That’s it for another Premier League season. You can fluke a cup win but not the league, and certainly not four years in a row. Congratulations to all connected with Manchester City on an extraordinary achievement. They’re the greatest team in England, one of the greatest we’ve ever seen, and there’s every chance they’ll make it five in a row next year. Goodnight!

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More City reaction

Kevin De Bruyne

It feels just as amazing as the first one. We worked so hard for it and to do something historic is amazing.

(Phil Foden) has been so decisive for us this season and it was a brilliant goal at the start of the game.

This is one of my most special titles. I had a tough yeark, being out for six months, so to come back and help the team makes it a great achievement personally. (He’s not wrong.)

Bernardo Silva

The margins are so small. We beat Liverpool twice by one point and now Arsneal by two points. We’re so, so proud to win four in a row.

The West Ham goal created a bit of doubt because you know they don’t need to play well to do some damage – they are very good at set-pieces and counter-attacks. But we maintained the same level and the third goal was very important.

The last man up is the captain Kyle Walker. He collects the Premier League trophy, creeps theatrically towards his teammates and lifts it as high as his abundant muscles will allow: Manchester City are champions, again!

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Manchester City: 35 not out

Pep Guardiola, wearing a blue City shirt like everyone else, leads the first-team squad onto the field and then up to receive their medals. The cheers for each player range from lusty to affectionate, with maybe the loudest reserved for Phil Foden.

It’s a particularly big day for Mateo Kovacic, Josko Gvardiola, Matheus Nunes and Jeremy Doku, all winning their first Premier League title. Doku, who has been electric at times in his first season, looks especially chuffed with how life is turning out.

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It’s time for the trophy presentation. The City backrook staff are first out, then City legend Paul Dickov brings the trophy onto the field. Now it’s Pep Guardiola’s coaching team, all wearing the kind of smiles you can’t fake. Whatever they achieve in the rest of their careers, it’ll surely never be as good as this.

Match report: Man City 3-1 West Ham

Manchester City won their last nine league games, knowing each time that a draw would probably cost them the title. All nine victories weer by at least two goals, though that doesn’t tell the full story. Stefan Ortega’s save from Son Heung-min on Tuesday was probably the defining moment of City’s season.

These awesome last laps have been a feature of Pep’s time at City. They won 12 in a row last year to reel in Arsenal, 14 in a row to hold off Liverpool in 2018-19 and six of the last seven games in 2021-22. As a result, they’ve now won six of the last seven titles.

The pitch is clear now and the podium is being set up. It’s a low-key triumph compared to some of the others, particularly the euphoric comebacks of 2012 and 2022, but in some ways it’s the worthiest of the lot. They had a post-Treble hangover; they couldn’t beat either of their title rivals; they were trying to achieve something that has never been done before – not by Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United or even Huddersfield.

And they did it, because they’re managed by Pep Guardiola.

Kyle Walker’s verdict

Manchester City have released some quotes from their captain Kyle Walker, who has done well to produce something so articulate straight after the final whistle.

The last few years have been very special for everyone at Manchester City but to have captained this club to a fourth straight Premier League title is something I will cherish forever.

The Premier League is the benchmark by which everyone is measured. It’s rightly renowned as the hardest and most competitive league in the world so to win four in a row, especially after last season’s Treble success, illustrates what we have collectively managed to achieve.

There are so many people I would like to thank but I have to start with Pep, the backroom staff, my colleagues in the dressing room and everyone who works so hard across the club, day in and day out. There is no way we could have won this title without all their incredible work and efforts.

The support we also get from the Manchester City fans never ceases to amaze me. Week in, week out they are there, whatever the weather, supporting us all the way. Their passion and backing honestly means the world to me and all the players.

I hope that making history by winning a fourth consecutive Premier League title stands as a fitting way for us to say thank you to all our fantastic supporters.

It’s in the Guardian, it must be true

Phil Foden speaks

It’s so hard to put into words what we’ve done today. Aaaaah. No team’s ever done it and you can see what it means to the fans and to us. We’ve worked all year for ths moment.

