win but to dominate England's top flight with forward-thinking enterprise.

The attack-first, caution-to-the-win mentality of Guardiola's team was best summed up by how little time they wasted seizing the initiative after Murray scored:

Being this proactive has allowed Guardiola to maintain the magic he showed with Barca and Bayern Munich. By contrast, Mourinho lost the midas touch, despite winning a third title in 2015 during an otherwise tumultuous second spell in west London.

More to the point, his dismal stint with Manchester United—coinciding with Guardiola's arrival at City—and ending in the sack last December offered vivid proof of how far Guardiola has eclipsed his nearest rival.

What's Next?

While Brighton's season is over, City will now prepare to face to Watford in the 2019 FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.

Victory would mean the Citizens complete a historic domestic treble.