13th May 2012: Manchester City 3-2 QPR

Manchester City won the Premier League for the first time on this day in 2012, as Sergio Agüero scored the competition’s most iconic goal to date.

It was the mega-rich club’s first title in 44 years, secured on goal difference over cross-city rivals United thanks to the Argentine’s 94^th minute strike.

The destination of the trophy was in Roberto Mancini’s side’s hands, but they knew they needed the victory from early in the afternoon and felt the pressure.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s second place Manchester United coasted to a routine 1-0 win at Sunderland – Wayne Rooney scoring after twenty minutes.

As the full-time whistle blew at the Stadium of Light, the Red Devils thought the crown was theirs. But City’s winner was still to come.

It could have been a comfortable afternoon for the blue half of Manchester and there was a party atmosphere in the air as Pablo Zabaleta’s 39^th minute goal gave them a lead at the interval that their dominance deserved.

The full-back made a marauding run into the penalty area and toe-poked an effort straight at Paddy Kenny.

But the visiting keeper made a weak wristed attempt to palm the ball over the bar and the ball crept across the line off the inside of the post.

Queens Park Rangers, managed by ex-Manchester City boss Mark Hughes, were fighting for survival themselves and finally came out of the blocks at the start of the second half though.

Three minutes after the restart, Djibril Cissé pounced on a howler of a backward header from Joleon Lescott to smash home their first chance of the game, rifled under England goalkeeper Joe Hart on the half-volley.

But by the 54^th minute, the game seemed to have swung back in City’s favour as QPR captain and former City player Joey Barton laid an elbow onto Carlos Tevez off the ball.

Mike Dean’s assistant spotted it and the red card was shown, with the angry midfielder also putting a cowardly knee into the back of Agüero as he left the pitch in disgrace.

QPR ‘keeper Kenny made up for his earlier error though, with a series of brilliant saves to keep the ten-man visitors in the contest.

Remarkably, they then took the lead through a diving Jamie Mackie header with 25 minutes remaining. City were ‘doing a City’.

Home supporters had started to drift away from the stadium as Kenny continued to produce outstanding, point-blank saves and five minutes of additional time were signalled.

But two minutes into it, tall Bosnian striker Edin Džeko nonchalantly nodded in a corner and fans who had given up were scrambling to get back to their seats.

Then, the moment.

Another two minutes later, in the 94^th minute, TV screens across the country were confirming United’s victory at Sunderland as QPR retreated to face another City attack.

Agüero played a one-two with a stretching Mario Balotelli on the edge of the box.

It was the Italian maverick’s only assist in his whole Premier League career.

Agüero skipped past a tackle and let rip.

3-2.

In the iconic words of Sky Sports commentator Martin Tyler: AGÜEROOOOO.

And with that, the title went to Manchester City.

Tyler was probably right to say we’d never see anything like it ever again.

Amid all the drama and euphoric scenes, results elsewhere also meant that QPR survived, so there were celebrations all-round at the Etihad.

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