This means a bit more because now we can say we’re the first team to (win four in a row). I’m lost for words to be honest. I’m absolutely shattered!

It was almost the perfect start. An early goal helps with the nerves. I thought we looked confident, we played our football and it paid off. ‘The Sniper’ (nickname) is gonna stay forever now.

I want this feeling every time. There’s no better feeling than winning something.

The final scores on the final day

• Arsenal 2-1 Everton

• Brentford 2-4 Newcastle

• Brighton 0-2 Man Utd

• Burnley 1-2 Nottm Forest

• Chelsea 2-1 Bournemouth

• Crystal Palace 5-0 Aston Villa

• Liverpool 2-0 Wolves

• Luton 2-4 Fulham

• Man City 3-1 West Ham

• Sheff Utd 0-3 Tottenham

There’s a proper pitch invasion now, so the players are celebrating near the tunnel. Kyle Walker gives Kevin De Bruyne a piggyback; Phil Foden gives De Bruyne a big hug. Foden will forever be the face of City’s record-breaking season: he scored a career-best 27 goals, including two today. And he’s about to talk to Sky Sports.

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Full time: Manchester City 3-1 West Ham History is made at the Etihad: Manchester City have become the first English team to win the title four years in a row!

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90+5 min Some people are on the pitch, they think it’s all over. The City fans in the stands are booing, the players are telling them to stop acting like eejits. This is a bit weird. A points deduction for crowd misbehaviour would enliven the title race.

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90+4 min Drink it in, City fans: you’re about to make history.

90+1 min “Expecting three goals in the last eight minutes when all logic and reason tells you the league is over,” writes Krishnamoorthy V. “Does it qualify as foolish optimism.”

That would be an ecumenical matter generous description.

90 min: City substitution Mateo Kovacic replaces the marvellous Phil Foden. There will be five minutes of added time, more than enough time to score two goals on this ground. But there ain’t no jeopardy in M11 today.

89 min “If there were a minileague of City, Inter, Real Madrid and Leverkusen, I’m not sure I’d back City to win,” says Kári Tulinius. “In my lifetime, there have been a handful of club sides that have felt like a class above their contemporaries, Zidane’s Real, Pep’s Barcelona, Sacchi’s Milan come to mind, but City haven’t felt otherworldly in the same way.”

One interesting detail of this season is that City’s big-game record hasn’t been great, but they have treated the rest of the league with leadpipe cruelty. Ultimately Arsenal lost the title because they took one point from six against Fulham.

Talking of which, Kai Havertz has just put Arsenal 2-1 up against Everton.

88 min: Disallowed goal for West Ham! Ward-Prowse’s corner takes a ricochet and goes into the net via Soucek, who seems to signal that it hit his arm. So it did, and VAR does the necessary.

87 min Kudus beats Gvardiol and screws a cutback that hits Ake and ripples the side netting. Ortega probably had it covered, but City don’t want to be conceding a goal here.

86 min: West Ham substitution Danny Ings replaces Lucas Paqueta, who did nothing of note.

85 min “It feels pretty silly to make the point that this surreally good football team is not every bit as good as it was during its best ever season, but someone’s gotta,” says Phil Podolsky. “The midfield of Stones, Rodri, Gundogan and De Bruyne played teams off the pitch in a way this version almost does but not quite, y’know?”

Which City team has been the most dominant in midfield? In my head it’s 2017-18, but who knows.

83 min De Bruyne’s clipped corner from the left hits the shoulder of Haaland at the near post and goes just wide of the far post. Haaland could have had three or four today.

82 min Doku’s shot hits Coufal and deflects into the side netting at the near post.

81 min: West Ham substitution The teenager George Earthy replaces Michail Antonio up front.

79 min Bernardo Silva cuts inside Cresswell and shoots over. City are cruising; West Ham haven’t had a shot off target in the second half, never mind on.

76 min Alvarez is booked for a lunging tackle on Bernardo Silva. He won the ball so he must have been penalised for the follow through.

74 min Foden, who wants that hat-trick every bit as much as Jackie Treehorn’s heavies wanted that money, Lebowski, curls a free-kick into the side netting from 25 yards.

72 min Arsenal are still drawing with Everton, so as it stands City could throw three in and win the league. Not that they’re going to: apart from a five-minute period before half-time, they’ve barely given West Ham a kick.

71 min: West Ham substitution Edson Alvarez replaces Emerson, which means a switch to a back four.

71 min: City substitution Nathan Ake replaces Manuel Akanji.

70 min Areola holds Foden’s inswinging corner but almost falls over the line under pressure from Ruben Dias.

70 min: No penalty

69 min: VAR check for a City penalty Akanji’s shot hits the outstretched arm of Cresswell. He was very close to Akanji, which might save him.

68 min There have been times on the final day, particularly against QPR and Aston Villa, that City fans could barely look. Today they’re not looking for a different reason: it’s Poznan time.

De Bruyne almost scores direct from a corner, a big inswinger that beats Areola and is headed off the line by Soucek.

66 min De Bruyne plays a nice angled pass to the underlapping Foden, who cuts the ball back towards Haaland at the near post. His shot hits Zouma and flies behind for a corner.

Haaland isn’t quite as dementedly single-minded as some great goalscorers, but he still’s Jonesing for a goal.

65 min Blimey, Crystal Palace are now 5-0 up against Aston Villa, with Jean-Philippe Mateta scoring six of them.

Edit: VAR, 4-0.

64 min Here’s the goal that restored City’s two-goal lead.

63 min City’s goals have come from their two best players this season, Phil Foden and now Rodri.

Foden tries for his third with a stinging half-volley from a tight angle that is held by Areola.

City kept the ball for an age, with maybe 30 or 40 passes before Bernardo Silva pushed it back to Rodri in the D. He sidefooted a low, first-time shot that went through the left hand of the diving Areola into the net. Areola must have seen that late.

Another big goal from Manchester City’s midfield giant!

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56 min Doku accidentally catches Paqueta in the face with a flailing arm: reckless, perhaps, but nothing more than that. The referee keeps his yellow card in his pocket.

55 min There’s a slightly peculiar atmosphere at the Etihad. City have controlled the second half and look comfortable, but they need a third goal quicksmart to help everyone relax.

54 min Soucek pulls back Haaland 30 yards out, a brazen foul for which he should really have been booked.

53 min Doku wins a corner off Coufal, who will be treated for twisted blood after this game. Foden curls it out and Ward-Prowse heads away.

51 min The utter state of this.

51 min Foden has too much space, 25 yards out, and curls a lovely shot just wide of the far post. I think Areola had it covered

50 min “Am stuck in a windowless room at an airport hotel missing this glorious weather to say goodbye to the shiny-toothed one,” writes Ian Copestake, who knows how to show himself a good time.

49 min A defensive clearance rolls to De Bruyne on the edge of the D. He cracks a first-time shot with his left foot that goes a few yards wide.

48 min City have started the half calmly, passing the ball from side to side as they look for openings. They’ll want to get this done in the first 15 minutes.

47 min “This is more exciting at half time than I was expecting,” says Liz White. “I had to turn to the Arsenal game at the first Foden goal. All the Toronto teams are out of the playoffs (hockey) so what am I going to do with my weekends until the Euros?”

I don’t suppose county cricket is big in Canada, is it. MotoGP?

46 min Michail Antonio has the first kick of the second half. The first few minutes should reveal the mood of both teams and tell us whether West Ham have a realistic chance of a stunning comeback.

The half-time scores

• Arsenal 1-1 Everton

• Brentford 0-3 Everton

• Brighton 0-0 Man Utd

• Burnley 0-2 Nottm Forest

• Chelsea 1-0 Bournemouth

• C Palace 2-0 Aston Villa

• Liveprool 2-0 Wolves

• Luton 1-2 Fulham

• Man City 2-1 West Ham

• Sheff Utd 0-1 Spurs

“I have previously joked in these parts about a Danny Ings heat map requiring thermals and a woolly hat,” writes Brian Withington. “Antonio’s is currently doing a passable imitation of the heat death of the Universe.”